Fun with Character: The Power of Five

It doesn’t have to be New Year’s to create resolutions. This exercise focuses on choices for organizing time and space to aid in punctuality. Each student will need three sheets of paper on which they will trace their hand. Inside the palm of the first hand, they should write Start, on the second hand, Stop, and on the third hand, Continue. On the hand labeled Start, they should write 1 thing on each finger and thumb of things they can start doing that will help them be more organized. On the hand labeled Stop, they should write 1 thing on each finger and thumb of things they can stop doing that get in the way of being organized and punctual. On the hand labeled Continue, they should write 1 thing on each finger and thumb of things they can continue doing that will help them. You may want to review the 5 “I wills” of Punctuality to give them ideas. You may also list suggestions on the board for them to copy. You may also only require that they write a minimum of two things up to 5 in the interest of time. When they have finished, they should be put somewhere that they can be revisited throughout the rest of the month/school year to serve as reminders of their resolutions. For non-writers, they can draw a picture on the palm of a handout large enough to draw on.

To process this activity, ask these or similar questions:

• Which was easiest to name: starts, stops or continues?

• Which was hardest to name?

• Which is going to be the easiest to do?

• What will you do to help you remember to start or stop something?

• Did listing the continues make you feel good?