Ask an adult or someone older to help you with this exercise.

Example 1: Imagine your friend is sad because their friend doesn’t want to sit next to them on the bus.

We need to accept a no answer, but we can also understand the sad or upset feelings that might come along with hearing “no”. It’s important to deal with those hard feelings in a positive way. You might tell your friend something like this:

• “It is great that you respected your friend and picked a different seat. That shows that you care about your friend.”
• “It seems like you’re sad, I can understand that. It can be hard to hear a friend tell us no.”
• “What do you think you could do with your sad feelings? What would make you feel better?”

Example 2: You and your friend’s parents are planning a surprise party for your friend/their child.

Since it’s a surprise it needs to be a secret. But did you know there is a different between a surprise and a secret? Here’s a way to help differentiate surprises and secrets:

• Surprises are happy things that eventually everyone knows about. Families doesn’t keep secrets because they can hurt other people or make them feel left out.

Example 3: Have you even someone taking toys or object without permission?

Asking about if you can play with someone else’s toys or barrow something from them is asking permission or consent. Let’s see how respect and consent work together.

• In a classroom we show respect and care for each other. When we want to use something that belongs to someone else or someone else is currently using, it’s important to ask for their permission.
• If they say no, we need to listen to their answer, even if that makes us feel sad or mad. We should not take it from them without their permission.
• If someone tells you no, you should respect that, if you need help asking permission you can ask an adult for help.

Example 4: You don’t feel like giving a hug.

Sometimes we don’t feel like hugs. And you should not be forced by a family member or friend to hug or touch anyone if you don’t feel like it. Just like you have to accept when people tell you “No”, others should respect you. Here are examples:

• We all show our respect and love in different ways. You might not be excited about hugging your uncle, ask your parents for another way you could say good-bye to your uncle today?
• Give your uncle options and ask if you can give them a high five, a wave, or simply saying “goodbye.”

Take time to talk to the adult with you. It’s important to have someone you can tell if someone made you feel uncomfortable. Remember secrets can be harmful, so talk to someone to respect.