Make a Wish Box!

During the holidays, most third-graders have an endless wish list filled with the latest toys, video games and other gadgets. However, there may be things they wish for that cannot be touched, broken or downloaded. These items are called “non-tangibles” and, to many third graders, are the most important gifts at holiday time. Ask your child, and the rest of the family, to share their thoughts by writing one-sentence “Holiday Wishes”. Your child will practice her sentence development, and may get a whole new appreciation of the holiday season!

What You Need:

Construction paper (in holiday colors)

Markers

Shoe box

What You Do:

1. Around the dinner table one evening, discuss the difference between tangible and non-tangible items. Explain that tangible items are physical objects that you can touch. Non-tangibles items are abstract and cannot be touched, such as love, friendship, sympathy, and hope. Explain to your family that this holiday season, instead of making a wish list full of tangible items like toys, everyone will help to fill the “Wish Box” with non-tangible wishes.

2. Ask your third-grader to be in charge of decorating the box with holiday colors, glitter, and pictures, and display the box in a prominent spot in your house.

3. Cut several sheets of construction paper in half to make wish slips. On a few of the wish slips, make sentence frames to help your child write longer sentences. Here are 2 examples of sentence frames: