In 30 minutes, students will identify and practice key friendship and social skills—such as empathy, cooperation, and active listening—through check-ins, story discussion, role-plays, and a Friendship Bingo activity.
Building social connections boosts EL and Title I students’ emotional well-being and sense of belonging. This targeted Tier 2 group lesson strengthens peer bonds, communication skills, and school engagement.
2nd Grade
30 minutes
Interactive activities with visuals, role-play, and peer interaction
10 minutes
5 minutes
7 minutes
10 minutes
8 minutes
No credit card needed
Building Empathy, Cooperation & Friendship
2nd Grade Tier 2 Group Session
Greet students warmly. Introduce today’s session: Friendship Finesse. Explain we will learn how to be kind friends.
• Feeling Check-In (5 min)
• Story & Discussion (7 min)
• Role-Play (10 min)
• Friendship Bingo & Wrap-Up (8 min)
Briefly review the agenda and time for each activity so students know what to expect.
Circle up.
Point to how you feel on the chart.
Use “I feel …” sentences.
Display the Feelings Chart. Model with a sentence starter: “I feel happy when my friend shares.” Invite each student to point or name their feeling.
Read our friendship story.
Question: How did the characters show kindness?
Hand out the Friendship Story Handout. Read aloud slowly, pausing to explain key words (kindness, share). Ask: “How did the characters show kindness?” Record examples.
Define each skill with a simple example (e.g., empathy = caring about others’ feelings). Show visuals or icons if available.
In pairs:
• Act out your scenario
• Use sentence starters
• Practice empathy & respect
Pair students and give each pair a scenario card. Model one scenario using sentence starters (“I notice you’re sad. How can I help?”). Circulate and prompt as needed.
Mingle to find classmates who:
• Helped you
• Listened carefully
• Shared a toy
Get a line to win!
Explain how to get Bingo by finding classmates who have shown each act of kindness. Remind them to sign one box per person.
Which friendship skill will you practice?
Draw or write your idea.
Ask students to share which skill they will practice today. Provide paper/crayons for drawing or writing. Praise all contributions.
Mia and Leo are best friends. One sunny morning, they decide to build a tall tower with blocks. Mia carefully hands Leo a big red block when he needs it. Leo thanks her with a smile.
Suddenly, the tower wobbles! Mia listens quietly while Leo says, “Let’s try putting the big block on the bottom.” Mia nods. Together, they gently move the block down and the tower stands tall again.
Afterwards, Leo sees Mia looking sad because her snack fell on the floor. He shares half of his sandwich and asks, “Are you okay?” Mia feels happy and thanks him for caring.
Who are the two main characters in the story?
What did Mia and Leo each do to show kindness?
How did Leo show he was a good listener when the tower wobbled?
Draw a picture of Mia and Leo being good friends.
Which friendship skill (empathy, cooperation, or listening) do you think is most important? Why?
Use these six scenario cards to practice empathy, cooperation, and active listening in pairs. Print and cut each card for role-play.
Empathy
Scenario: Your friend Jenny looks sad because she missed her bus and is all alone. Approach her and show empathy by asking how she feels and offering to sit with her.
Cooperation
Scenario: You and your partner are building a big block tower but can’t agree on the next block color. Practice cooperation by suggesting to take turns picking blocks.
Active Listening
Scenario: Luis is telling you about his weekend but you were drawing. Show active listening by looking at him, saying “I’m listening,” and asking a question.
Empathy
Scenario: At recess, you see Sam playing by himself. Show empathy by going over, saying “Hi Sam, want to play with us?”
Cooperation
Scenario: You and Maria need to clean up art supplies before the bell rings. Practice cooperation by deciding who will put away each item.
Active Listening
Scenario: Alexa is explaining a new game to you. Show active listening by repeating back the rules to make sure you understand.
Use these bingo cards for the Friendship Bingo activity. Students will mingle to find classmates who have demonstrated each friendly behavior. When they find someone, that classmate signs their name in the square. The first student to get five in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) calls “Bingo!” and shares one act of kindness they observed.
| B | I | N | G | O |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helped a friend | Shared a toy | Played with someone new | Gave a compliment | Said “please” or “thank you” |
| Listened carefully | Comforted someone who was sad | Played a game together | Worked together on a task | Asked “Are you okay?” |
| Included someone in a game | Taken turns sharing | Free Space: Friendship | Shared a snack | Said “Hello” with a smile |
| Asked for someone’s idea | Showed empathy | Shared materials | Took turns speaking | Helped clean up |
| Invited someone to join | Laughed with a friend | Gave a high five | Complimented a classmate | Offered to help |
Circle the face that shows how you feel right now:
| Happy 🙂 | Sad 😢 | Angry 😠 | Surprised 😲 | Scared 😨 | Excited 😃 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Use the sentence starter and draw or write your response below.
“I feel ______ when ______.”
Because ______, I feel ______.
Circle one:
• I am ready to learn and play with my friends.
• I need a little help to feel comfortable.
• I would like to talk one-on-one about how I feel.
Discussion
Social Skills Observation Checklist
Use this checklist to record each student’s demonstration of friendship skills during the session. Check ✔ when the student shows the skill and add notes if needed.
Legend: ✔ = Observed N = Not Observed I = Needs Improvement