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?
Bruce's Dream House
There's just one catch...
Get Your Game On!
5 team building ideas
Kindness Creation Challenge: Do you have an new idea for how to Practice Kindness? Adults, submit your family’s ideas here for a chance to share it with the world!
Following our #SummerKindnessSeries? Tell us what you think here
Get future activities straight to your inbox!
*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