UNMASKED MASKS
There was one additional project we did, but I didn't capture any photos. We got plain, plastic masks from the Dollar Tree (as pictured) and on the outside, they decorated them with words or symbols of what people call them or say to them, good and bad. On the inside, they decorated it with how they felt about themselves, and then, we took all of the flawed words on the front of the mask and turned them into positives.
For example, they took perceptions such as
boring/lazy/mature/bossy/people pleaser
and changed the language to
independent/calm/leader/generous
They used precise language and turned negatives into positives to reflect who they genuinely are. It was a great discussion starter. The conversation didn't just spotlight them, but ourselves, as parents, too. It was eye-opening, to say the least and definitely requires some thick skin at times, but the overall purpose was to see their truth and who they really are.
They really looked forward to learning and sharing about themselves and sometimes even surprised themselves at what they discovered! Self awareness is such an important key to growing up. To recognize the things we like about ourselves as well as the things we'd like to continue working on is great! These projects were a lot of fun and contributed greatly to our "heartwork."