Celebrating Differences Interviews
What makes you special? I love these Sesame Street videos for helping us explore differences and celebrate our own.
Now, it’s your turn! Have everyone take turns pretending to be Murray and interview each other about what makes you special. Find ways to celebrate each person’s answers because our differences are something to celebrate.
**Pro Tip**
Be prepared to help everyone think of ways to answer the questions that highlight their deeper traits. I say to children “no pretty hair comments. You need to say something that isn’t obvious.”
Sesame Street: What Makes You Special?
What makes you special? Is it your cool curly hair or the way you tell funny jokes? Can you stand on one foot or is it the song you play on the kazoo? Everyone is special and so are you.
Extension Activity: Memory Game
This game will be harder with more people, but even a group of 2 or 3 can be challenging! With a small group, consider going around more than 1 time.
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Gather everyone in a circle.
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Ask participants to close their eyes and think about what makes them special or perhaps different than others. Suggest it could be something they enjoy, like soccer; something they can do, such as speak another language, or something they are, such as the only child in their family. Allow participants a minute or two to think in silence then ask them to slowly open their eyes.
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Going around the circle, ask the first child what makes them special. Ask them to say, "I am special because_______," and then complete the sentence.
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Then, invite the next participant in the circle to repeat exactly what the last person said and then add what makes them special (for example, "Katie is special because she can ride a scooter and I am special because...).
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Go around the whole circle with each participant repeating what previous participants said and adding their own words to the end of the statement.
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The last participant in the circle will have to repeat everyone's statements. Suggest the children help one another remember all the words as the list gets longer and more difficult to remember.
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If time allows, choose another question to ask and go around the circle the opposite way. You might ask "What is the oddest animal you have ever seen?" or "What makes your home special?"
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Ask the group if they were surprised by anything that was shared? How does it feel to talk about being special? Is it hard? Is it easy? End by acknowledging there are many wonderful things that make each of us special.