Sponsored by: M&T Bank
By: Val Drapeau
Education Coordinator
Materials:
Construction Paper
Crayons or Markers
Stickers
6×9 Mailing envelope (or larger)
Stamps
Length:
Set up: 1 minute
Activity: 15-20 minutes (or as long as the children are interested in making them!)
Academic Subject(s):
English Language Arts (ELA) and Art
With coronavirus restrictions in full force right now, most nursing home residents are not allowed to have any visitors, including their own family. This can be a very lonely time for people in seclusion. Why not use our extra time at home with our kids to spread some cheer?
Sending homemade decorated cards to local nursing home residents will put a smile on their face guaranteed! Any age of child/adult can participate in this activity, so making it a family project could be fun!
Directions:
Step 1: Choose a piece of construction paper and fold in half.
Step 2: Have children think of appropriate sayings that could be put on a card that would be received by someone that they don’t know. Sayings like, “Hello!” or “Thinking of You!” or “We’re sending some cheer!” would all be great choices. A teachable moment for continued learning could be asking your child what different things they would say to someone close to them versus someone that they didn’t know or just met. Talk about how they came to those conclusions and why.
Step 3: Take some time to write on the front covers and insides of the cards with a marker or crayon. Remember that whatever is created will brighten a person’s day; so don’t worry too much about it being perfect!
Step 4: Add some stickers that you have available around the house or have children draw some small pictures all over the cards of things like hearts, happy faces, etc. It is a parent’s discretion on whether or not to have children sign their name.
Step 5: Place cards in a 6×9 mailing envelope with a little note to the nursing home staff saying something like, “Please pass these cards out to any residents that might need a little cheering up!”
Address the envelope to a local nursing home or assisted living facility, add some stamps and then pop it into your mailbox. Knowing that kids are thinking of them will bring such joy to residents in your community! For this community service project, any number of cards that you send would be great! Encourage your friends to try this project too, and let’s see if we can flood our local facilities with a lot of kindness!
Vocabulary Words
· Seclusion – to remove or separate from outside influence
· Conclusion – a judgment or decision reached by reasoning or the end of an event or process
· Nursing Home Facility – a private institution providing residential accommodations with healthcare, especially for elderly people
· Assisted Living Facility – Similar to the nursing home definition; however independence and privacy are encouraged more in assisted living centers while medical care is higher in a nursing home.
· Community service project – voluntary work intended to help people in a particular area
