39 Ways to Show Your Match You Care

1. Cast their hand in plaster of paris in a pie plate or pan. Remember to write the name and date on the back after it fully hardens.

2. Help them create a coat of arms using symbols significant to them. Ex: musical instruments, athletic equipment, etc.

3. Make a family tree in the shape of a triangle with his or her name or picture at the top and the parents and grandparents branching out below.

4. Plant a tree , bush, or perennial at their school or home.

5. Bring a camera and take some funny-face photos.

6. List their special qualities on a long piece of paper and make a homemade frame for it.

7. Tell them how nice he or she looks – even if plaid pants are being worn with a striped shirt!

8. Let them plan an “unbirthday” party – a silly idea that all kids will enjoy and remember.

9. Give them an award on occasion. Ex: Best Cookie Decorator of the Week. Make a small ceremony out of it.

10. Cook or go out for breakfast one day, even if it’s in the afternoon.

11. Ask them their opinion on the solution to a problem. A child’s judgment needs to be exercised, starting with simple matters.

12. Help them write and illustrate a story, fanciful or autobiographical, that you bind into a book with plastic comb bindings.

13. Mail a funny greeting card to their school or home. You can make it, or buy one especially designed for kids, they love to get mail.

14. Help them create something unique (a clay sculpture, a painted rock, a holiday ornament) as a surprise gift for their parents.

15. Make handprint cookies. Cut around their hand on cookie dough with a blunt knife, and after the cookies are baked let him or her decorate the “hand” with a frosting tube.

16. As you read a story, let him or her “illustrate” it with markers on paper.

17. Use their name a lot when you talk. Kids like to hear their names often in conversation.

18. Spend time teaching them to whistle through his or her fingers on a piece of grass, to blow a bubble, to play jacks, to make a daisy chain, or to perform any of your favorite childhood activities.

19. Bring a snack with you when you meet with them, it is a visible sign that you were thinking of them.

20. What words of encouragement can you share with them? “Way to go!” “Awesome!” “What an effort you made” “That‘s the best I’ve seen you do” “Good for you!”.

21. Tell them a few simple riddles and jokes so that he or she can have a good laugh.

22. When you find a comic strip or cartoon that is relevant to your match in some way, photocopy it with a cut-out picture of their head placed over that favorite comic character’s head.

23. Clip and save articles of interest to them (as opposed to those you would like him or her to read).

24. Play one-on-one basketball, football, soccer, etc.

25. Thumb wrestle.

26. Push them on a swing for as long as he or she likes ….or at least longer than you really feel like doing it.

27. Look through a catalogue or magazine and try and guess each others favorite things.

28. Make a crossword puzzle for your match with clues emphasizing key facts and interests in his or her life. Ex: 1 Across – Favorite Color.

29. Encourage them to write a favorite author a fan letter, which can be addressed in care of the book’s publisher. Authors often respond warmly to such fan mail, and they may be the thrilled recipient of a personal response.

30. Every child should have the chance to make lemonade at least once. Let them determine the type of lemonade, the kind of cups, etc. It’s a wonderful photo opportunity.

31. Put together a dress-up box with clothes you’d otherwise toss or fun items from garage sales. It’s fun to dress up and just play at being grown-up.

32. “Fingerprint” your match, using a water-based paint and paper. Then let your Mentee draw his or her own thumbprint creatures, giving them names when appropriate. Ex: Draw legs and a head on the thumbprint to make a spider.

33. Take the time to play a board game or card game of their choice.

34. Give them the chance to experience the feeling of self-worth that comes with helping someone else. Put together a Christmas shoebox, donate a gift to an organization, join in a school clean-up project, etc.

35. Photocopy money (in reduced size) with a cut-out photo of your match placed over the middle to use in games

Do you know the four strategies available to determine a parenting plan? Read:

Need Help Sorting Out A Parenting Plan?
http://www.yoursocialworker.com/s-articles/four_strategies.htm
Things change, adjustments needs to be facilitated. Here's a good one for the books! Read:

Stepbrothers Teach Their Parents
http://www.yoursocialworker.com/p-articles/Stepbrothers.htm

If you and your spouse are having martial problems and are over age 50, you could be in the Perfect Storm. This article explains (see first in the list):

Married Boomers Face Their Own Perfect Storm
http://www.yoursocialworker.com/articles.htm
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Marital Therapy is nothing like individual therapy, yet it is provided mostly by folks with little or no training. Here's what to look for. See second article in the list:

Marital Therapy?
http://www.yoursocialworker.com/articles.htm
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It is not uncommon for at least one parent to be dissatisfied after an assessment. However, they still have a chance to settle until the gavel comes down. See first article in the list:

Parents Have Input Until The Gavel Comes
http://www.yoursocialworker.com/sep-dev.htm
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With all the attention on the kids, what about the adjustment parents make to their separation. Read:

Great Resource Sites!!