CHILD-to-child
STORY AND DISCUSSION: “I FORGOT”
Begin to tell a story
about a little boy
whose mother asks
him to go to the corner
store and buy some
bananas. He comes
back with nothing.
• Why did he not bring the bananas?
• What might have happened?
• How could we help?
Another day the boy goes to buy bananas and comes back with matches. Why? How
could we help him remember? Here are some possibilities:
• Another child could go with the boy—not to buy the bananas, but to help him remember, or give
him ‘clues’.
• He could take a picture to remind him—or sticks to remind him of the number
• Another child could practice with him at home. Play remembering games. Start with one thing at
a time.
• Praise or reward the boy each time he remembers and does it right. Do not praise and
never punish the child when he forgets. Remember: He has difficulty remembering. It is not his
fault!
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ROLE PLAY—GOING SHOPPING
The children can act out a role play something
like this:
A mother sends her child shopping. She tells him a
long list of things he must buy. He goes around the
class 3 times and meets a lot of people who ask him
a lot of questions like: “What time is it?” “Where
are you going?” “Which way is the market?”
How much does the child remember when he gets
to the store?
Talk with the class about what happened. How might it be made easier for the child to
remember what he must buy? (Let us suppose the child cannot read.)
PUTTING INTO PRACTICE WHAT WE LEARN
Do the children know any child in the village or neighborhood who has difficulty
understanding or remembering?
Is there something they can do that might help the child to:
• feel he has friends who respect
him and with whom he can play?
• remember things better?
• learn to do more for himself?
• go to school, and get the
extra help he needs?
• enjoy himself more and fit
into the community better?
If there are some children (or grown-ups) in town who make fun of the disabled
child or treat him badly, is there anything the children can do? What? What precautions
should they take? The story on the next page can give children ideas for helping a child
who is mentally slow to learn basic skills. For more ideas, see Chapters 32 to 41.
disabled village children