Romina Tibytt
KIDDO NINOS
5 TIPS
Photographs : Left and Right: ©istock.com/aldomurillo. Center: ©istock.com/Maica
to promote friendship among siblings
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alentine’s Day celebrations invite us to remember and encourage love and friendships bond with the people that are closest to us, but how can we take advantage of this celebration to instill and strengthen those same values among siblings? One of the phrases I repeat like a broken record when speaking to my husband or friends, about the relationship between my children is “when they are together they fight and when they are apart they cannot live without one another.” And that’s the way it is with two older ones are boys; the competition and fights are constant for thousands of reasons: toys, friends, attention, space, etc., but there are always instances in which their true feelings surface. Just last night, my oldest son went to his first pajama party and his younger brother cried for hours; later the older one called from the party to say hi and say good night to his sibling. Dad and I were melting listening on the other side of the phone, and even when it seems incredible, despite all the competition and fights that are constantly happening, the values and love are stronger. That’s why it seemed interesting to me to take advantage of the Valentine’s Day celebration that my children enjoy so much, to strengthen those friendship bonds among them.
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Here are a few suggestions:
When you make the cards or gift bags to exchange in school on Valentine’s Day with your children, motivate them to make an extra special one for his/her siblings
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Children learn while playing. Organize a fun activity where both children participate without any intervention from the adults, that way they’ll learn to respect their differences
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Visit the library together and look for books that talk about friendship, Valentine’s Day and books that talk about the importance of the bonds between siblings, then talk to them about the message and what each one of them understood about the stories
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Organize a movie night with a friendship theme, such as “Stand by me” “The Goonies” “Lion King” “E.T”, “Labyrinth”, among others to invite a dialog and reflection
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Prepare a dinner for Valentine’s night with the collaboration of your children, this way they’ll learn by example and the importance of celebrating family bonds.
I hope these simple tips help, motivate or give you ideas to create fun activities with the family that are not only positive and constructive, but will also generate memories your children will not forget.
Romina Tibytt es la editora del blog sobre ahorros MamaXXI. com que fundó en el 2009. Se recibió de maestra de danza y música de escuela primaria; está casada, tiene tres hijos y vive en Nueva York. Romina Tibytt is the editor of the coupons’ blog MamaXXI.com that she founded on 2009. She graduated as a ballet and music teacher for primary school; she is married, has three children and lives in New York.
february • febrero 2012 | PLAZA FAMILIA 17