These discussion ideas help your child appreciate the power of words.
- For young children … Share your feelings if someone says something that makes you sad. Ask your child if someone ever made them sad with words? Why did the words hurt?
- I liked it when you laughed at my joke. It made me happy.
- For older children, you can introduce more complexity. When you hear that someone has said something insensitive or hurtful, ask, “what is it about that statement that might be hurtful?”
- Is being truthful about feelings a good thing? How might “You did a great job” make you feel? If someone ridiculed you, how would you feel? Both of these feelings happen instantaneously. Words are pretty powerful.
- Help your child appreciate the power they hold in their hands. The power to make a difference in how people feel.
- Explore different ways of saying the same thing – tilting from hurtful to positive.