Empathy Scenario Cards

Print and cut along the lines to create individual scenario cards. Students will use these in pairs to practice active listening and empathy.

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Scenario 1: Lost Toy
Your friend, Sarah, looks really sad. You ask her what's wrong, and she says she lost her favorite stuffed animal that her grandma gave her. She's worried she'll never find it.

• How do you think Sarah is feeling?
  
  
  
• What could you say or do to show you understand and care?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Scenario 2: Excluded Game
During recess, you see your friend, Maya, standing alone while a group of other girls are playing a game she really loves. Maya looks like she wants to join but is too shy to ask.

• How might Maya be feeling?
  
  
  
• What could you do to help Maya feel included?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Scenario 3: Bad Drawing Day
Your friend, Lily, is usually really proud of her drawings. Today, she’s crumpled up several papers and looks frustrated. She sighs, “I can’t draw anything right today!”

• What emotions might Lily be experiencing?
  
  
  
• How can you respond to make Lily feel better about her art?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Scenario 4: Excitement for a Party
Your friend, Chloe, comes to school beaming. She tells you all about the amazing birthday party she went to over the weekend, talking fast and showing you pictures on her phone.

• How do you think Chloe is feeling right now?
  
  
  
• How can you show her you’re happy for her and interested in her story?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Active Listening Checklist

Instructions: As your partner speaks, check off the listening behaviors you notice. After they finish, you can talk about what you observed!

When my partner was speaking, did they...

• Look at me? (Eye contact)
  □ Yes □ No

• Nod or show they were listening with their face? (Facial expressions/Body Language)
  □ Yes □ No

• Stay quiet while I was talking? (No interrupting)
  □ Yes □ No

• Ask questions to understand more? (Clarifying questions)
  □ Yes □ No

• Say something to show they understood my feelings? (Empathy statements, e.g., "That sounds tough.")
  □ Yes □ No

• Remember what I said when it was their turn to talk? (Recalling details)
  □ Yes □ No

Reflect on your listening:

What was one thing your partner did that made you feel heard?

What is one way you can be an even better listener next time?

All About Me Mat

Name: ________________________________

Draw a picture of yourself here:

My 3 Favorite Things:

1. ________________________________
   
   
2. ________________________________
   
   
3. ________________________________
   
   

Fun Fact About Me:
_______________________________

Friendship Definition Cards

Print and cut along the lines to create individual cards. During the activity, show one card at a time and ask: “What does this mean to you?”

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1) Kindness
Scenario: You share your snack with a friend who forgot their lunch.
Prompt: What does kindness look like?

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2) Listening
Scenario: You look at your friend when she talks and ask questions to understand how she feels.
Prompt: Why is listening important in a friendship?

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3) Support
Scenario: You help a friend study for a test because you know she’s nervous.
Prompt: How can you show support to a friend?

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4) Sharing
Scenario: You let a friend borrow your favorite book because you want her to enjoy it too.
Prompt: What are some things you can share with friends?

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5) Trust
Scenario: You keep a friend’s secret because she trusts you to be honest.
Prompt: How does trust make a friendship stronger?

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6) Cooperation
Scenario: You and a friend work together to build a tower from blocks without arguing.
Prompt: What skills help you cooperate well?

Friendship Reflection Journal

Session 1 Reflection

Write one thing you learned today about being a good friend.

Session 2 Reflection

Write one way you will show empathy and listen better to friends.

Session 3 Reflection

Write one cooperation skill you used today and how it helped your team.

Session 4 Reflection

Write one way you will use an “I” message next time you disagree with a friend.

Session 5 Reflection

Write one action you’ll take this week to work toward your friendship goal.

Cooperation Challenge Cards

Print and cut along the lines to create individual challenge cards. Each team will receive one card and a Challenge Materials Kit to complete the task.

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Challenge 1: Build the Tallest Tower
Materials: 10 building blocks, 5 craft sticks, a small piece of tape
Task: Work together to build the tallest freestanding tower possible in 5 minutes. All team members must touch the tower at some point.

• How did you decide who would do what?
  
  
  
• What was the hardest part of building together?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Challenge 2: The Friendship Bridge
Materials: 3 sheets of paper, 2 crayons, 1 pair of kid-safe scissors (teacher supervised)
Task: Your team needs to build a bridge across a 10-inch gap using only the provided materials. The bridge must hold one eraser.

• How did your team share ideas for the bridge?
  
  
  
• What did you learn about working together from this challenge?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Challenge 3: The Story Web
Materials: Yarn ball, 3 picture cards (e.g., a cat, a tree, a book)
Task: Start a story with the first picture. Each team member adds one sentence to the story, passing the yarn to the next person. The story must connect all three picture cards.

• How did you make sure everyone got to add to the story?
  
  
  
• What was fun about creating a story together?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Challenge 4: The Mystery Picture
Materials: One large piece of paper, a box of 8 crayons (shared), blindfolds for each student
Task: Blindfold one team member. The others describe an object (e.g., a flower, a house) without naming it, and the blindfolded person tries to draw it. Rotate roles.

• How did clear instructions help the drawer?
  
  
  
• What did you learn about listening and giving directions?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Challenge Materials Kit Overview

This kit provides a list of common, inexpensive materials to facilitate the Cooperation Challenge Cards. Teachers should prepare individual kits for each small group or ensure easy access to shared supplies.

General Materials (for 3-4 students per group):

• Building Blocks: 10-15 assorted blocks (e.g., LEGOs, wooden blocks)
• Craft Sticks: 5-10 regular-sized craft sticks
• Tape: 1 small roll of masking tape or painter's tape
• Paper: 3-5 sheets of standard 8.5" x 11" paper
• Crayons/Markers: A shared box of 8-12 colored crayons or markers
• Kid-Safe Scissors: 1 pair per group (teacher supervised for younger students)
• Yarn/String: 1 small ball of yarn or string
• Picture Cards: 3-5 assorted picture cards (e.g., animals, objects, places) for storytelling
• Erasers: 1-2 small erasers (can be used as weights for bridges)
• Blindfolds: 1-2 per group (can be scarves or spare cloth to cover eyes for drawing activities)

Team Role Cards

Print and cut along the lines to create individual role cards. Have each student draw a card to assign their role for the cooperative challenge. Emphasize that all roles are important for team success!

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Role: The Planner

• Your Job: Help your team think of ideas and make a plan before you start building or doing the challenge.
• How you help: You ask questions like, "What should we do first?" and "What materials will we use?" You help everyone share their ideas.
  
  
  
  
  

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Role: The Communicator

• Your Job: Make sure everyone on the team talks to each other nicely and shares their thoughts. You help listen to what others are saying.
• How you help: You say things like, "What do you think, [friend's name]?" or "Let's make sure we're all listening."
  
  
  
  
  

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Role: The Builder/Doer

• Your Job: You help put the plan into action and build or complete the task. You are hands-on and help make the ideas happen.
• How you help: You ask, "How can I help with that part?" or "Let's try this now!" You work carefully with the materials.
  
  
  
  
  

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Role: The Encourager/Timekeeper

• Your Job: You cheer on your teammates and remind them how much time is left. You help everyone feel good about their work.
• How you help: You say, "Great job everyone!" or "We have 2 minutes left, let's keep going!"