Macaroni and Please: Lesson Four

No Spaghetti Handshakes For Me

By Lewena Bayer and Karen Mallett

Overview:

Many young children are friendly but shy. Teaching children how to make others comfortable by greeting them appropriately and shaking hands (just like adults do) builds confidence.

Objectives:

• Explain why handshakes are important.
• Show children how to shake hands properly.
• Let children practice handshakes.

Knowledge Material:

Sit down with your child/children to talk about the importance of handshaking. A discussion can go something like this. Handshakes are a very easy way to show respect for other people and make them feel welcome. Sometimes we are nervous when we meet new people and we don't always know what to say. So, putting our hand out and shaking hands with someone shows them that we think they are important and that we want to meet them. BUT, you have to be careful with handshakes, because there is a right way and a wrong way, let's see if you can guess…..then show children a bone crushing shake , a spaghetti shake, etc. Let children practice the "bad" handshakes with each other and then ask them to show a proper handshake.

A proper handshake is palms touching palms, fingers wrapped, not too tight but still firm, 2-3 shakes from the elbow (not the shoulder) and then let go. Remember not to stand too close to people.

Note:

Important to remind children that if they have dirty hands or have a cold and have been coughing or sneezing into their hands, they should not shake hands because that spreads germs. Explain that this is why we wash our hands often, use Kleenex or even sanitizer.

IDEA:

Hand out decorative, cute, or cartoon wrapped mini-packs of Kleenex (one for each child) Or show children (and let them sample) where the soap, and/or sanitizer is kept.

Practice Exercises/Activities:

Demonstrate to your children (this is another great opportunity to get together with other moms and their children to practice together) the types of handshakes and have them choose the one that they think shows respect. Have them practice with each other and then greet adults as they come to pick them up. Role-play situations that require greetings, e.g., meeting a new friend at school, meeting your sister's friend, etc.

IDEA:

It might be fun to use food or other items to illustrate types of handshakes and how they feel to others in a more tactile, memorable way. For example, blindfold the children and let them put their hand into a bowl of cold wet cooked spaghetti, a bag of light, flimsy feathers, and/or on a big, heavy rock or block.

Consider tying this lesson in with a hygiene lesson on hand washing. Explain how to wash hands, use soap, dry properly, and explain why it is important.

Copyright In Good Company, The CG Inc.