CARES Program March, 2022
Etiwanda School District
Let's Look at Relationship Skills
Our character theme for the months of February and March is relationship skills. These lessons and resources improve your child's relationship skills and ability to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships.
Skills related to relationship include the following:
- Navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups
- Communicate clearly
- Listen actively
- Cooperate
- Work collaboratively to solve problems
- Negotiate conflict constructively
- Provide leadership
- Seek or offer help when needed
Parent and Child Connections
You can help your child better understand teamwork by:
- Explaining that being part of a group or classroom team helps your child learn and find solutions to problems. They can utilize the strengths of a group.
- Discussing the different types of teams at school: some collaborative, not competitive. This is a great time to highlight that we all are better when we work together.
- Encouraging your child to name some ways to be a good team member.
Reinforcing Life Skills
Self-Management
Stress is a part of life. It can be both helpful and harmful. Your child will likely experience both kinds of stress.
- If your child is acting out of character, have a conversation about good and bad stress.
- Talk about situations that cause different types of stress, and suggest some ways to manage it. Examples may include physical activity or healthy sleep habits.
Self-Awareness
Your child may experience frustration when an academic skill doesn't quite make sense to them yet. It is important for children to have a growth mindset: to believe that they can get better at something.
- Remind your child that even when they have setbacks, they can still work to improve over time.
- Talk about the power of YET.
Social Awareness
Sometimes it may feel like your child always has a lot to say. Learning to monitor talking time and listening time is an important skill to develop.
- Discuss with your child why it is important to balance both listening and talking.
- Compare times when your child will need to just listen, and times when it is appropriate to talk.
Relationship Skills
Being a leader in school or on a team may or may not come naturally to your child. Every child can learn and develop the qualities that make a good leader.
- Ask your child to think of someone who is a leader.
- Come up with a list of qualities that makes that person good at leading others. Examples may include listening, including everyone, being fair, and being kind.
- Ask when your child might be a leader, and when to step back and let someone else.
Responsible Decision-Making
- Everyone likes their voice to be heard, and children are no exception.
- When your family has a decision to make, try holding a family meeting. Including children in the decision-making process lets them feel valued. It also models the steps to take in making a decision with others.
- Be sure that everyone gets a turn to voice their opinion and that everyone listens respectfully.