Warm Up
What Makes You Smile?
Good morning, everyone! Let's start our day with some happy thoughts!
* What is something that makes you feel really happy?
* How can we make our friends feel happy?
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Slide Deck
Helping Hands, Happy Hearts!
Today, we're going to learn about how we can be amazing helpers at school!
Making our school a happy place for everyone!
Ready to learn about 'being of service'?
Welcome the students and introduce the exciting topic of the day: how we can be helpers and make our school a happy place! Ask them if they like to help at home.
What Does it Mean to Help?
Helping means doing something kind for someone else.
It makes people feel happy!
It makes YOU feel happy too!
Like sharing your toys or picking up a dropped book.
Ask students for examples of helping. Prompt them with scenarios like 'If someone drops their crayons...' or 'If a friend looks sad...'
Helping at School!
We can help our teachers, our friends, and our school!
Even small hands can do big things!
* Putting away toys
* Sharing materials
* Listening when others speak
Introduce the idea of helping at school specifically. Connect it to their everyday experiences.
Ways We Can Be Helpers
Let's look at some ways we can be super helpers!
* Clean Up Crew: Helping put things away.
* Friendly Faces: Smiling and saying kind words.
* Sharing Stars: Letting others use toys or art supplies.
Show examples of children helping. Encourage students to think about how they can do similar actions.
Story Time: Let's Read!
We're going to read a special story about helping.
Listen carefully for all the ways the characters help each other!
This story will give us even more ideas!
Transition to the story time. Explain that the story will show more examples of helping.
Your Turn to Help!
Now it's our turn to think about how WE can help!
We'll talk about it and do a fun activity together.
Get ready to share your helping ideas!
Introduce the discussion and activity, explaining that they will get to share their own ideas.
Script
Helping Hands, Happy Hearts! Script
## Warm-Up: What Makes You Smile? (2 minutes)
Teacher: "Good morning, my wonderful friends! Let's start our day with some happy thoughts! I have a question for you: What is something that makes you feel really, really happy? Raise your hand if you want to share!"
(Allow a few students to share.)
Teacher: "Those are wonderful things! Now, another question: How can we make our friends feel happy? What can we do to put a smile on someone else's face?"
(Allow a few students to share. Guide them towards simple acts of kindness like sharing, saying nice things.)
## Introduction: Helping Hands, Happy Hearts! (Slide 1) (1 minute)
Teacher: "Wow, you already have so many great ideas about making people happy! Guess what? Today, we're going to talk about something super special called 'being of service' or simply 'helping hands'! It's all about how we can help each other and make our school a happy place for everyone! Look at our first slide!"
(Point to the slide.)
Teacher: "Our lesson today is called Helping Hands, Happy Hearts!! We're going to learn about how our small hands can do big things to help out at school."
## What Does it Mean to Help? (Slide 2) (2 minutes)
Teacher: "So, what is helping? When we help, it means we do something kind for someone else. It makes them feel happy, and guess what? It makes you feel happy too! Like when you share your toys with a friend, or if you see a book fall down and you pick it up for your teacher. That's helping! Can you think of a time someone helped you? How did it make you feel?"
(Encourage short responses.)
Teacher: "Yes! It feels good, right?"
## Helping at School! (Slide 3) (2 minutes)
Teacher: "We can be helpers everywhere, especially right here at school! We can help our teachers, our friends, and everyone in our school family. Even small hands like yours can do big, important things! What are some ways you already help at school?"
(Prompt with examples: "Do you ever help put away the blocks?" or "What about helping a friend tie their shoe?")
## Ways We Can Be Helpers (Slide 4) (1 minute)
Teacher: "Let's look at some super helper ideas on our slide! We can be the 'Clean Up Crew' and help put away our toys and supplies. We can be 'Friendly Faces' by smiling and saying kind words. And we can be 'Sharing Stars' by letting others use our crayons or playing together. These are all ways to be a helper!"
## Story Time: Let's Read! (Slide 5) (3 minutes)
Teacher: "Now it's time for a special story! This story, called The Little Red Hen, will show us even more about helping. Listen very carefully for all the ways the characters help (or don't help!) each other. And think about how you would help if you were in the story."
(Read the story The Little Red Hen.)
## Discussion: What Did We Learn? (Slide 6) (2 minutes)
Teacher: "Wow, what a great story about helping! Let's talk about it. In the story, the Little Red Hen needed help. What kind of help did she ask for?"
(Guide students to recall the tasks like planting, cutting, grinding, baking.)
Teacher: "And who helped her?"
(Students should recall that no one helped her until the very end, and she ended up doing it herself.)
Teacher: "How do you think the Little Red Hen felt when no one helped her?"
(Guide towards feelings like sad, tired, frustrated.)
Teacher: "How do you think she felt when she got to eat the bread all by herself?"
(Guide towards feelings like happy, proud, but maybe a little lonely.)
Teacher: "What could the other animals have done to be good helpers?"
(Encourage ideas like offering to help, sharing the work.)
## Activity: My Helping Hand! (3 minutes)
Teacher: "You have such great ideas about helping! Now, let's make our own helping hands! I have a My Helping Hand Worksheet for everyone. On this worksheet, you'll see a big hand. I want you to draw or tell me about one way you can be a helper at school. Maybe you'll draw yourself cleaning up, or sharing, or helping a friend. I can't wait to see your amazing helping ideas! We'll share them later!"
(Distribute the My Helping Hand Worksheet. Circulate and assist students as they draw or articulate their ideas. Collect the worksheets at the end.)
Teacher: "You are all becoming such wonderful helpers! Remember, every little bit of help makes our school a happier place! Give yourselves a big pat on the back!"
Reading
The Little Red Hen
Once upon a time, there was a Little Red Hen. She lived on a farm with a lazy Dog, a sleepy Cat, and a noisy Duck.
One sunny morning, the Little Red Hen found some grains of wheat. "Oh!" she clucked. "These would make delicious bread! Who will help me plant the wheat?"
"Not I," barked the Dog.
"Not I," purred the Cat.
"Not I," quacked the Duck.
"Then I will do it myself!" said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
Soon the wheat grew tall and golden. "Who will help me cut the wheat?" asked the Little Red Hen.
"Not I," barked the Dog.
"Not I," purred the Cat.
"Not I," quacked the Duck.
"Then I will do it myself!" said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
Next, the Little Red Hen took the wheat to the mill. "Who will help me grind the wheat into flour?" she asked.
"Not I," barked the Dog.
"Not I," purred the Cat.
"Not I," quacked the Duck.
"Then I will do it myself!" said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
Finally, the Little Red Hen had the flour. "Now, who will help me bake the bread?" she asked, her kitchen smelling wonderful.
"Not I," barked the Dog.
"Not I," purred the Cat.
"Not I," quacked the Duck.
"Then I will do it myself!" said the Little Red Hen. And she did. She put the bread in the oven, and soon the whole farm smelled of warm, crusty bread.
When the bread was ready, the Little Red Hen pulled it out of the oven. It looked so yummy! "Now, who will help me eat this delicious bread?" she asked.
"I will!" barked the Dog.
"I will!" purred the Cat.
"I will!" quacked the Duck.
"Oh no, you won't!" said the Little Red Hen. "You didn't help me plant, cut, grind, or bake. So I will eat it myself!"
And the Little Red Hen ate all the warm, delicious bread by herself. The Dog, Cat, and Duck watched, wishing they had helped.
Lesson Plan
Helping Hands, Happy Hearts!
Students will be able to identify at least two ways they can help their classmates or teachers and understand that helping others makes everyone feel good.
Teaching Pre-K students about being of service fosters early empathy, responsibility, and a sense of belonging within their school community. It helps them understand their role in creating a positive and supportive environment.
Audience
Pre-Kindergarten Students
Time
15 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion, engaging storytelling, and a simple drawing activity.
Materials
Warm-Up: What Makes You Smile?, Slide Deck: Helping Hands Slide Deck, Script: Helping Hands Script, Reading: The Little Red Hen, and Worksheet: My Helping Hand Worksheet
Prep
Teacher Preparation
10 minutes
- Review all generated materials: Helping Hands Lesson Plan, Helping Hands Slide Deck, Helping Hands Script, The Little Red Hen, What Makes You Smile?, Helping Hands Discussion Questions, My Helping Hand Activity, and My Helping Hand Worksheet.
- Print copies of the My Helping Hand Worksheet for each student.
- Gather crayons or markers for the activity.
- Ensure technology for the Helping Hands Slide Deck is ready.
Step 1
Warm-Up: What Makes You Smile?
2 minutes
Engage students with the What Makes You Smile? warm-up questions as outlined in the Helping Hands Script. Focus on what makes them happy and how they can make others happy.
Step 2
Introduction: Helping Hands, Happy Hearts!
1 minute
Using Slide 1, introduce the concept of being a helper and making the school a happy place. Follow the Helping Hands Script for guiding questions and talking points.
Step 3
What Does it Mean to Help?
2 minutes
Utilize Slide 2 to define 'helping' with simple, relatable examples. Encourage students to share their experiences of being helped or helping others, as guided by the Helping Hands Script.
Step 4
Helping at School!
2 minutes
Transition to Slide 3 to specifically discuss ways students can help within the school environment. Prompt for student ideas, connecting to the Helping Hands Script.
Step 5
Ways We Can Be Helpers
1 minute
Show Slide 4 and review concrete examples of helping hands actions relevant to Pre-K students. Reinforce the idea that small actions make a big difference.
Step 6
Story Time: Let's Read!
3 minutes
Present the The Little Red Hen story (or a similar story about helping) using Slide 5 as a transition. Read the story with expression, encouraging students to listen for examples of helping.
Step 7
Discussion: What Did We Learn?
2 minutes
Facilitate a short discussion using Slide 6 and the Helping Hands Discussion Questions to review key takeaways from the story and connect them to real-life helping. Refer to the Helping Hands Script for prompts.
Step 8
Activity: My Helping Hand!
3 minutes
Distribute the My Helping Hand Worksheet and lead the My Helping Hand Activity. Students will draw or describe one way they can be a helper at school. Circulate to provide assistance and encouragement. Collect completed worksheets.
Discussion
Helping Hands Discussion Questions
## After reading "The Little Red Hen":
1. In the story, what did the Little Red Hen need help with? (Think about planting, cutting, grinding, baking!)
2. Who helped the Little Red Hen? Did anyone help her at first?
3. How do you think the Little Red Hen felt when no one wanted to help her?
4. How do you think the Dog, Cat, and Duck felt when the Little Red Hen ate the bread all by herself?
5. What could the other animals have done to be good helpers?
## About Helping at School:
1. What are some ways we can help our teachers in the classroom?
2. What are some ways we can help our friends during playtime or when we are working?
3. How does it feel when you help someone?
4. How does it feel when someone helps you?
5. Why is it important for us all to be helpers at school?
Activity
My Helping Hand Activity: Drawing Our Help
Objective: Students will creatively express one way they can be a helper in the school community.
Materials:
* My Helping Hand Worksheet (one per student)
* Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
Instructions:
1. Introduce the Activity (1 minute): Explain to students that they've learned many ways to be helpers today. Now, it's their turn to show their helping ideas.
* "You have such great ideas about helping! Now, let's make our own helping hands! I have a special worksheet for everyone. On this worksheet, you'll see a big hand. I want you to draw or tell me about one way you can be a helper at school. Maybe you'll draw yourself cleaning up, or sharing, or helping a friend. I can't wait to see your amazing helping ideas! We'll share them later!"
2. Distribute Worksheets and Materials (1 minute): Hand out one My Helping Hand Worksheet to each student, along with crayons or markers.
3. Student Creation (3 minutes):
* Ask students to draw a picture inside the hand outline on their worksheet that shows them helping someone at school.
* Encourage them to think about specific actions: cleaning up toys, sharing, holding a door, helping a friend pick up dropped items, offering a kind word, listening to the teacher.
* For students who prefer to dictate, offer to write down their idea on their worksheet.
* Circulate around the classroom, providing assistance, asking guiding questions ("Who are you helping here? What are you doing?"), and offering positive reinforcement.
4. Wrap-Up & Collection (optional sharing during cool-down or next session): Once students have completed their drawings, collect the worksheets. You can inform them that you will display their "Helping Hands" or that they will have a chance to share their work with a friend later.
Worksheet
My Helping Hand Worksheet
My name is: __________________________
I can use my helping hand to make our school a happy place!
Draw a picture inside the hand of you helping someone at school.
Tell us about your helping hand!
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