The Smile Award goes to........

In our Savannah project if we had to vote on a "smile star", our vote would go to Frank. 

Frank just turned ten this year. Born in early summer, he has an outgoing personality and sunny disposition. On his face, a pair of big dimples peek out when he smiles, and his eyes always reveal his inner joy.

Frank has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth. This causes limitations in his physical development and self-care ability. A child with a disability uses more effort than a healthy child to complete seemingly simple tasks in life, such as feeding, crawling, turning over or picking up an object. In the Savannah project, a detailed rehabilitation activity plan was developed for Frank, and the teacher and his nanny assist him to practice every day.

Every movement is not easy, and is sometimes accompanied by pain, but Frank always cooperates with his nanny and does it with a smile. He understands that doing these activities can help him learn to control his body in order to complete the tasks in life. In order to express himself and complete these tasks, he is willing to overcome all kinds of hardships.

A big smile is his affirmation of himself

After repeated practice Frank learned to read a book. As he turned a page, he felt a special sense of accomplishment, and a big smile appeared on his face. With the encouragement of his mother, he worked harder and turned the next page very carefully. She said to him, “You are the best, you can do it!”

A big smile is his communication channel.

Sometimes when he plays a new game with his nanny, he will use his smiling eyes to tell her that he likes that game. When telling a story his nanny will put the book on his lap, and he will try to hold the book. He will verbalize along with the story, saying, "Um" and "ah." Occasionally he will laugh out loud. Frank likes reading and studying.

A big smile is the expression of his heart.

When doing two-option activities, Frank will use his fingers to choose his favorite games, such as identifying vegetables and fruits. He chose a bunch of big round grapes and stretched out his hands to grasp them and hold them high. Looking carefully at the grapes in his hands, he smiled revealing two lovely dimples. Seeing Frank's smile his nanny thought there was no one cuter.

Frank's big smile tells of his satisfaction. (As told by his nanny)

I remember when Frank received his first gift on Christmas Day, his eyes shone with joy. He held the new clothes he received in his hands, so happy that he gave a big smile. His joy infected everyone, and the whole room was filled with a joyous atmosphere.

 

We all love this child who is covered in sunshine. Always raising the corners of his mouth, and warming people's hearts with a smile!