This activity helps participants celebrate their uniqueness. Gather everyone in a seated circle, on chairs or the floor. Tell the group you will play a memory game. Ask participants to close their eyes and think about what makes them special or perhaps different than others. Suggest it could be something they enjoy, like soccer; something they can do, such as speak another language, or something they are, such as the only child in their family. Allow participants a minute or two to think in silence then ask them to slowly open their eyes.

Going around the circle, ask the first child what makes them special. Ask them to say, "I am special because_______," and then complete the sentence. Then, invite the next participant in the circle to repeat exactly what the last person said and then add what makes them special (for example, "Katie is special because she can ride a scooter and I am special because...). Go around the whole circle with each participant repeating what previous participants said and adding their own words to the end of the statement.

The last participant in the circle will have to repeat everyone's statements. Suggest the children help one another remember all the words as the list gets longer and more difficult to remember.

If time allows, choose another question to ask and go around the circle the opposite way. You might ask "What is the oddest animal you have ever seen?" or "What makes your home special?"

Ask the group if they were surprised by anything that was shared? How does it feel to talk about being special? Is it hard? Is it easy? End by acknowledging there are many wonderful things that make the people in the group special.

Be sure to assist participants who have trouble remembering what the other participants said before them. Allow participants to pass if they can't think of something at their turn; then, go back to them later. If they are unable to think of something, ask participants questions to prompt them to find something special about themselves.