If there is anyone who is having a problem remembering to
use nice words in your family, this might be a fun idea for you!
One of our Family New Years Resolutions is to use
more "Words that Build Up!"
A Story
Here is a story from the Friend Magazine, called Words That Build Up, that we read as a family on Monday night. It helped the kiddos understand that words are powerful, and we have to be mindful of what we say to each other.
A Quiz
The next page on that link, or right here, is a fun quiz called Choose the RIGHT words. The real life scenarios can be tweaked a little to match your family. This was really funny for my kids. They enjoyed answering and also listening to each other answer (it was entertaining for me too!).
After the quiz came the best part of the night. We did this SuPeR object lesson from my sister in law, Jodi. You will need to give each kid a tube of toothpaste (medium to large sized) and a clear cup.
I told them we were going to play a game and on the count of 3 they had to squeeze all of their toothpaste into their cup.
When they were all done squeezing, I then told them that whomever could get their toothpaste back into the tube was the winner! Of course that can't happen (but my 10 year old wanted to try).
The object is that we need to use nice words, because once we say mean words, we cant get them back. No matter what we do, they cant get back into our mouths and be unsaid. We were sure to talk about making mistakes and saying sorry when we say mean things, as well.
A Quote
"I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort." Gordon B Hinckley
Sometimes, when we try to teach our kids something, they really, really get it. This was one of those lessons in our home! They were talking to me about it all week. I even overheard them telling friends about it after school several days later. I hope it works for some of you, too!
