24-6
TIPS FOR TRYING OUT CHILD-TO-CHILD ACTIVITIES:
• Choose a place that is not too noisy or distracting.
• Start small, if possible with no more than 20 children.
• Allow enough time, so you do not have to rush.
• Have all materials ready ahead of time. Try to have enough so that all children
can take part actively, instead of just watching.
• Use words familiar to the children. Avoid big scientific terms.
• Do not try to do too much at once. One activity sheet may have enough ideas
to help you plan several meetings with the children.
• Before doing activities in a school, speak with the headmaster or teachers.
Try to get their interest, understanding, and cooperation.
• Also discuss the activities with parents, so they will be more accepting of the
children’s new ideas. Perhaps some parents will want to help.
POSSIBILITIES FOR FOLLOWING UP CHILD-TO-CHILD ACTIVITIES:
• Older school children can lead activities with younger grades.
• School children can lead activities with pre-school and non-school children.
• Children can report back to the group about ways they have used their new
knowledge at home and with younger children.
• Children’s surveys can be repeated to check for improvements.
• Children can put on public skits, puppet shows, or demonstrations.
• Children from one school or village can introduce CHILD-to-child to
children in another nearby school or village.
• Teachers can discuss how they might apply CHILD-to-child principles to the
rest of their teaching, to make schooling relate more to children’s lives.
EXAMPLES OF
CHILD-to-child ACTIVITIES
In this chapter we give 4 examples of CHILD-to-child
activities:
Accidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 24-7
Let’s find out how well children see and hear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 24-11
Understanding children with special problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 24-14
Care of children with diarrhea............................................................ p. 24-17
These activities are expanded or revised versions of those available through
the CHILD-to-child Program and TALC. We also have included photographs and
observations on how the activities worked in Ajoya, Mexico, where the village
health team and local school teachers conducted some of the original trials.
References to 4 other Child-to-child activities are made in this book:
An activity to see and remove plaque on teeth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 11-6
Measuring the thickness of the upper arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 25-14
A game to help children look at the cause of thinness . . . . . . . . . . p. 25-17
Puppet show example: How to care for teeth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 27-37
We hope that, as you review these CHILD-to-child activities, you will get a clearer
idea of how they can be translated into exciting and rewarding action.