Fun with Character: Where Does It Hurt?
The concept of compassion is a focus on healing the hurts of others. This activity will simply show the ways that individuals can be hurting and the ways that we can help. You will need Band-Aids and either flower or smiley stickers, enough so that each student has one Band-Aid and several smiley stickers. Begin a discussion of the definition of Compassion. Discuss the two ways that people can be hurting – physically and emotionally. Physical hurts include bodily injuries, as well as those who suffer without food or clean water. Emotional hurts are those we feel in our hearts. Be sure to focus the discussion on the types of hurts that students can cause each other, such as being excluded (emotional bullying) or being pushed around and called names (physical bullying). Distribute the Band-Aids to each student and instruct them to wear them somewhere visible on their hand or arm so that all are reminded of the types of hurts there are. They can put them on the skin or clothing. Next, pass out several smiley stickers (any positive/happy sticker will do) so that each student has several. Next, you will call upon the students to heal each other’s hurts by placing smiley stickers on each other’s Band-Aids. First, have everyone put a smiley sticker on the Band-Aid of the person to their left. Then instruct everyone to heal the person to their right. Do the same for the person in front of and behind each of them. Use directions that are appropriate for how the desks are arranged. If Covid or other restrictions prohibit this type of sharing, then have each student hold up a pen or pencil and ceremoniously convert these to magic compassion wands. Go through the same exercise with them, magically healing each other. You can have each person put their own smiley sticker on afterward, or they can draw a smiley face on their own Band-Aid. Once the exercise is done, start a discussion on how you can tell someone is hurting. Ask the class for examples of how you can show compassion to someone when you think they are hurting.
To process the activity, ask these or similar questions:
Did it feel strange to put a Band-Aid over something that wasn’t injured?
How did it feel to have someone heal ‘your hurt’?
How did it feel to heal someone else’s ‘hurt’?
Do you think you will be more alert to looking for ways people may need to be helped when they are hurting?