Tapestry of Faith: Love Will Guide Us: A Program for Grades 2-3 that Applies the Wisdom of the Six Sources to the Big Questions

Alternate Activity 3: Flower Power

Activity time: 20 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Construction paper in a variety of colors
  • Scissors (including left-handed scissors) and glue sticks
  • Pencils, and color markers

Description of Activity

Children offer one another compliments and build their own "compliment flower," practicing a way of responding with love.

Give each child a whole sheet of construction paper. Place construction paper, in a variety of colors, on the work tables with pencils, scissors, glue sticks, and color markers. Tell participants:

Compliments are like flowers, with the power to build a person up and allow them to glow from the inside out.

Invite each child to draw a flower stem on their paper, and then cut out two leaves from another sheet of paper and glue the leaves to their stem. Invite them to write one thing they like about themselves on each leaf.

As children finish, ask them to use whatever colors of paper they wish to cut out petals for their flower. The number of petals should equal the number of people in the group, minus one. (If the group is small, have children cut out two petals for each person.) Have the children write their names on the backs of all their petals, then distribute their petals, one (or two) to each person in the group.

Ask the children to look and see whose petal they have, then turn it over, write a positive comment or compliment, and then return the petal to its owner. Encourage them to take a moment to think of something special (specific) about each person.

You may wish to post a few "generic" compliments on newsprint to get the children started, for example:

  • I am glad you are my friend.
  • You are fun to play with.
  • You have a nice personality.

As children receive their petals back, invite them to glue petals to the stem so all the positive comments can be seen. Tell the children they may take their Flower Power flowers home.

Follow up with these questions:

  • Was it harder to give compliments to yourself or to give them to someone else? Why?
  • How does it feel to get positive comments from others?
  • Is it easier for you to say positive comments to others, or to write them down?
  • Why is it important to give compliments to others?

Including All Participants

Offer help if you notice a child has difficulty thinking of positive comments or writing on the "leaves" and "petals."