• Drawing paper and crayons or markers

Here is an activity that can help children experience cooperation, shared decision-making, division of responsibilities, and active participation by playing at being a family and making a home with other children.

Form small groups of three to five children. You can allow the groups to self-select, ask them to count off by numbers to form groups, or place the children in groups that you think will work well together.

Tell the children that for the next ten minutes, their small group is their new family. Ask them to decide together what kind of home they want to live in, where it should be (near a river, near a candy store, near a food store, on a mountain top, etc.), what jobs their home needs done, and who will do these jobs. Invite them to work together to draw a single picture of their home.

Spend time with each group to keep them on track and moderate their discussions as needed. Listen carefully, and help them make (and remember) their group decisions. Encourage the groups to draw the home.

Gather the entire group back together. Invite each small group to show their drawing and tell the others about their home.