I appreciate all the work and the organization of the program- my students and their families benefited greatly from the program.
I think it’s very important to introduce this program at the preschool level. Children at this age are just learning how to successfully interact with peers. The more knowledge and tools they have, the better their relationships will be as they continue through school.
I’ve enjoyed implementing this program each month. I am going to present this program every year.
I loved this program! It became a part of our classroom… reminding the children of the Purple Hands Pledge® helped them stay in control of their actions.
I felt this program gave my kids a base to problem solve with what they learn at school.
Parents were delighted with the program. They loved the Pledge and the bears which the children talked about everyday… Parents would love to see it continue.
The activities were great, the bear was an object the kids could understand and relate to.
This is a wonderful, outstanding program which should be in all schools.
The parents were happy with this; had positive comments!
One school wide activity that we do each trimester with the Purple Hands Pledge® is the Purple Hands Honor Roll. The Purple Hands Honor Roll is an award given to each student who has followed the Purple Hands Pledge® throughout the trimester. If a student breaks the pledge a note is sent home and the student is taken off the honor roll. The students on the honor roll have their names posted on a list outside the principal’s office, and receive a small prize as well with the Purple Hands Pledge® on it.
This is our third year using the Purple Hands Pledge® at our school, and it has helped us by providing a simple and common language to address student behavior and the way that we treat each other.
Everyone who has a relationship with our school, from teachers and students to parents and community members knows the pledge, and can easily reference this behavior expectation by using the common language introduced in the pledge.
I think it is a wonderful thing when we can place reminders in our student’s homes and in our community that the Purple Hands Pledge® is important no matter where you go.
This March when our students were studying the Purple Hands Pledge, our school was lucky enough to be able to partner with Hy-Vee, a local grocery store, to promote the Purple Hands Pledge throughout our community. Hy-Vee printed the Purple Hands Pledge and symbol on their grocery sacks during the month of March. It was a hit!
Very excited and supportive of the program. Parents said they would remind family members Hands and Words are not for hurting.
The preschool violence prevention program developed by The Hands & Words Are Not For Hurting Project® is by far the most innovative and inspired effort yet in addressing the issues of bullying and mean-spirited teasing. Our eighth-grade students who participated in the preschool visits came away with a profound sense of having made a real difference in the lives and characters of the 4 & 5-year-olds they mentored. Not only did our middle school students have the chance to model and demonstrate positive coping skills but they also were able to take away an improved self-image of themselves.
As a long-time school counselor with experience at all grade levels, I wholeheartedly endorse the Hands & Words Are Not For Hurting Project’s® Preschool Curriculum. At a time when concerns about bullying in schools have increased, this excellent antiviolence curriculum teaches students not to use their hands or their words to hurt themselves or others. It was impressive and heartwarming to watch our Peer Helpers teach this program and interact in a meaningful way with local preschoolers. The bonding and positive modeling that took place between the preschoolers and our peer helpers further insured that the students would learn and internalize the Purple Hands Pledge® message.
