Post Nine - Echoes of Apology and Forgiveness

Welcome to my ninth blog post featuring activities on apologizing and forgiveness.

This blog focuses on the fourth story, "Best Fans Ever," from my second book, Little Echoes. When children learn to apologize and forgive, they know how to let go of angry feelings and become more caring and compassionate, earning respect from their friends, parents, and teachers.

“Nana’s Heartwarming Tales,” a three-book series, Tiny Whispers, Little Echoes, and Mighty Ripples, is based on the fifteen virtues from

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV. 

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The Bible passage 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is a powerful, comprehensive resource for parents and teachers seeking guidance on teaching virtues, values, and positive character traits to children ages 5 to 9.

What are Apologizing and Forgiveness, and Why are they Echoes?

When a friend forgets to check the time and misses the party, the acts of apology and forgiveness echo. Forgiveness is choosing to shake hands, make a fresh start, and accept the fact that everyone makes mistakes.

Brainstorming ways to show compassion when feelings have been hurt and communicating a caring approach to make things right by using words such as “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you,” echoes and signals to others that they can be trusted and can problem-solve.

Some children need trusted adults to take steps to keep them safe when they experience bullying, whose bodies or feelings are repeatedly hurt, or who are pressured to keep secrets.  To these children, kindness, wisdom, and love from trusted adults echo hope.

Forgiveness and apologizing are important character virtues that can help:

• Enhance overall happiness

• Maintain healthy relationships

• Let go of anger

• Develop empathy

• Become better problem solvers

• Gain respect from parents, teachers, and friends

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 Enjoy these Enrichment Games, Crafts, and Stories that complement the story, "Best Fans Ever."   

 Jed’s 3 Caring Tips

 When It’s Better to Tell an Adult Than to Forgive

TIP #1

If someone pretends to be your friend to get what they want and control you, that’s not a real friend. It’s best to stay away from them and tell a trusted adult. You deserve to be treated with kindness.

TIP #2

When someone hurts your feelings or your body on purpose, and it keeps happening, it is not okay.  If a person keeps being mean, bullying you, or making you feel scared, you should tell a trusted adult to stop the cycle from returning.

TIP #3

When someone’s lies hurt you or others, and you don’t trust them, inform a responsible adult or teacher, who can help that person stop lying.

A trusted adult is a parent, teacher, counselor, or any grown-up you feel safe with and trust.

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Cara’s Three Easy Steps to Forgiving or Apologizing

Children enjoy role-playing games. This activity encourages them to act out common scenarios in which feelings have been hurt, allowing them to either apologize to or forgive others on their own. Common scenarios include accidentally pushing or bumping into someone or saying something hurtful during an argument. These scenarios do not include abusive situations, as those require the involvement of trusted adults.

Three Easy Steps for Seeking Forgiveness or Giving an Apology

Step #1

Acknowledge the problem or the mistake.

Step #2

Tell someone you’re sorry or that you forgive them.

Share how you feel.

Step #3

Offer a way to fix the problem, or do something kind, to show someone you mean what you say.

Gather the children together and have them sit in a comfortable setting. Assign each child a different number. Fold and place a matching set of numbers into a container that does not allow visibility. Select and call out two random numbers from the container. The children with the chosen numbers will be the lead actors. The shortest child will role-play an apology, and the tallest child will role-play forgiveness.

Choose one of the following scenarios, or have the players create their own.

• You accidentally let the cat outside. Your family is mad at you while you all search for the cat.

• You borrowed a ball from your neighbor to play with and forgot to return it. Your neighbor came to your house and wants it back.

• You splattered paint on a classmate’s artwork. Your classmate is crying.

• You laughed at a classmate in class when they gave the wrong answer. Your classmate is sad.

• It’s library day at school, and your teacher is wondering where your book is.  You left your library book at home.

• You lost your new sweater at the park, and your mother is wondering where your sweater is.

• You pushed the chair over when you weren’t picked for the team. The coach asks you to pick up the chair.

• You were supposed to eat only two cookies, but you ate four. Mom is mad because she needed the cookies you ate for a party.

• You frowned at your teacher when he asked you to clean your desk, so you had to clean your desk during recess.

Once a scenario has been chosen or created, guide the lead actors through the steps below.

The shortest child role-plays an apology, following the three steps below.

Step #1 – Acknowledge the problem or the mistake.

Step #2 – Say that you are sorry and share how you feel.

Step #3 - Offer a way to fix the problem, or do something kind.

The tallest child role-plays, forgiving the shortest child, following the three steps below.

Step #1 – Acknowledge the problem or the mistake.

Step #2 – Say that you forgive them and share how you feel.

Step #3 - Offer a way to fix the problem, or do something kind.

When the actors have finished their role-playing, encourage all the children to participate in an open discussion, answering the following questions:

Why do you think it’s important to apologize?

Why do you believe it is necessary to forgive others?

How do you feel when someone apologizes to you?

How do you act when someone wants to forgive you?

This activity will help children develop lifelong problem-solving skills, build friendships, and self-confidence as they encounter various challenging situations.

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Color with Emotion

Buddy’s Art of Apologizing and Forgiving

Buddy is always ready to sit down with his art paper and colored pencils to draw about his experiences of forgiving or apologizing to others. He enjoys using colors to reflect his feelings. He even names and dates each drawing.

Grab a sheet of paper and a pencil and draw a special memory of a time when you either forgave or apologized to someone. Then color your emotions into your drawings using the “Color with Emotion” chart below.

Buddy hopes Pals everywhere use his “Color with Emotion” idea. HAVE FUN!

“COLOR WITH EMOTION” CHART

Mad - Black

Confident - Sky Blue              

Confused - Navy

Embarrassed - Red

Excited - Purple

Frustrated - Brown

Happy - Yellow

Lonely - Tan

Sad - Gray

Surprised - Orange

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Aimee’s Favorite - What Should Pals Do?

Forgive, Apologize, or Tell an Adult?

Five-year-old Aimee has low vision and finds it difficult to notice when other children are hurt, crying, or upset. She looks forward to doing this activity with The Pals, whom she trusts. She listens to everything they say. This activity helps her understand that children experience all kinds of emotions, which might require forgiveness, an apology, or getting adult support.  Aimee, Buddy, Cara, and Jed created the scenarios below to help kids consider whether they should forgive, apologize, or tell an adult, so they know what to do when they encounter similar situations. Aimee hopes that you will do this activity often with your family, teachers, caregivers, and, of course, your pals. Have fun!

Scenarios

• What should you do when someone accidentally spills food on your shirt?

• What should a pal do when a classmate at school takes one of their cookies without asking?

• What should you do when you forget your homework at school, and your parents are upset?

• What should a pal do when a grown-up wants to talk to them for directions somewhere, but they don’t know who the grown-up is?

• What should pals do when another pal is crying, but they won’t tell you why?

• What should a pal do when a young child has a tantrum and tries to kick them?

• What should you do if you laugh at the shoes a classmate is wearing, and they seem upset?

• What should pals do when an adult tells them not to tell the truth about what happened?

• What should a pal do when someone keeps saying hurtful words to them repeatedly?

• What should pals do when a classmate studies hard for tests and keeps failing?

• What should a pal do if they yelled at their parents because they were too tired to do their chores?

• What should pals do if someone their age kicks their bikes and breaks them?

• What should pals do when a pal chooses to follow a group of children who are making wrong decisions?

• What should pals do when a pal repeatedly tells lies to the teacher to stay out of trouble?

• What should pals do when a pal yells at them as they keep making mistakes while learning a new skill?

• What should you do when you forget to feed the family pet and your family is upset with you?

• What should pals do when a pal is being bullied?

• What should pals do when another pal refuses to follow the rules of the game?

• What should pals do when a pal misses catching the ball because they were daydreaming, making the team lose the game?

• What should a pal do when someone accidentally breaks their scooter?

• What should a pal do if they don’t tell their parents the truth that they didn’t brush their teeth?

• What should pals do when a pal copies someone else’s paper and the teacher doesn’t know?

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Cory’s “Love A Lot” Stories

This is a selection of books that focus on apology and forgiveness for growing kids. Each of the following books will help children understand the importance of knowing how to apologize and forgive.

• The Berenstain Bears and the Forgiving Tree by Jan and Mike Berenstain

• I Am Human by Susan Verde 

• Enemy Pie by Derek Munson 

• The Red Ball by Healey E Ikerd

• The Sour Grape by Jory John

I sincerely hope that the activities on apology and forgiveness from Jed, Cara, Buddy, Aimee, and Cory provide you with a solid foundation on this topic that requires little or no preparation. These activities are designed for children ages 5 to 9, helping them understand the importance of forgiveness and apology.

Sharing love,

Nana/Vicki