Try this activity with your afterschool group this week.
Purpose: This activity can lead to discussions about stereotyping, cooperation, compassion, kindness and bullying.
Materials:
- Pictures pulled off the internet showing persons with disabilities engaged in all types of activities. Try to get pictures with children who have a range of special needs playing, helping their friends, in school, with family, needing help, helping others, etc.
- Blank paper, poster board or easel
- Crayons or markers
Present pictures to the children who will be sitting in a circle. The pictures will represent people with disabilities engaged in all different types of activities. The children will create a story about what they think is going on in the picture. You can write down the story on a large poster board or easel.
Encourage discussion and brainstorming. You can ask the children, "What do you think is going on in this picture?" "If you were that child, how would you be feeling?" "What would you do next?"
After doing this several times, have the childern draw their own stories about someone with a disability. They can show their picture and have the other children tell what they think is going on.
