Ages 4+ · Life Skills · Feelings
Gentle hands
🐥chick🤲soft hands🤫quiet voice🪶soft pat
Gentle hands.The big ideaBe gentle with little animals and with people. Soft hands, soft voices.
How it works
Gentle means soft and slow.
Little animals have soft, tiny bodies, so we use gentle hands.
A quiet voice is gentle too. Soft hands make friends feel safe.
Example 1: A soft pat
- Pat a soft toy, or a pet if you have one: pat, pat, pat.
- Make it as soft as a feather.
- That is a gentle pat.
Example 2: Two soft hands
- Hold both hands together, like a little nest.
- Hold the toy lightly, not tight, just cozy.
- That is how Kit held the chick.
🤲soft hands🐥tiny chick😌feels safe
Kit and the chick.Example 3: A quiet voice
- Whisper, shh, little chick.
- A whisper is a quiet voice.
- The chick snuggles in and peeps happily.
Words to know
- gentle
- Soft and slow.
- pat
- A light touch with your hand.
- whisper
- A very quiet voice.
- chick
- A baby bird.
Watch out
- Quick, grabbing hands can worry a little animal.
- If the animal hops back, hold still and wait.
- Gentle hands are for people too, not only for animals.
Try it
- Is a hard squeeze gentle?
- Which is gentle, a pat or a poke?
- What kind of voice is gentle?
- What does gentle mean?
Answers: 1. no · 2. a pat · 3. a quiet voice · 4. soft and slow
Try at homeShow a grown-up your gentle hands by giving a soft pat to a pet or a soft toy.
For grown-upsPractice with a soft toy or a calm pet: show a soft pat, then let your child show theirs, and say 'thank you for being gentle'.