Sean Covey in his book The 7 Habits of Happy Kids said “… thinking Win-Win, or always thinking about another as well as yourself, is one of the great mental habits we can teach our kids.  After all, life isn’t just about me, and it’s not just about you - it’s about both of us.”  Here are some strategies that can help to accomplish this.

Infants: Read the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb” by Sarah Josepha Hale (Scholastic) to give children a multi-cultural experience.  In this story “Mary” is black.  This will help to strengthen the self-esteem of African-American girls and will give other children an awareness of people of color.  This also helps to teach the concept that everyone is not just like me and to develop respect for others.

Toddlers: Studies have shown that children who miss the crawling stage in their early development have more learning disabilities when they get to school.  Since crawling is so important in the development of both hemispheres of the brain, children should be encouraged to get down on the floor and mimic the movements and sounds of various farm animals such as pigs, lambs, cows and chickens using both their hands and their feet.  It is important for children to get “floor time” everyday.  Take every opportunity to get them down on the floor and crawl, not only to develop their large and small motor skills, but their brains too!

Preschoolers: Have children make a lamb face mask using a paper plate.  Cut out the eyes so they can see through it.  Cover the face of the mask with white cotton balls.  Staple the mask onto a large tongue depressor stick so it can be held in front of their face.  Divide the group into pairs and use these masks when the children sing and act out the story of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”  Have them trade places after each verse in the song so each child can get to be both Mary and the little lamb a couple of times.  This trading place activity then becomes a win-win situation for both children allowing each to be the star.

Daniel Webster said about the importance of building character:

“If we work upon marble, it will perish.  If we work upon brass, time will efface it.  If we rear temples, they will crumble to dust.  But if we work upon immortal minds, and instill into them just principles, we are them engraving upon that tablet that which no time will efface, but will brighten and brighten to all eternity.”