LIFE SKILLS EDUCATION TOOLKIT FOR ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN INDIA• 25
Go for a walk with the friend; and/or
Do some chores together.
If the friend had lost a loved one, you could also
Look at the happy thoughts album together;
Think of the happy times you had together with the loved one; and/or
Think of all the things that the loved one would want you to do.
(If children mention watching TV as a means of giving company to a sad friend, tell them that it is
fine as long as it is a distraction. Watching some TV for enjoyment is also good. But one must be
careful about watching too much TV. Discuss the difference between watching to distract for
enjoyment and watching too much)- Ask the children to relax and close their eyes. Do not rush.
Breathe in and out – Breathe deeply – Feel inside and think of your feeling as a wave, which
comes and goes – You are standing on the shore, watching the waves come and go – But you
only watch, you do not enter the water – The feelings come and go – You watch peacefully –
You watch the big waves and you watch the little waves – Let go of your feelings bit by bit –
Just watch them – As you watch, you feel strong, you feel you will be fine.
A small ray of light comes in – It gets brighter and brighter – Think of all the happy times you had –
Feel the happiness – Hold on to it – Feel what a special person you are – Tell yourself you will be
the best person and you are good – You feel strong – You are at peace – You feel you can help
others – Feel the strength – When you wake up, you will feel at peace and you will feel strong.
Say nothing for a few minutes. Thank the children for coming.
The facilitator must be prepared for any help that children will need including help of a
professional counselor.
Adaptation
For Younger Children:
Discuss with the children that many things make us sad in our lives. Some things make us sadder
than others. Ask the children to give you examples of times when they or their friends felt sad.
How was the sadness expressed? Make a column and list out the things we do when we are sad.
List answers or use symbols. If the children do not talk of non-verbal or physical ways of expressing
sadness such as loss of appetite, mention it to them. Make another column with the heading:
What We Can Do to Make Us Less Sad. Brainstorm answers. Discuss with the children what they
think they and other children could do without any help from adults or friends and what they could
not do without help. Mark appropriately. From the responses obtained, additional inputs for adult
support can be initiated.