Gifts from Our Hearts

My Little Gifts: A Book of Sharing is told from the perspective of a young girl who learns that the best gifts are not always wrapped in paper. but through everyday experiences with her family and friends, she discovers that sharing, helping, and showing kindness are meaningful gifts too.​

At first, she enjoys receiving presents, but she shares her belongings with her little sister, helps others, spends time with loved ones, and offers smiles, love, and encouragement. By the end of the story, she realizes that giving from the heart brings as much happiness as receiving gifts. The book teaches us that generosity, compassion, and love are valuable gifts everyone can share.

When Luka notices that Leanna wants to try sitting on the hammock, he walks over with a warm smile and offers his assistance. Holding the hammock steady, he helps her ease herself onto the gently swaying fabric, making sure she feels secure and comfortable before letting go. 

After playing together with Anthony, Fia moves along to the song Hop Little Bunnies. She moves her body with a bright smile and boundless enthusiasm. Although she is still very young to jump with both feet off the ground consistently, she eagerly bends her knees, bounces, and follows the actions she sees around her. Her joyful participation reflects her growing coordination, confidence, and excitement as she explores movement through music.

Fia is a very determined child who enjoys doing things independently. When she puts on her boots, she prefers to do it by herself and often declines assistance from others. However, when Emily notices that Fia may need a little extra support, she responds with patience and respect for Fia's independence by asking, "Fia, can I help you?" This gentle approach allows Fia to remain in control of the situation while knowing that support is available whenever she chooses to accept it.

Likewise, Fia and Leanna are engaged in a situation that provides an opportunity to offer and receive help. As we interact, we learn to recognize when someone may need help, how to offer support in a kind and respectful way, and how to accept assistance when needed. These everyday experience foster cooperation, empathy, and positive relationships while building our confidence and independence.

Below learning experience connects to My Little Gifts by Jo Witek because Luka and Anthony shares the gift of teamwork and cooperation. They work together to connect the cylindrical PVC pipes, exploring different ways to create channels for sand, cars, and water to flow through. By sharing ideas, taking turns, and building together, we show that working with a friend is a meaningful gift that helps everyone learn, solve problems, and have fund together.

We participate in making our own banana smoothies. We begin by exploring the ingredients, identifying the banana, yogurt, freshly-squeezed orange juice, and dried cranberries. As we peel the bananas, slice them using plastic knives, and we take turns adding them to the blender, we develop our fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and early mathematical concepts such as counting and measuring.

Throughout the experience, we use descriptive language to talk about the smell, texture, and taste of the smoothie. We work cooperatively by sharing equipment, waiting for our turn, and encouraging one another, which support the progress of social skills and teamwork.

Emily, Leanna, and Anthony eagerly watch the ingredients change from separate solids and liquids into a smooth, creamy drink, introducing us to basic scientific concepts of mixing and change. We follow simple step-by-step instructions, building our listening skills, concentration, and ability to follow a sequence.

Preparing and enjoying a smoothie we have made ourselves gives us a sense of pride and accomplishment while promoting healthy eating habits. This hands-on cooking experience fosters independence, problem-solving, and curiosity, demonstrating that everyday learning experiences can provide rich opportunities for meaningful learning across multiple learning areas.

Learning a new song You Are My Sunshine is a gift that can be shared with others. As we learn the song together, we share happiness, friendship, and love through music. Singing for our classmates helps us express care and kindness, showing that simple gifts like a joyful song, a smile, and time spent together can brighten someone's day. Just like in the book, these heartfelt moments remind us that the most meaningful gifts come from the heart.

As we prepare for our upcoming cooking experience, we become excited to learn how to spell the word "cookies." Together, we identify each letter -C-O-O-K-I-E-S- and discover how individual letters come together to form a meaningful word.

We practice saying the sound of the letters and recognizing the letters while making connections between the written word and the delicious treat we will soon create. This literacy experience encourages us to build early reading and writing skills in a meaningful, hands-on context.

By sharing our ideas, helping one another recognize letters, and connecting print to a real-life experience, we strengthen our confidence and curiosity as learners. This learning experience reflects the message in My Little Gifts, reminding us that the gift of learning and sharing knowledge with others is something everyone can enjoy.

Through this making our own cookies, we learn that the most meaningful gifts are not always bought. They can be created with our own hands and given from the heart. Baking cookies becomes more than a cooking experience; it is an opportunity to express kindness, generosity, and appreciation. By making something special for others, we experience the joy of giving and understand that sharing our time, effort, and love is one of the greatest gifts we can offer.

During the afternoon learning experience, Emily enthusiastically extends her three-letter-words in a fun and engaging way. She confidently identifies and connects letters to form simple words, demonstrating growing phonological awareness and early literacy skills. As she sounds out and recognizes each word, she shows increasing confidence in understanding how letters work together to create meaning. Emily's excitement in recognizing and forming words also becomes a gift to our learning community, as her participation encourages us to join and explore together.

During the learning experience of climbing the triangular structure, we discover that gifts can come in many forms. Not only as things we give, but also as moments that help us grow. As we climb, we give ourselves the gift of courage, persistence, and confidence by taking on a new challenge. We also share the gift of encouragement as we support our friends, offer help, and celebrate each other's accomplishments.

The triangular structure becomes a place where we explore balance, problem-solving, and physical strength while learning that kindness and support from others can help us overcome challenges. Through this learning experience, we experience that the greatest gifts are often the feelings of confidence, friendship, and connection that we create together.

It's a perfect day to enjoy the water in a big pool. The older friends are ready to get into the pool and once they are in, their excitement and laughter are in the air contagiously. Luka and Anthony splash the water to each other. Getting wet together makes them laugh, and we are learning that the sigh to understand both are having fun. Emily lets others know that she is going to throw a ball by saying  "Watch out!" and waits until she has a safe spot to throw it. The boys pay attention what she says and is trying to do and move their bodies and give her a space. Eventually, the boys start throwing balls as well by following what work with all of us. We find our way how to enjoy the moment together with sharing the environment and materials and it helps us to learn how to be respectful to each other and things surrounding us.