Vasilia Graboski
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact

Psyched Writer

Picture

This blog is a resource for fellow therapists, parents and teachers. I will provide suggestions and reviews of books that I have found especially therapeutic and useful for various social-emotional issues.  And...my favorite part...I will provide accompanying activities related to the book to help with teaching social-emotional skills.

​I would love for you to check it out and give me your feedback. 

RSS Feed

Connected by Our Human-ness

8/20/2020

2 Comments

 

 A Book Review of
I Am Human A Book Of Empathy

I Am Human A Book of Empathy
Written By: Susan Verde
Illustrated By: Peter H. Reynolds
Published By: Abrams Books for Young Readers

Recognizing our connection to each other through our humanity and empathizing with the plight of others is key to making this world a better place. I Am Human introduces these concepts to the youngest among us. It has become clear through this pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement that our culture is lacking empathy and the ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes. Teaching our children the importance of human connection, acceptance and empathy towards others will go a long way in improving our culture. The ability to care about the impact of our actions and behaviors on others is crucial. 
Picture
I Am Human sends an important message to all of us, but is most appropriate for children ages 3-8. Susan Verde skillfully weaves many layers into this simple book.

The larger take away is that we are all human. This sounds obvious, but the reality in this world is that is not how we treat each other. We are all human regardless of the color of our skin, different abilities, the country we are from, our religion or if we are from a poorer or richer part of town. We are all connected by our human-ness and are all unique in our own way. This book celebrates the human potential of feeling empathy and compassion toward ourselves and others.

The smaller messages relate to the fact that the human condition is imperfect. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and we should respect those things in ourselves and others. I Am Human is a hopeful book in that it portrays the journey of being human as having challenges and possibilities. We all have feelings that we express in different ways. Part of being human is being afraid of things sometimes or feeling sad occasionally or hurt or angry about something somebody said to you. We have the ability to make choices. We can apologize for our mistakes and try to do better. We can choose to be helpful to others if they are struggling or kind to ourselves. 

The art by Peter H. Reynolds is simple, yet beautiful. It shows the connection between others and hopefulness of the human condition. The book includes a Loving/Kindness Meditation at the end. 

I recommend this book for all children to teach them these human ideals from a young age and give them the reassurance and knowledge that they are part of something bigger and are not alone. It reinforces a sense of community that will help all of us get through difficult times. You can find this book and others in the I AM Series by Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds on her website at https://www.susanverde.com/susans-books. 

As an example of showing empathy toward others, I recommend this follow up book that reinforces the joy of helping others.
These Are My Pants
Written by: Jane and Katelyn Plank
Ilustrated by; Aniqa Ashfaq

​
This is a self-published book, that is not only about the virtue of giving to others, but also sets an example for giving as a portion of the book proceeds go towards Goodwill. I encourage you to purchase this book and use it as an example of being human and showing empathy toward others.
Picture
 Reading These Are My Pants provides an excellent opportunity to put the concept into action and have your child participate in an act of giving to others. It could be something of theirs that they are willing to give up to help others, something new that you buy together, or a service that the child can provide in the mission to help another human. Share the joy of giving with your child! 

To learn more about These Are My Pants and to purchase the book, go to their website at https://www.plankbooks.com/. 
​​

Activity Idea for I Am Human A Book Of Empathy

We are all connected with our human-ness, even though we are all unique in many ways. My suggestion is to pose two questions to your child after reading the book. 
What makes you human? 
What makes you unique? 
Use those ideas to complete the following activity.

Materials needed: 
8.5 x 11 paper or a roll of paper cut to the size of the child
markers or crayons
pencil

Directions: 
If you have a roll of paper that you could have the child lay on and trace them, this would be the funnest way to continue. I don't have a paper roll or a child with me, so I will draw the child on a regular size paper. Either way is fine. 
1. Have child lay on the paper on his/her back and trace around their body with a pencil. Then have child draw on and color their hair, eyes, clothes, etc. 
Or draw child outline on sheet of paper and have them color in details of themselves. Encourage them to make it look like their unique selves with hair color, skin color, eye color etc. Make sure to leave room around the drawing for writing. ​

​

2. Write I AM HUMAN at the top of the page and label one side with human-ness and the other, unique.









2. Around the portrait of themselves, discuss and write the things that make them both human and unique. The photo shows some examples. 









3. Hang completed project on refrigerator or wall so they can see often. 











4. Share with the child how you are different and the same as them. Have fun! 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
2 Comments
    Follow Vasilia´s Blog
    Follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn

    Categories

    All
    Absent Dad
    Acceptance & Commitment -Therapy Skills
    Acceptance Of Others
    ADHD
    Adoption
    Anger Management
    Anxiety
    Body Autonomy
    Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills
    Consent
    Coping With ADHD
    Coping With Depression
    Coping With Feelings
    Depression
    Disability Awareness
    Disappointment
    Divorce
    Domestic Violence
    Empathy
    Fear
    Feelings General
    Feelings-General
    Foster Care
    Gender Identity
    Giftedness
    Grandparents As Guardians
    Grief & Loss
    Growth Mindset
    Incarcerated Parent
    Kindness
    Kinship Care
    Learning Disabilities
    Making Friends
    Mindfulness
    Negative Self Talk
    Parental Anger
    Parental Arguing
    Parent W/Mental Illness
    Parent W/Substance Abuse
    Racial Injustice
    School Lockdown Drills
    Seizures
    Self Esteem
    Sensory Issues
    Separation Anxiety
    Sexual Abuse
    Sexual Abuse Prevention
    Shyness
    Standing Up For Others
    Suicide
    Supporting A Friend
    Temper Tantrums
    Terminal Illness
    Trauma
    White Privilege

    Archives

    March 2023
    November 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact