Briefly review the activities that the children have done during the week and discuss how it made them feel. As a behavioral therapist, she has extensive experience with counseling children and families in schools, residential facilities, foster care, and private practice.

D., is an award-winning children’s book author and creator of Hands Are Not for Hitting, which inspired Free Spirit Publishing’s Best Behavior series. While reading the story, demonstrate the suggestions throughout the book: handshaking, clapping, blowing kisses, pointing, etc. This book tells all the positive things hands can do, and my toddler sat through the first reading relatively interested. Talk to the children about how they can use their “I love you” sign to tell people that they are special. Music/Movement: Sing and play “Row Row Row Your Boat”– have each child sit facing another child, sitting feet to feet.This book is also a great way to teach these young ones how to read with the illustrations so large the pictures are easy to attach the words to them. For a little background story, I work with children that have issues with behavior (such as hitting). It teaches correct use of hands in an encouraging way through the use of simple language and descriptive illustrations that makes learning fun. Marieka Heinlen received her BFA at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and also studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. Not only does it teach that hands are not to hurt or hit anyone, it gives us other things to do with them.

We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Introduce the idea for the day by using the activity at the end of the book on page 33—“Cooperating Hands”. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Introduce the idea of the day by talking about how all week you have talked about all the different ways you can use your hands. Make–Believe: Encourage the children to play mommy and daddy and teach a toy baby to take care of himself/herself (washing, dressing, feeding, taking care of boo boos, combing hair, burping, rocking, etc… What would they say to teach their baby?It’s very informative and it teaches children very well because it uses the right level of vocabulary and is presented in an engaging way. Edited to add that four years later I am once again reading this with a grouchy toddler, and it holds up! Have children measure the size of the objects in the classroom by working in teams to count “how many hands high/long” the object is.

I think this book was creative in the way that it was telling children that hands are not for hitting and what they are for, along with pictures illustrating why people use hands, so children can appropriately use their hands. loves embracing all the positive things hands can do and also enjoys "teaching" his sister about the message. The stick can be used in large or small group while singing the “Skinamarinky Dinky Dink” song (see music activity).As you recognize a child’s helping hand behavior, have the child get a hand from their pocket and connect it to the class’s “helping hand” chain. I especially love all of the advice for parents listed at the end of each book and the size of the book (the pages are quite large). The children can also demonstrate what their hands can do and you can take photographs of the children in action. Play a game where you give the children a situation, such as Tucker just got hit in the head with a ball – get the children to go under the “shell” take 3 deep breaths and then come out and talk about what Tucker could do instead of hitting. But we have read it several times, and it has reinforced the idea that I have been saying for the last few months: hands are for 'hugs and hi', not hitting.