The “Me Box”

Age Range – Preschool and Up

Area Being Developed – Social Development – Self-awareness and Self-esteem

Ask each child in your class to bring in an empty shoebox or another kind of container that is similar in size. The idea is that all students will have their own  “Me Boxes.” The purpose of this kind of box is to have a place to keep items that children bring to school that are special to them or just plain fun.

In addition, it will be a teaching in tool in several ways:

• Understanding how to separate school supplies from those items that are not.
• Having an actual container for storing items that otherwise might be distracting.
• Creating a high interest focal point for all different kinds of language development activities.

Each day set aside time for a few students to choose one or more items from their containers to talk about and/or share with the class. You can teach with these presentations by stressing how important it is to stand up straight and speak clearly while addressing a group.

Enrichment: As you hear different explanations from your students, observe carefully. Find out as much as you can about their likes, dislikes and other forms of uniqueness. As you discover more and more, so will your students continue to learn more about each other. The whole activity will raise the quality of everyone’s social relationships. In addition, it will help increase self-awareness and self-esteem for each individual student.

The Holidays are coming! Use this tool to help you think about holiday projects for your students.

*Adapted from Make Your Own Preschool Games: A Personalized Play and Learn Program by Sally Goldberg.