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Open When Cards: Encourage Kids Facing a Challenge

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Open When Cards to help prepare kids for challenging times

Sonya Lopez is sharing her awesome idea to help encourage a child who is facing a challenge.  She says:

My daughter is getting a little nervous for her first overnight camp so I made these “open when” cards.  They were:

  • Open when: You get to camp.  This one was explaining that the “open when” cards are like hugs from home.
  • Open when: You wake up on your first day of camp.  This one had a list of positive affirmations.
  • Open when: You had a rough day.
  • Open when: You feel worried.
  • Open when: You meet a new best friend.  This one had friendship bracelet string added or chewing gum to share.
  • Open when: You are homesick.
  • Open when: You miss your friends.  For this one we had a little going away dinner and all of her friends secretly signed a little card I stuck in.
  • Open when: You try something new.
  • Open when: You feel wiped out.
  • Open when: You want a hug from a friend.
  • Open when: It’s your last day.

I stuck all the cards and envelopes into one big envelope and I’ll give them to her the day of camp!  She is sensitive and can be a little nervous at times so I thought it was like a little “in case of emergency” or “awesomeness hugs” stored for her.

We also made a deal to both look at the moon every night so we could know we both looked at the same moon and were therefore kind of still together.


Thanks Sonya for sharing your fabulous idea to support your daughter, we love it!  This idea could be modified for many different purposes such as when a child starts school, moves away, or loses a friend or family member.

You can view lots of other activities to help kids grow and build character – plus free printables, puppet shows and more – on this page.

You  may also enjoy reading…

Resources that Teach Kids to Build Healthy Friendships {Free Printables}

Submit your idea

To submit your idea for helping children grow, email chelsea@momentsaday.com with your activity description and photo for consideration. 

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Character Building Activities, Reader Submissions

About Chelsea Lee Smith

Author, certified parent educator, and mother of four 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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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Corinne

    June 27, 2016 at 4:08 pm

    I love this idea, especially getting all the friends and family involved!

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lee Smith

      June 29, 2016 at 4:49 pm

      I agree Corinne, so creative and fun!

      Reply
  2. Carly Banks

    July 2, 2016 at 1:02 am

    This is right up my alley! Words are my art medium and encouraging words can be hard to find! “where never is heard, a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day…”

    How cool! Wish i could think of some more tangible, concrete ways to communicate the same thing to my oldest, age 6, who is not a logophile like myself. Love the moon idea- works great with the Invisible String book story. Best, Carly Banks

    Reply

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About the Author

Chelsea Lee Smith is an author, certified parent educator, and mother of four 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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