Rhyming Prompt: December 28
Of all of the good deeds we’ve done together,
Did one in particular make you feel better?
Or did someone do something so kind for you
That it made you feel like your heart really flew?
Let’s make a list of the best things we’ve done
And maybe some new things to add to the fun.
I’m heading home soon, and I’ll miss you a lot
But while I’m gone I’ll be giving some thought
To how kind you are, and the good you will do
Even without these prompts to guide you through.
Download the prompts for December 25-28 here as a PDF or here as a Microsoft Word Document (you may have already printed these—I’m just re-posting them here for convenience). If you want to get an early start on the last page of printed rhymes, you can download the prompts for December 29-31 here as a PDF or here as a Microsoft Word Document.
An image of the December 28 prompt printed on cream cardstock with a green border. There is a gold wax impression of a frog in the corner, highlighted in silver. The card is nestled in a lit Christmas tree.
Other Materials:
Whatever you might want to make a list—the notes app on your phone, a laptop, or a piece of paper and pen.
Suggested Pose:
Frantz has started brainstorming some kind action suggestions of his own, and they’re only mildly self-serving!
Frantz is sitting in the book nook on a pile of garishly patterned pillows. He is holding the day’s prompt and a star notecard that suggests 1. Smile at the neighbors, and 2. Hug mom!
Activity:
Make a list of some kind things your child has done recently. This is a victory lap. Then, encourage your child to add to the list. What are some empathetic actions your child has witnessed lately? Would they like to replicate any of those? Is there anything else really kind your child would like to do? What does kindness look like to them? Come up with at least three specific actions that your child would like to do.
Rationale:
This gives your child an opportunity to reflect back on their recent empathetic behaviors and feel good about them, and then to plan to continue those behaviors beyond the frog’s visit. It also lets your child take what they’ve learned about empathy and synthesize it into actions they’ve conceived themselves, which will make empathetic behaviors more self-sustaining and desirable.
Book Recommendation:
I love Horton Hears a Who, about how we should be kind and generous to all people, even if others in our lives don’t understand. There is a whole animated film of this, but I truly love this person’s final project for a multimedia class, where they acted out and animated the book. It is charming.
A closeup of the cover of Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss.