Falling into Kindness Script

Introduction (Warm-Up)

Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! Today, we are going to talk about something really special that can make our classroom, our homes, and our community a much happier place. We're going to talk about kindness!"

Teacher: "To start, I want you to close your eyes for a moment and think about a time someone was kind to you. How did it make you feel? You can also think about a time you were kind to someone else. How did that make you feel?"

(Pause for a few seconds to let students think.)

Teacher: "Now, open your eyes. Who can share what kindness means to them? What does it look like, sound like, or feel like? Raise a quiet hand if you'd like to share."

(Call on a few students. Affirm their responses, linking them to actions.)

Story Time: The Little Acorn's Big Heart

Teacher: "Wonderful ideas! Now, I have a special story for you today called The Little Acorn's Big Heart Story. As I read, I want you to listen carefully and notice all the ways the little acorn shows kindness, and how those acts of kindness make a difference to others."

(Read The Little Acorn's Big Heart Story aloud, using expressive voices and pausing at key moments.)

Discussion: Reflecting on Kindness

Teacher: "What a lovely story! Now, let's chat about it. Think about the little acorn and his adventures."

Teacher: "First, can someone tell me one way the little acorn showed kindness in the story?"

(Allow several students to share. Prompt for details if needed.)

Teacher: "Great examples! How did these acts of kindness make the other forest creatures feel?"

(Guide students to think about emotions like happy, safe, grateful, loved.)

Teacher: "And what can we learn from the little acorn? What message do you think the story is trying to teach us?"

(Encourage students to connect the acorn's actions to real-life kindness.)

Activity: Our Kindness Tree Craft

Teacher: "You all have such thoughtful ideas! To celebrate the kindness we can spread, we are going to create our very own Kindness Tree for our classroom!"

Teacher: "Each of you will get a fall-colored leaf template from the Kindness Leaves Template. On your leaf, I want you to either write or draw one specific act of kindness that you can do for someone in our classroom, at school, or even at home. Think about what we discussed and what the little acorn did. It could be something big or something small!"

(Distribute the Kindness Leaves Template, construction paper, scissors, glue sticks, and markers/crayons.)

Teacher: "Here are the steps, which are also on your Kindness Tree Activity Instructions handout:"

1. Cut out your leaf if you received a template.
   
2. Write or draw one act of kindness on your leaf.
   
3. Decorate your leaf if you like!

Teacher: "Take about 8 minutes to create your kindness leaf. Think carefully about your act of kindness."

(Circulate, offer assistance, and encourage creative ideas. Once students are mostly done, bring them back together.)

Cool Down: Sharing Our Kindness Harvest

Teacher: "Alright, boys and girls, let's share our kindness harvest! I want each of you to find a partner and share the act of kindness you wrote or drew on your leaf. Explain why you chose that particular act of kindness."

(Allow students 1-2 minutes to share with a partner.)

Teacher: "Wonderful sharing! Now, we are going to gather all our beautiful kindness leaves and place them on our classroom Kindness Tree. This tree will be a reminder to us every day about all the ways we can be kind to one another. What a beautiful way to fill our classroom with kindness, just like the fall leaves fill the trees outside!"

(Collect the leaves and assist students in adding them to a designated poster or area that represents the "Kindness Tree." Optionally, call on a few volunteers to share their leaf with the whole class.)

Teacher: "Before we finish, remember, just like the little acorn, even the smallest act of kindness can grow into something big and beautiful. Let's try to do at least one act of kindness today!"

Teacher: "Thank you for being such kind and thoughtful learners today!"

Kindness Brainstorm Warm-Up

Think about the word kindness.

1. What does kindness mean to you?
   
   
   
   
2. Can you think of a time someone was kind to you? How did it make you feel?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Can you think of a time you were kind to someone else? How did that make you feel?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

The Little Acorn's Big Heart

Once upon a time, in a cozy forest, lived a tiny acorn named Pip. Pip was small, even for an acorn, but he had a very big heart. As autumn arrived, the other acorns were busy preparing for winter, but Pip felt a gentle nudge in his tiny spirit to help others.

One blustery morning, Pip saw a little ladybug struggling to climb a tall blade of grass. The wind was making it very difficult! Pip, though he was small, carefully wiggled himself onto the blade of grass, bending it just enough for the ladybug to crawl onto his smooth, round cap. "Thank you, Pip!" buzzed the ladybug, safely reaching the top.

Later that day, Pip noticed a busy squirrel, Squeaky, who was dropping his precious nuts as he scurried. Squeaky looked very frustrated. Pip rolled himself right into Squeaky's path, creating a small, natural barrier that stopped a runaway nut from rolling down a hill. Squeaky chattered gratefully, gathering his nuts with a relieved flick of his tail.

As the days grew shorter and colder, a group of young birds shivered in a nest, too small to fly south for the winter yet. They were cold and hungry. Pip remembered a forgotten pile of berries tucked under a large leaf. With all his might, he nudged a few sweet, juicy berries closer to the nest, knowing they would give the little birds a burst of energy and warmth.

Winter finally arrived, covering the forest in a blanket of white. Pip was nestled safely under a fallen leaf, but he thought about all the small acts of kindness he had done. He hadn't built a big nest or gathered a huge pile of food, but his small actions had brought smiles, comfort, and help to his friends.

As spring gently awoke the forest, a beautiful oak sapling began to sprout from the very spot where Pip had spent his winter. From his big heart grew a strong, kind tree, reminding everyone that even the smallest acts of kindness can grow into something truly magnificent and make the world a warmer, happier place for all.

Kindness Tree Craft Activity

Let's grow a tree full of kindness in our classroom!

Materials You Will Need:

• Kindness Leaves Template (one per student)
• Construction paper (fall colors: red, orange, yellow, brown)
• Scissors
• Glue sticks
• Markers or crayons
• A large poster or bulletin board space for our Class Kindness Tree (prepared by the teacher beforehand, perhaps with a tree trunk drawn on it)

Instructions:

1. Get Your Leaf: Take one Kindness Leaves Template and a piece of fall-colored construction paper.
2. Cut it Out: Carefully cut out the leaf shape from the template. You can trace it onto the construction paper and then cut it out, or use the template directly if it's already printed on colored paper.
3. Think of Kindness: Think about one specific act of kindness you can do for someone. It could be for a friend, a family member, a teacher, or even a classmate you don't know well. Think about the story of Pip, the little acorn!
   • Examples: Offer to help a friend with their work, share your crayons, give a compliment, hold the door open, listen to someone when they are sad, pick up trash in the classroom.
4. Write or Draw: On your leaf, clearly write down your act of kindness or draw a picture that shows it. Make sure it's big enough to see!
5. Decorate: You can decorate your leaf with colors, patterns, or anything else that makes it special, as long as your act of kindness is still clear.
6. Prepare to Share: Once your leaf is ready, hold onto it. We will share them in a bit!
7. Add to the Tree: When instructed, we will gather all our beautiful kindness leaves and glue them onto our Class Kindness Tree to show all the kindness growing in our room!

Kindness Leaf Template

Cut out this leaf. On the leaf, write or draw one act of kindness you can do.

















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**(Imagine a simple leaf outline here for students to cut out and write on. The text content should guide them.)**<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>

Share A Leaf Cool Down

1. Find a partner.
2. Share the act of kindness you wrote or drew on your leaf with your partner.
3. Explain why you chose that particular act of kindness.
4. Listen carefully when your partner shares their leaf.