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4 Magazine Activities for Building Character

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magazine activities

If you are looking for a few simple activities that you can use to discuss positive character traits, here are four magazine activities that are easy and can be a lot of fun.

Although I do not purchase magazines myself, I have collected quite a stack from free ones sent in the mail or given along with purchases (like at a baby store outlet) over the past few years.  It is amazing how great these have been for craft activities!

I keep the magazines in a box and pull them out when we are doing an activity that might benefit from some “real life” pictures.  Here are 4 magazine activities we have enjoyed lately that have character building themes:

Teach Friendliness

We made a “Friends in our Neighborhood” poster. I asked the boys to tell me places in our neighborhood, which I drew very simply as we were talking about them, then we found pictures of people in magazines to add on.  Afterwards we talked about different ways we can be friendly to all these people we see around our community such as smiling, talking, saying “thank you,” becoming friends and inviting them over, and doing service projects.

poster

Teach Forgiveness

We made stick puppet characters for each person (mommy and two kids, in our case – no I don’t have a daughter but my youngest son wanted the girl in pink) by cutting out a magazine picture, gluing it to a piece of cardboard, and then taping a popsicle stick to the back.  Then we role played situations that require forgiveness, such as when someone grabs a toy or bumps into someone, giving each person the chance to say “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you.”

There are so many fun ways to use puppets for character building.  Visit this post for another idea which focuses on exploring self-confidence.

puppets

Teach Idealism/Goal-Setting

We made Vision Boards by finding pictures of things we want in our life, things we want to do, or things we want to learn about, then gluing them together on a page.  We discussed how having ideals means we focus on what is important to us and we find ways to make a difference.  Idealism means working to fulfill your dreams.  I found this activity very meaningful for myself, as well!  Here was my vision board:

vision board

If you noticed a naked lady, that was to represent the back pain I had during pregnancy and how it reminds me to care for myself.  My husband said, “What is that about????” and I explained how I want to take caring for my body more seriously after having several health issues.  Just proves that no one can really interpret a vision board except for the creator 😉

Teach Respect

We talked about how we should act towards family members, and cut out pictures to represent these ideas. For example, “We are gentle,” “We follow rules,” and “We try to make each other feel better” were some ideas. I explained how thinking of other people and acting in ways that makes them feel loved and comfortable is called respect.  We titled the poster: “In our family we show respect.”

manners

Here are two other activities we have enjoyed using magazine photos:

Emotion Cards to Learn Empathy

Multicultural Banner to Appreciate Diversity

If you liked these activities, you may like to browse all my activity posts by clicking here.  You are also welcome to sign up for my newsletter which shares monthly inspiration for building character at home.

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Filed Under: Blog, Character Building Activities, Craft Activities Tagged With: Collection of Traits, Forgiveness, Friendliness, Idealism, Respect

About Chelsea Lee Smith

Author, certified parent educator, and mother of three with a background in Communications and Counselling, Chelsea provides resources to parents and teachers who want to incorporate personal growth into everyday moments. Follow her @momentsaday on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

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« The Value of Now (Magic Moments)
10 Easy Character Building Activities for Toddlers »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nae peters

    September 4, 2013 at 8:55 pm

    Great ideas
    Love the friends in the neighbourhood 🙂 this would be a great opportunity to discuss safe people/safe places if in danger as well…

    Reply
    • Chelsea

      September 5, 2013 at 4:13 pm

      Great extension activity, Nae, thanks for sharing! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Kate

    September 6, 2013 at 11:12 pm

    This is such a brilliant idea! I love that you don’t need fancy materials to provide your children with great activities that build character. Awesome post thanks Chelsea.

    Reply
    • Chelsea

      September 7, 2013 at 6:01 am

      Hi Kate – yes I am notorious for simplifying activities that require more than what we already have at home, too. My kids (at this age anyway) really don’t care what they are making stuff out of, as long as they get to make it! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Bek @ Just For Daisy

    September 7, 2013 at 3:26 pm

    Such great ideas! We keep the (very few) catalogues that we get for just such occasions… magazines are in short supply here too but I love the activities so might just pick some up next time I’m op shopping! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. Kate

    September 7, 2013 at 9:50 pm

    Great ideas, thanks Chelsea 🙂 My kids could definitely benefit from these activities.

    Reply
  5. Debs

    September 8, 2013 at 4:19 pm

    Such meaningful activities that teach such valuable lessons. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  6. Jode@mummymusingsandmayhem

    September 8, 2013 at 11:02 pm

    I love using magazines for craft and play but I never would of thought of these learning possibilities….thanks for sharing with us!!

    Reply
  7. Ness @ One Perfect Day

    September 9, 2013 at 1:38 am

    These are great ideas. So simple yet really impactful.

    Reply
  8. Kelly

    September 9, 2013 at 6:56 pm

    Such a simple, and worthwhile activity.

    Reply
  9. Kylie @ Octavia and Vicky

    September 10, 2013 at 10:35 am

    Magazines are such a great resource, thanks for these ideas.

    Reply
  10. sonja

    October 12, 2013 at 4:03 am

    Dear Chelsea, great ideas! I will use them as aditional art/virtue nurturing activities in our chldren’s classes. Any time I read about your new art idea I want to hug you and show gratitude for putting it online so people around world can use it with their families and friends! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lee Smith

      October 12, 2013 at 1:42 pm

      Thanks Sonja your words and kindness is much appreciated – comments like this help me know the work is worth it 🙂 xx

      Reply

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About the Author

Chelsea Lee Smith is an author, certified parent educator, and mother of three children with a background in Communications and Counselling. She provides resources to parents and teachers who want to incorporate personal growth into everyday moments. Browse the shop and blog categories to find practical inspiration for family life including tips, activities, printable pages, and resource recommendations.

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