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Friendly Champions

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Lesson Plan

Friendly Champions Lesson Plan

Students will learn to value cooperation and sportsmanship over winning by participating in story time, a team game, and reflection activities that emphasize helping peers and celebrating effort.

Young children benefit from understanding healthy competition and teamwork early, building empathy, self-regulation, and positive social skills that support classroom community and lifelong relationships.

Audience

Kindergarten

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive story, cooperative game, guided reflection

Materials

Cooperation Story Script, Team Relay Game Instruction Cards, Friendly Champions Reflection Sheet, Soft Ball or Beanbag, Timer or Stopwatch, and Name Tags or Stickers

Prep

Review and Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Introducing Teamwork

5 minutes

  • Gather students in a circle on the rug.
  • Ask: "What does it mean to be a good friend when playing games?"
  • Listen to responses and highlight ideas like sharing, cheering, and helping.
  • Explain today we’ll learn how to be Friendly Champions by working together.

Step 2

Story Time: Cooperation Tale

10 minutes

  • Read the story from the Cooperation Story Script.
  • Pause to ask: "What do you think will happen next?" and "How did the characters help each other?"
  • Discuss how cooperation helped the characters succeed.

Step 3

Cooperative Game: Team Relay

10 minutes

  • Explain rules using the Team Relay Game Instruction Cards.
  • Divide class into pairs or small teams; assign name tags.
  • Demonstrate passing the ball/beanbag to a teammate.
  • Run the relay: each student passes and cheers for their partner.
  • Use the timer to keep turns short and celebrate each team’s effort.

Step 4

Reflection: Sharing and Drawing

5 minutes

  • Hand out the Friendly Champions Reflection Sheet.
  • Ask students to draw or circle one way they helped a teammate.
  • Invite volunteers to share their drawings and describe how they showed good sportsmanship.
  • Praise students for cooperation and remind them being a Friendly Champion means doing your best and supporting friends.
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Slide Deck

Friendly Champions

Kindergarten Lesson on Cooperation and Sportsmanship

Welcome students and introduce the lesson: Today we’ll learn about being Friendly Champions by cooperating and showing good sportsmanship.

Warm-Up: Introducing Teamwork

  • What does it mean to be a good friend when playing games?
  • Think about sharing, cheering, and helping.

Gather students in a circle. Ask: “What does it mean to be a good friend when playing games?” Highlight responses about sharing, cheering, and helping. Introduce the Friendly Champions theme.

Story Time: Cooperation Tale

• Read the story from the Cooperation Story Script.
• Think: What will happen next?
• Ask: How did the characters help each other?

Read the story from the script. Pause to ask predictive and reflective questions. Discuss how cooperation helped the characters succeed.

Cooperative Game: Team Relay

  1. Divide into teams and pick name tags.
  2. Pass the ball or beanbag to your teammates.
  3. Cheer for your partner!
  4. Run the relay using the timer.

Use the Team Relay Game Instruction Cards. Demonstrate passing the ball/beanbag and cheering. Start the relay, ensuring each child participates. Celebrate every team’s effort.

Reflection: Sharing and Drawing

  • On your sheet, draw or circle one way you helped a teammate.
  • Share your picture with the class.

Distribute the Friendly Champions Reflection Sheet. Prompt students to draw or circle one way they helped a teammate. Invite volunteers to share and describe their sportsmanship.

You’re Friendly Champions!

Remember:

  • Support your friends
  • Celebrate effort
  • Have fun together!

Conclude the lesson by recapping key points. Praise cooperation and encourage students to remember these skills during playtime.

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Script

Cooperation Story Script

Teacher: Hello friends! Are you ready for a story about cooperation and friendship?

(Show students a picture of two children and a pile of colorful blocks.)

Teacher: Once upon a time, there were two best friends named Mia and Sam. One bright morning, they found a big pile of colorful blocks in their classroom.

Teacher: Mia clapped her hands and said, “I want to build the tallest tower ever!” She picked up one big red block and placed it on the floor.

Teacher (pause and look around): What could Mia build with all these blocks? Turn to your partner and tell them your idea!


Teacher: Sam smiled and grabbed a blue block. He stacked it on top of the red block. “Wow!” he cheered. “Our tower is already two blocks high!”

Teacher (pause): Do you think one person can build the tallest tower alone? Why or why not? (Invite 2–3 students to share.)

Teacher: Mia and Sam worked quickly, block after block, until suddenly—CRASH! The tower wobbled and all the blocks tumbled down.

Teacher (show sad face): How do you think Sam feels when the blocks fell? Show me with your face!

Teacher: Sam looked disappointed. Mia frowned, too. But then Mia had an idea. She said, “Let’s work together. You hold the bottom blocks steady, and I’ll place the blocks on top.”

Teacher (pause): What special idea did Mia share? Yes—working together is called cooperation!

Teacher: Mia held one block at the bottom, and Sam carefully placed the next block on top. They counted out loud, “One… two… three!” and pushed gently.

Teacher: This time, the blocks stayed still. Their tower grew taller and taller, and it never fell down.

Teacher: Mia and Sam cheered, “We did it together!” Then they invited all their friends to add more blocks, making the tower even more amazing.

Teacher: The end! Clap your hands if you liked how Mia and Sam helped each other!

Teacher (pause): What did Mia and Sam learn in our story? Yes—they learned that when friends cooperate, big things can happen!

Teacher: Next time you play or work with a friend, remember to say, “Let’s help each other!” Cooperation makes playtime more fun for everyone.

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Activity

Team Relay Game Instruction Cards

Use these cards to guide each leg of the relay. Shuffle the cards and place them face down. Each team draws a card, reads the instructions together, and completes the task before passing the ball or beanbag back to the next teammate.

Card 1: Start & Pass

  • Player A holds the ball/beanbag at the start line.
    - On “Go!”, run to the cone and gently pass to Player B.
    - Player B runs back and returns the pass to Player A.




Card 2: Hop & Cheer

  • Player A hops on one foot to the cone.
    - At the cone, shout a cheer for your teammate (e.g., “You can do it!”).
    - Gently pass to Player B, who hops back to the start.




Card 3: Side-Step Smile

  • Player A side-steps (shuffle feet) to the cone.
    - Smile big and wave to your teammate.
    - Pass the ball/beanbag to Player B, who side-steps back.




Card 4: Gentle Toss

  • Player A gently tosses the beanbag up and catches it three times.
    - After the third catch, pass it to Player B.
    - Player B repeats the toss-and-catch before returning.




Card 5: Clap & Pass

  • Player A runs to the cone.
    - At the cone, clap three times and say “Great job!” to your teammate.
    - Pass the ball/beanbag to Player B, who claps and says “Thank you!” before heading back.




Card 6: High-Five Finish

  • Player A jogs to the cone.
    - Give your teammate a high-five at the cone.
    - Pass the ball/beanbag to Player B.
    - Player B high-fives you on the return trip.







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Worksheet

Friendly Champions Reflection Sheet

Name: _______________________

Date: _______________________

  1. Draw a picture of how you helped a friend during the Team Relay game.










  2. Circle the ways you helped your teammate today:

    • Share - Cheer - Pass the ball - Encourage - Listen - Other: _______



  3. Finish this sentence: “I was a Friendly Champion when I ______.”







  4. Draw a happy face to show how you felt when you cooperated with your friends!





Great job being a Friendly Champion!

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Lesson Plan

Empathy Explorers Lesson Plan

Students will recognize and share emotions and practice seeing situations from others’ viewpoints through a read-aloud, paired scenario work, and personal reflection.

Developing empathy in early elementary years supports emotional intelligence, positive peer relationships, and conflict resolution skills that form the foundation for a caring classroom community.

Audience

2nd Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Storytelling, perspective-taking, guided reflection

Materials

Empathy Stories Script, Perspective-Taking Scenario Cards, Empathy Explorers Reflection Sheet, Chart Paper, Markers, and Pencils

Prep

Prepare Empathy Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Emotion Mirror

5 minutes

  • Ask students to stand and face a partner.
  • Call out an emotion (e.g., happy, sad, surprised).
  • Partners mirror each other’s facial expression and body posture.
  • Debrief: Name the emotion and ask, “When might someone feel this way?”

Step 2

Read-Aloud: Empathy Stories

10 minutes

  • Gather students on the carpet and show the Empathy Stories Script.
  • Read the first mini-story with expressive tone.
  • Pause to ask: “How do you think this character feels?” and “Why?”
  • Read the second story and repeat questions, charting key emotions on paper.

Step 3

Perspective-Taking Activity

10 minutes

  • Divide students into pairs and hand each pair a Perspective-Taking Scenario Card.
  • In pairs, students read their scenario aloud.
  • Partners discuss: “What is each person thinking and feeling?”
  • Invite 2–3 pairs to share their scenario and insights with the class.

Step 4

Reflection: Draw & Write

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Empathy Explorers Reflection Sheet.
  • Students draw a time they helped a friend who was upset.
  • Prompt them to write one sentence: “I helped by ______.”
  • Collect sheets or allow volunteers to share one reflection.
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Friendly Champions • Lenny Learning