Paper Timmy or Tommy or Tina

Every year I lke to start off my year with some character education along with my procedures.  This year so far I have read Crysanthemum, Lily and the Purple Plastic Purse, Don't Laugh at Me, and Have you filled a Bucket Today? 

After I had read all of these books I did a lesson that I call Paper Timmy.  I Draw a stick figure of a child on a sheet of chart paper and I usually call it Paper Timmy.  I usually make a big deal out of the fact that we have a new student in our class and his name is Timmy.  This year I have a Timmy, so we have a Paper Tommy.  We discussed how in each book someone said mean things to someone else.  I asked the children to think of a time when someone said something mean to them or that they said something mean to someone else.  I have them share these out loud.  As they say each mean thing, I begin to crumple up Timmy.  I say do you ever feel this way inside, all tight or crumpled when someone says something meanto you?  Eventually I have a tight wadded up ball.  The kids relate to this and say that they have felt this way inside when they get made fun of.  We all agreed that this is not a good feeling.

Then I tell them that it takes many positive compliments to ofset (not the word I used with them.) just one negative comment.  Then we begin to say nice things to Timmy and compliment him.  As the children say nice things or fill Timmy's bucket, I begin to undo the tight paper ball.  We continue complimenting Timmy as I continued unfurling the wad until he is flat again.  I try desperately, with lots of flair, to get Timmy to look perfect .  This is when I point out that no matter how many nice things we say to Timmy, you can't erase the effects of the mean words.  You can never take them back.

I hang Timmy somewhere in the room and when we begin to experience times when kids are being mean, I point to paper Tinny and remind them that they ned to say nice things and they cannot take back the mean things.

I have had former studetns come back to my room at the beginning of the year and they will point and say "There is paper Timmy.  I remember him,"  I love that. Be prepared however, one year I had a student tell me that it made him feel bad when his step-dad told him he would never be anything when he grows up.  That's when I realized that when he left my room he would believe he could be anything when he grew up.

This is one of my favorite activities!  I hope you use and enjoy it.