Lesson Plan
Caring Classroom Compass: Navigating Kindness
Students will learn to identify kind actions, understand their impact on others, and practice compassionate behavior to foster a positive classroom climate and encourage respectful interactions.
Kindness and empathy are foundational for social-emotional development, creating a safe and supportive learning environment where all students feel valued and respected. This lesson helps build essential social skills.
Audience
Pre-K to 2nd Grade
Time
3 sessions, 30-45 minutes each
Approach
Interactive storytelling, role-playing, and hands-on activities.
Materials
Whiteboard or projector, Markers or chalk, Kindness Slides, Kindness Actions Activity Cards, Kindness Chain Worksheet, Kindness Bingo Game, Construction paper, Crayons/markers, Scissors, and Glue/tape
Prep
Review Materials
20 minutes
- Review all generated materials: Kindness Slides, Kindness Actions Activity Cards, Kindness Chain Worksheet, and Kindness Bingo Game.
* Print and cut out the Kindness Actions Activity Cards.
* Print copies of the Kindness Chain Worksheet for each student.
* Prepare materials for Kindness Bingo Game (print cards, gather markers).
* Gather construction paper, crayons/markers, scissors, and glue/tape.
Step 1
Session 1: What is Kindness?
30-45 minutes
- Introduction (5 minutes): Begin with a warm-up question: "What does it mean to be kind?" Facilitate a brief class discussion. Use the first few slides of Kindness Slides.
* Story Time (15 minutes): Read a short story about kindness (teacher-selected or a suggested story from the slides). Discuss the kind actions in the story. Use Kindness Slides for discussion prompts.
* Identify Kind Actions (10-15 minutes): Show students the Kindness Actions Activity Cards. Discuss each card and have students give a thumbs up for kind actions and thumbs down for unkind actions. Ask
Step 2
Session 2: The Impact of Kindness
30-45 minutes
- Review (5 minutes): Quickly review what kindness is from the previous session using a quick poll or recall questions. Use Kindness Slides to recap.
* Role-Playing Scenarios (20 minutes): Use the Kindness Actions Activity Cards to create short role-playing scenarios. Students can act out how a kind action feels for both the giver and receiver, and how an unkind action feels. Discuss different feelings. Use Kindness Slides to guide role-play discussions.
* Kindness Chain Craft (10-15 minutes): Introduce the Kindness Chain Worksheet. Have students write or draw one kind action they can do for someone else on a strip of paper. Connect these strips to create a classroom kindness chain. Explain that each link represents a kind act, and together, they make our classroom stronger and happier.
Step 3
Session 3: Practicing Kindness Everyday
30-45 minutes
- Warm-Up: Share a Kind Act (5 minutes): Ask students to share a kind act they witnessed or performed since the last session. Use Kindness Slides to prompt sharing.
* Kindness Bingo (20-25 minutes): Play the Kindness Bingo Game. Students will mark off spaces as they complete kind actions. This encourages them to actively look for and perform acts of kindness throughout the day.
* Discussion & Commitment (10-15 minutes): Discuss what they learned about kindness and why it's important. Ask students to commit to one kind action they will do this week. Conclude with a positive affirmation about being a kind class. Use Kindness Slides for concluding thoughts.
use Lenny to create lessons.
No credit card needed
Slide Deck
Welcome to Our Kindness Journey!
What does it mean to be kind?
Welcome students and introduce the topic of kindness. Ask a warm-up question to gauge their initial understanding.
What is Kindness?
Being friendly, generous, and considerate.
Making someone feel good!
Thinking about how others feel.
Explain that kindness means being friendly, generous, and considerate. Give simple examples.
Kindness in Stories
Let's read a story about kindness!
Who showed kindness?
What kind things did they do?
How did their actions make others feel?
Read a story about kindness. After the story, use these prompts to discuss kind actions observed in the story.
Kind or Unkind?
Sometimes it's easy to see kindness, and sometimes it's tricky!
We're going to practice identifying kind actions.
Introduce the idea of identifying kind vs. unkind actions. Explain that the next activity will help them practice.
Let's Practice!
We have some cards with different actions.
Let's decide together: Is this a kind action or an unkind action?
How does it make people feel?
Transition to the 'Kindness Actions Activity Cards'. Explain that they will discuss cards showing different actions.
Remember Kindness?
What is kindness? Can you give an example of something kind?
For Session 2, recap the definition of kindness. Ask students to share a quick example.
Feelings and Actions
How do kind actions make us feel?
How do unkind actions make us feel?
Let's act it out!
Introduce the idea of role-playing to understand feelings. Emphasize how actions affect others.
Our Kindness Chain
Each link in our chain will be a kind action.
Together, our kind actions make our classroom a wonderful place!
Explain the Kindness Chain activity. Connect it to building a stronger, happier classroom.
Kindness All Around Us
Who saw or did something kind since our last class?
Share your story!
For Session 3, start with sharing personal experiences of kindness.
Kindness Bingo!
Let's play a game to help us practice being kind every day!
We'll look for opportunities to do kind things.
Introduce the Kindness Bingo game. Explain that it helps them practice kindness every day.
Our Kind Classroom
Being kind helps everyone.
What is one kind thing you will do this week?
We are a kind and caring class!
Conclude the lesson by emphasizing the importance of daily kindness and asking for a personal commitment.
Activity
Kindness Actions Activity Cards
Instructions for Teachers:
Print and cut out these cards. During the activity, show each card to the students and ask them to identify if the action is kind or unkind. Encourage discussion about why it is kind or unkind and how it might make others feel.
Activity Cards:
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Card 1: Sharing Toys
- Image/Scenario: Two children playing, one offering a toy to the other.
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Card 2: Helping a Friend
- Image/Scenario: One child helping another pick up spilled crayons.
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Card 3: Saying "Please" and "Thank You"
- Image/Scenario: A child politely asking for something.
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Card 4: Ignoring Someone
- Image/Scenario: One child turning their back on another child who is trying to talk to them.
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Card 5: Pushing in Line
- Image/Scenario: A child pushing another child to get ahead in line.
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Card 6: Comforting a Sad Friend
- Image/Scenario: A child putting an arm around a crying friend.
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Card 7: Taking Turns
- Image/Scenario: Children waiting patiently for their turn on a swing.
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Card 8: Making Fun of Someone
- Image/Scenario: A child laughing at another child who made a mistake.
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Card 9: Giving a Compliment
- Image/Scenario: A child telling another child they like their drawing.
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Card 10: Cleaning Up Together
- Image/Scenario: Two children working together to tidy up toys.
Worksheet
My Kindness Chain Link
Instructions:
Think about one kind thing you can do for someone else today or this week! It could be for a friend, a family member, or even a pet!
Draw a picture of your kind action in the box below, or write a sentence about it.
Then, we will cut out your kindness link and add it to our classroom kindness chain!
My Kind Action:
I will...
Game
Kindness Bingo
Instructions for Teachers:
Print a Bingo card for each student. Explain that students should try to complete as many kind actions as possible throughout the day or week. When they complete an action, they can color in or mark that square. The goal is to get 5 squares in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) or to fill the whole card!
Encourage students to share their kind actions with the class as they mark off squares.
Kindness Bingo Card
| Give a compliment | Help a friend | Share your toys | Say "Please" and "Thank You" | Hold the door for someone |
| Offer to help clean up | Listen carefully to a friend | Console a sad friend | Let someone go first | Smile at 5 people |
| Pick up trash | FREE SPACE | Write a kind note | Draw a picture for someone | Invite someone to play |
| Offer to share a snack | Help a teacher | Say "I'm sorry" | Give a high-five | Cheer someone on |
| Compliment a classmate | Help carry something | Take turns patiently | Include someone new | Be a good listener |