Tag: lifeskillseries

LIFE-SKILLS SERIES👦🏻 | MY GIFT OF GRATITUDE

On By Mahvash K. M.In BookReading, bookworm, childrensbooks, kidlit, Kidsbooks, Kindness, verse, womenwriters, writingLeave a comment

For Ages 7 – 10

Come young one, let me tell you today
An important little story 
All of us people, we live together
In what we call a Community

We each also have what we call Feelings
Some of them are happy ones
Like joy and laughter and excitement 
Of beating hearts full of love

There are other feelings that don’t feel so great
Like being unhappy and wanting to cry
Of feeling angry, wanting to throw tantrums
Or being filled with big sad sighs

These are emotions and they make us human
But there’s a magic in all of it
No matter how you are feeling 
You can give or receive your bit

There will be times when you just feel
Kind of low and kind of sad
What you want then most of all 
Is for someone to understand

Sometimes that sadness is deep inside
Other people can’t see it that well
And when someone is nice and kind to you
Your day can transform itself
  
That is why it is so important 
To mind your Ps and your Qs
Saying “please can you pass that ball”
With a smile saying, “thank you!”

You could have just brightened the day
Of a person who was sad inside 
Your kindness, politeness in talking to them
Made their grey clouds go and hide 

Gratitude is like a seed
It grows when it is shared
Saying thank you for all the little things
Shows that you truly care

Waiting your turn patiently 
When you are playing a game
Being nice, ready to apologize
When you have made a mistake 

Respecting others’ bodies and space
Saying “excuse me” when someone’s in your way
Reminding yourself to be quiet and calm 
Instead of shoving them away  

Before you start using or playing 
With someone else’s things
It is always nice to be polite 
And ask for their permission 

A “please” can open any door
Much more than force or frown
It shows respect and gentleness
A “please” ever lets you down

From teachers, friends, to Mom and Dad
To strangers in the store
Your manners say: I see your heart
I respect you for who you are

Being helpful at home, at school and indeed
In your neighbourhood too
Makes all of the people you talk to and meet
Like being around you 

When you’re grateful and kind to people 
In our world of green and blue
All those positive acts, find their way back
To their special source, that’s you

So be nice, be polite and on days my dear
That you’re feeling sad and low
There will be someone who with their kindness
Will make you smile and glow.

LIFE-SKILLS SERIES👦🏽 | EVERYONE SHINES DIFFERENTLY

On By Mahvash K. M.In BookReading, bookworm, childrensbooks, kidlit, Kidsbooks, verse, womenwriters, writingLeave a comment

(For ages 7 – 10)

Babur came from school one day
With a thoughtful look he said
Dad, what would you do if you saw
A different kind of a kid?

Babur’s dad had his glasses on
The wise-owl ones with strings
He wore them to read the paper and also
When he talked of important things 

He pushed his glasses up his nose
They were big and framed in black 
He smiled, took a sip of tea
Come here son, let’s have a chat

Now tell me what you mean 
When you say a different child?
Did he scribble on the walls
Did he run around all wild?

No, no Dad said Babur 
He couldn’t stop laughing 
We both know that most kids do 
Those naughty-fun things

This kid was in a wheelchair 
And he couldn’t move his legs at all
In the break, he sat alone
While the rest of us played ball

I wanted to go and talk to him
But I didn’t know what to say
So I played the game, then had my lunch
From him, we all stayed away

Darling son, everyone is born different 
Some of those differences we can’t see
Others are more visible but they need not 
Make one ill at ease 

There are people everywhere 
Who live with a disability
Some with one, some with more
Real heroes in our society

When you see someone who looks
Different from what you are used to
Use the golden rule - Treat them
As you would, they treat you

That just means showing empathy
Putting yourself in their shoes
Then thinking of how you would want others
To see and talk to you

Kindness and openness are both
Important attributes
And another rule of thumb my dear
Is to just in fact be YOU!

A boy may speak a little slow
Or need some time before he goes
Be patient, wait and he will share
His thoughts and you will know

A girl might flap her hands with glee
It helps her feel just right
She dances like a bumblebee
A joyful, buzzing sight

Some kids don’t like a crowded space
It makes them feel unsure
A gentle smile, a friendly face
Can help them feel secure

We all like games and fun and play
But some might join in late
If someone plays a different way
Just let them find their pace

In every mind a garden grows
With thoughts like seeds that bloom
Just give them time and you will see
Their ideas fill the room

So if you feel like saying hello
To the new boy in your school
Just go up to him and introduce yourself 
That’s another golden rule

Don’t lean on his chair or talk from above
Try to put yourself at his eye level
These are little graces to make 
The other person feel comfortable

Babur and his dad had that chat
Over a month ago
Babur and Adam are now friends
Adam is an ace at Lego! 

The boys have their lunches together 
They’ve even been to the seaside
There they won the Best Sand Castle award 
Adam and Babur both glowed with pride 

The beauty of our wonderful world
Lies in its people, 8 billion of them
Each one different, each one unique
Each one a potential friend

Wheelchairs and white canes, crutches and hearing aids
They are all just helpful means
The people who use them are full of life 
Just like you and me 
	
Don’t be afraid of differences on the outside
Go kindly into the world 
People are like jewels, precious and bright
Some are like silver, others like gold.

LIFE-SKILLS SERIES👧🏻 | SMART HEARTS AND SMART CENTS

On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, childrensbooks, kidlit, Kidsbooks, verse, womenwriters, writingLeave a comment

(For Ages 7 – 10)

Zenia said to her mother one day
I want the robot doll that sings
See! She also skips and nods and smiles
She can even hear the doorbell ring

She can skip and sing, and hear the doorbell ring?
She really does sound like a gem!
But my darling, you will have to save
To add Jemima to your collection

Let’s do this, we’ll go to the store
And get you a nice little money bank
I’ll start you off with twenty dollars
In your brand new savings plan

Let’s put up a Vision Board in your room
You can write on it of things
That you want to get for yourself 
Let’s give your lovely dreams some wings

Dad and I will also help you dear one
On us you can depend
To give you pocket money every month
Some to save and some to spend

And so began a brand new adventure
As Zenia learnt the art
Of how to manage her pocket money 
To get the things close to her heart

Five months later, she had saved enough
To buy the singing robot doll
She had also added another thing 
To her fabulous vision board …

Her best friend Amy’s birthday was
Coming up in the month of June
Zenia said that to buy Amy’s present 
Half the money she would con-tri-bute

Her piggy bank had filled and filled
With pocket money and birthday gifts
She now also enjoyed doing chores
For which she was rewarded

For putting away all of her toys
Keeping her room tidy and clean
Folding her clothes, putting away her books
Polishing her shoes to a gleam 

For every 10 that she saved up
Her parents also put in a 10
This teamwork made her piggy bank swell
Three, four times, again and again 

By her tenth birthday Zenia had
Her very own bank account
Her mom would take her to the bank
Where she deposited her saved amount

Zenia’s vision board now blooms with things
That she wants to get for herself
It also has a special section 
For gifts that she gifts her friends 

You too can learn to be clever and wise
By learning how to save and spend
To make your special dreams come true
To also be a generous friend

Start today, make your dream list
And get your very first money bank
In your savings and spending adventure
The world is an oyster in your hand.