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Saturday, January 7, 2023

NATIONAL HUG AND HANDWRITING DAY

There are some interesting holidays this month that can add a smile to your lesson plans. Coming up January 21st is National Hugging Day. Could anything be better than a hug on a cold winter day? Let children make a list of people they like to hug.

Hint! If your school is cautious about hugging, demonstrate how to give an air hug by squeezing your arms in front of you.

“Hug” in sign language is done by making fists and wrapping your arms around your chest.

Show your students how to give a “hall hug” to friends by crossing your index and middle fingers and wiggling.


Hand Hug
Children stand in a circle holding hands. The teacher looks at the child on her right and squeezes their hand. That child looks at the friend on her right, squeezes their hand and sits down. The second child looks at the friend on their right squeezes their hand, and sits down….Continue passing the hand hug until everyone is sitting quietly.


Pep Talk (Christen Hulgan, Memphis) 
During morning meeting the class forms a friendship circle. The teacher asks one child each day to stand in the middle. Then the teacher says, “Child’s name, there are many things I love about you.” The teacher makes 3 or 4 positive comments about that child. The teacher squeezes the child’s hand on her right. That child says, “I love (whatever they love about that person or something that person has done that was kind).” The child in middle must look them in the eyes and say, “Thank you.” When you have finished going around the circle and each student has made a positive comment, the teacher says:

Give child’s name a clap.
Blow child’s name a kiss.
We love you child’s name.


Paper Plate Hug
Give children a paper plate and ask them to draw their face on it. Let them trace around their hands and cut them out. Give them two strips of paper (12” x 2 ½”) for arms. They can glue the arms to the paper plate and then attach the hands. Use the “hugs” for a bulletin board or let children give them to someone special.


(Sorry, this looks a little sick-o. Your kids will do a better job than I did!)


January 23 is Handwriting Day, so students should remember to do their best. It might be fun to let them use pens, colored pencils, or different writing utensils that day. They will also get a kick out of doing fancy writing.