
Story Walk
What are your favorite stories? Get inspired by tales old and new, and learn a fun new way to experience your favorite picture books! Watch the video for instructions!
Activity Type: Family Time
Play Time: 20 min to read and discuss!

What is it?
Ever played a baseball game by yourself? Not very fun, right? When kids play together, they learn important skills, like how to collaborate, solve problems, share, and compromise. And just like with sports, practice makes perfect! Learning from play? That’s what we call a home run :)
Why is it important?
As all adults will attest, stop exercising your muscles and they seem to disappear overnight. Skills like collaboration are the same - if you don’t use them, you lose them. Collaborative family play builds skills like sharing and compromise, both of which help cultivate empathy. So get that family game night back on the books! It’s much more fun than lifting weights anyway.

Help kids get the habit
Role Call for Family Meetings:
Try holding regular family meetings and have kids rotate roles like timekeeper and note-taker. Keep it upbeat, give compliments, and use this time to collaboratively problem-solve and make family decisions!
Rock, Paper, Scissors:
Believe it or not, even a simple game of rock-paper-scissors can make an impact! Besides being fun, it’s proven to help kids collaborate on rules and work out conflicts on their own.
Learn One New Thing:
Encourage kids to learn “one new thing” about someone each day. The habit requires kids to listen deeper, ask questions, and focus more on one another.
We > Me:
Practice using “we” and "us" statements instead of “me” or “I” statements. It helps kids focus on the similarities between groups, instead of the differences.
Activities
Practice Teamwork at home :) These are ideas to inspire new traditions. Did you know when kids are asked to teach, it makes ideas more memorable?
Kindness Creation Challenge: Do you have an idea for a new way to Stretch Your Imagination? Adults, submit your family’s ideas here for a chance to share it with the world!
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*Research and material is sourced and adapted from Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed In Our All-About-Me World.
Learn more about Dr. Michele Borba