This will be a two part project. If you meeting is short you can divide it otherwise prepare for two distinct portions.

Part 1: Make a paper human/animal/favorite stuffed animal/whatever is special to the child (15-20 minutes or more)
– Assemble the construction paper, scissors, glue, and markers on a table that is accessible to everyone
– Instruct kids to create a paper doll of what is most special to them using the materials.
– Take time to make it nice and as accurate as possible, the kids need to be invested in their result.
– Once everyone is finished (or time is up) let everyone show their result and describe why they chose it.

Part 2: Understand and demonstrate empathy for others (15-20 minutes or more)
– Gather kids and ask if anyone knows what empathy is. Engage in discussion.
– Watch age appropriate video or book of your choosing
*Youngest kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27sho6s2eK8
*Elementary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itp21tly8nM
*Elementary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9khpSYz4c4g
*Tweens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU3QfyqvHk8
– Answer questions if there are any
– Have kids sit with their created special paper person/animal… and tell the story of Sam. Each time you finish a line of Sam’s story tell the kids to make a rip in their special paper person/animal.
* Sam didn’t sleep well and wakes up late to get to school. They are rushed out the door to get to the bus on time and don’t have time to eat breakfast.
* Sam is waiting at the bus stop when some children start to make fun of Sam because they forgot to brush their hair in the rush to leave the house.
*When Sam gets to school they are left out during small groups as everyone only wants to be with their best friend.
*During recess Sam trips and falls. Their knee gets skinned and no one offers to help them up.
– Once you are finished with the story of Sam, have a conversation about how much time and effort they put into making their paper person/animal and how they feel now.
– This is a great time for kids to reflect on how this is like being unkind or saying mean things to someone else. How do they feel that the paper person/animal they worked so hard on now has many rips in it?
– Now pass out tape and ask the kids to come up with some ways to help each other. Put the kids in groups or pairs and as they give solutions let them get to work helping each other to “fix” the other one’s paper person/animal to try to make them look as good as they were before.
– After they work for a few minutes on each others paper people/animals, ask them if the paper people/animal is as good as it was before. Ask the kids to reflect on how they felt when their paper person/animal was ripped up versus how it felt to have someone help them try to get it back together.
– Talk about how words are powerful and they can’t be taken back, they will always leave marks and scars, but helping someone by working with them can make everyone feel better.
*Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. We experience empathy every day when we take the tie to understand, feel, share, and respond to others lived experiences.
– Ask for questions and clean up for the day.