Character education is a great topic to cover any time of the year. In light of recent events, so many people have been talking about how getting down to the basics of good human behavior is something that is ever so important. We need to look out for each other, care for one another and show love and acceptance to all. At the same time we need to have appropriate consequences for bad behavior and know when what we have done is wrong.
Now is a great time to review what it means to be a caring person, a helpful friend and a person of integrity. Stories have always been a wonderful way to illustrate these types of character traits and behaviors and you have a library of books focused on character education at your fingertips right here at Big Universe.
Here are some examples:
Helping Hands – Ocho is the best at helping others. But who will help him when he needs it? Character concept: Caring: Be kind.
Let’s Bee Friends – Why is Bear bothered by Bee when she can be a sweet friend? Character concept: Trustworthiness: Be a good friend.
Living rough – In most ways, Poe is like the other kids in his school. He thinks about girls and tries to avoid too much contact with teachers. He has a loving father who helps him with his homework. But Poe has a secret, and almost every day some small act threatens to expose him. He doesn’t have a phone number to give to friends. He doesn’t have an address. Poe and his father are living in a tent on city land. When the city clears the land to build housing, Poe worries that they might not be able to find another site near his school. Will Poe have to expose his secret to get help for himself and his father?
Snowball Effect – Dylan and his friends snowball cars for entertainment on the weekend. When they don’t get enough reaction from passing cars, they put rocks in the middle of their snowballs. Their first attack with the loaded snowballs causes a car crash. His friends flee, but Dylan goes to the scene of the accident to make sure the driver is okay. He runs off when he knows help is on the way. Dylan is sighted, and rather than being punished, he is lauded as a hero. As his lies pile up, so does the hype about his heroics, and along with it, Dylan’s guilt.
These books are great for processing situations and leading discussions with kids about what is right, how to be kind and how to always do the right thing.
~EMP
