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Caring Friends: A Kindness Crew Adventure

Lesson Plan

Caring Friends: A Kindness Crew Adventure Lesson Plan

Students will be able to demonstrate one way to show they care when a friend is feeling sad or upset.

Learning to recognize and respond to others' feelings is a foundational life skill, fostering empathy and positive social interactions, which is crucial for their social-emotional development.

Audience

Kindergarten

Time

20 minutes

Approach

Interactive read-aloud, role-playing, and partner sharing.

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

Step 1

Mindful Minute Warm-Up

3 minutes

  • Gather students in a circle or on the carpet.
    - Lead a brief "Mindful Minute": "Let's take three slow, deep breaths together. In through your nose, out through your mouth. (Guide students through breaths). How do your bodies feel? How do your hearts feel?"
    - Transition: "Today, we're going to think about how our friends feel and how we can be caring friends when someone is sad or upset."

Step 2

Read-Aloud and Group Chat

7 minutes

  • Display Caring Friends Slide Deck (Slide 2: "How Can We Be Caring Friends?").
    - Read a short children's book about feelings or friendship (e.g., "The Way I Feel").
    - After reading, facilitate a brief discussion using Caring Friends Slide Deck (Slide 3: "What Are Feelings?") and (Slide 4: "Caring Actions"). Ask questions like:
    - "What are some feelings we heard about in the story?"
    - "How can you tell if someone is feeling sad or upset? What might their face look like? What might their body do?"
    - "What are some ways we can show a friend we care when they are feeling sad?"
    - As students share, begin to fill out the "Ways to Care" Anchor Chart with their suggestions (e.g., "Give a hug," "Ask if they're okay," "Share a toy").

Step 3

"Caring Friend" Role-Play

7 minutes

  • Explain: "Now we're going to practice being caring friends!"
    - Display Caring Friends Slide Deck (Slide 5: "Role-Play Time!").
    - Distribute the Friendship Scenario Cards to pairs of students. Explain that one student will act out the scenario (being sad/upset), and the other will practice a caring action from the anchor chart.
    - Give students 2-3 minutes to role-play their scenarios. Circulate and provide gentle guidance and positive reinforcement.
    - Call on a few pairs to share their role-play with the whole class, highlighting different caring actions.

Step 4

Partner Sharing Circle & Cool Down

3 minutes

  • Gather students back in a circle.
    - Display Caring Friends Slide Deck (Slide 6: "Be A Kindness Crew!").
    - Ask each student to turn to a partner and share one way they will try to be a caring friend this week.
    - Conclude: "Great job, Kindness Crew! Remember, being a caring friend makes everyone feel better and makes our classroom a happy place!"
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Slide Deck

Caring Friends: A Kindness Crew Adventure

Let's learn how to be the best friends ever!

Welcome students and introduce the lesson's theme.

How Can We Be Caring Friends?

What does it mean to care for someone?
How can we help when a friend is sad or upset?

Transition from the mindful minute. Pose the question to the class.

What Are Feelings?

Happy, Sad, Mad, Scared, Surprised...
What other feelings do you know?
How can we tell what someone is feeling?

After reading a story about feelings, discuss different emotions. Ask students to show faces for different feelings.

Caring Actions

What can we say or do to show we care?
(Examples: Give a hug, ask 'Are you okay?', share a toy, listen)

Brainstorm with students ways to show care. This is where you start filling in the "Ways to Care" Anchor Chart. Encourage both verbal and non-verbal ideas.

Role-Play Time!

Let's practice being caring friends!
One friend acts out a feeling, the other shows care.

Explain the role-play activity using the scenario cards. Remind them to use ideas from the 'Ways to Care' chart.

Be A Kindness Crew!

We can all be caring friends!
What is one way YOU will show care today or this week?

Conclude the lesson by reinforcing the idea of being a "Kindness Crew." Ask students to share one way they'll be caring this week.

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Activity

Friendship Scenario Cards

Cut out these cards and use them to practice being a caring friend!

Scenario 1

Your friend dropped their ice cream cone and it melted on the ground. They look very sad.












Scenario 2

Your friend built a tall tower with blocks, but it accidentally fell over. They look upset.












Scenario 3

Your friend wants to play with a toy you have, but they don't ask nicely. They look a little mad.












Scenario 4

Your friend scraped their knee on the playground. They are crying and look hurt.












Scenario 5

Your friend is trying to draw a picture, but it's not turning out the way they want. They look frustrated.












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Worksheet

Our Kindness Crew: Ways to Care Anchor Chart

When a friend is feeling sad or upset, what can our Kindness Crew do to show we care?

What can we SAY?

  1. ____________________________________


  2. ____________________________________


  3. ____________________________________


What can we DO?

  1. ____________________________________


  2. ____________________________________


  3. ____________________________________


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Caring Friends: A Kindness Crew Adventure • Lenny Learning