Activity 1: Gifts From the Heart

Purpose: This activity is intended to help Head Start staff appreciate what an important and lasting positive effect they can have on the young children with whom they have relationships.

For this activity you will need:

· A 3x5 index card for each participant

Step 1: Sometimes it is difficult for staff to see that their relationships with children have any impact. One way to believe that these seeds they plant do bear fruit, however, is to help them reflect on their own lives.

Step 2: Direct participants to think of a person who was important in a positive way in their lives when they were young. This may be a parent, aunt or uncle, family friend, teacher, or someone else.

Ask participants:

· When you were with that person, how did you feel about yourself?
· What did that person do to make you feel that way?

Have participants list on one side of a 3x5 index card or piece of paper three gifts that this person gave them. These gifts should be actions this person took that made a difference in how they saw themselves or how they viewed the world. Ask them to be as concrete as possible and offer these examples:

• My kindergarten teacher called me his athlete and was proud of how strong and active I was instead of telling me all the time that I had to learn to sit still or be quiet. I learned that my restlessness and need to move around could be something good, not just bad, and I started wanting to play soccer like him. I still have a hard time sitting still, and I still love to play soccer.
• I have always been very shy, but my mother was always very patient with me. She gave me lots of time to answer questions or feel ready to join in. When other adults called me timid or shy, Mom asserted that I was cautious and took my time analyzing new situations. She respected the way I was and never made me feel stupid or ashamed of being shy.
• My neighbor John was an artist, and he let me watch him paint sometimes. I learned from John that men could be creative and express feelings through words and art. He showed me there were different ways to "be a man" than what I was used to at home.

Step 3: On the other side of the card, have participants list three gifts that they give to the children in their care.

Ask participants:

• How do you think the gifts you give children make them feel about themselves, and how will these gifts influence what they expect from adults in the future?

Step 4: Have participants find a partner and take turns observing each other work with children. Each of them should notice and write down three gifts that the other gives to the children. After observing and noting each other's gifts, have them schedule some time to meet and discuss them. Ask them to think about the following:

• Were yours and your partner's gifts similar or different? Were the gifts you identified about yourself different from what your partner observed in you?
• Tell your partner how you think her gifts might affect the children, and then give her a chance to tell you how she thinks yours might affect them.
• Did you learn anything about yourself that surprises you?
• How often do you appreciate yourself for the gifts you give?

Step 5: Have them congratulate each other - these gifts can make a difference for a lifetime, even if they can't see it right away.

Points to Consider

· It's not only the "material gifts" we receive as children that we remember fondly as adults, but those "little things" that someone did for or said to us that make lasting impressions on our lives.

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