Lesson Plan
Kindness Connects Us! Lesson Plan
Students will be able to identify and practice positive social skills such as active listening, sharing, and showing kindness towards their peers.
Developing strong social skills helps students build positive relationships, resolve conflicts peacefully, and thrive in group settings. These skills are essential for a happy classroom and a successful future.
Audience
1st Grade
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion, examples, and hands-on practice.
Prep
Teacher Preparation
10 minutes
- Review the Kindness Connects Us! Lesson Plan and all linked materials: Kindness Connects Us! Slide Deck, Kindness Connects Us! Script, Warm-Up: Social Superpowers, Activity: Kindness Charades, and Cool-Down: My Kindness Star.
- Ensure projector and computer are set up for the slide deck.
- Print or prepare any necessary physical materials for the activity (if desired, though it can be done with no-prep).
- Have markers or crayons available for the Cool-Down activity if students will be drawing/writing.
Step 1
Warm-Up: Social Superpowers
5 minutes
- Begin with the Warm-Up: Social Superpowers activity.
- Ask students to think about a 'social superpower' they have (e.g., being a good listener, sharing toys).
- Have a few students share their superpowers with the class.
Step 2
Introduction: What are Social Skills?
5 minutes
- Use Kindness Connects Us! Slide Deck slides 1-3 and the corresponding Kindness Connects Us! Script.
- Introduce the concept of social skills and why they are important.
- Discuss key social skills: listening, sharing, and being kind.
Step 3
Exploring Social Skills: Examples and Discussion
10 minutes
- Use Kindness Connects Us! Slide Deck slides 4-6 and the corresponding Kindness Connects Us! Script.
- Facilitate a discussion on examples of good listening, sharing, and kindness.
- Ask students to share their own experiences or observations.
Step 4
Activity: Kindness Charades
8 minutes
- Lead the Activity: Kindness Charades.
- Divide students into small groups or pairs.
- Students will act out different social skills, and others will guess what they are demonstrating.
- Reinforce positive behaviors and provide feedback.
Step 5
Cool-Down: My Kindness Star
2 minutes
- Conclude with the Cool-Down: My Kindness Star.
- Ask students to reflect on one social skill they want to practice more.
- Have them draw or write it on a 'star' (either a printed shape or a simple drawing) as an exit ticket.
Slide Deck
Kindness Connects Us!
Building Awesome Friendships!
Welcome students and introduce the topic of social skills in a fun, engaging way. Ask them what they think 'social skills' might mean.
What Are Social Skills?
Skills that help us get along with others!
- Talking and listening
- Sharing
- Being kind
Explain that social skills are like tools that help us play and learn together. Give simple examples like saying 'please' and 'thank you'.
Why Are Social Skills Important?
They help us:
- Make friends
- Work and play together
- Be happy at school
- Show respect
Discuss why these skills are important. How do they make school and playtime better? Connect it to making friends and being happy.
Let's Practice: Listening!
Good listening means:
- Looking at the person who is talking
- Keeping your body still and quiet
- Thinking about what they are saying
Focus on listening. Ask students what good listening looks like (eyes on speaker, quiet mouth). Model good listening and have students practice.
Let's Practice: Sharing!
Sharing means:
- Taking turns with toys and materials
- Giving others a chance
- Being fair and understanding
Discuss sharing. Why is it sometimes hard? How can we make it fair? Give scenarios and ask for solutions.
Let's Practice: Being Kind!
Being kind means:
- Using nice words
- Helping others
- Smiling and saying hello
- Thinking about how others feel
Talk about kindness. What does kindness feel like? What does it look like? Brainstorm kind actions.
Activity: Kindness Charades!
Let's act out our social skills!
- Work with a partner or small group.
- Choose a social skill (listening, sharing, kindness).
- Act it out without talking!
- Can your friends guess what you're doing?
Explain the 'Kindness Charades' activity. Emphasize acting out the skills discussed. Guide them into groups or pairs.
Your Kindness Star!
Which social skill will you practice this week?
- Draw or write it on your star.
- Keep practicing your social superpowers!
Introduce the Cool-Down activity. Explain they will think about one skill to focus on. Collect their 'Kindness Stars' (or just have them reflect).
Script
Kindness Connects Us! Script
Warm-Up: Social Superpowers (5 minutes)
Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to talk about something super important: how we treat each other. It's like having 'social superpowers' that help us be amazing friends and classmates. Does anyone think they have a social superpower? Maybe you're a really good listener, or you're great at sharing your toys? Raise your hand if you can tell us one social superpower you have!"
(Allow 2-3 students to share their 'social superpower'. Give positive reinforcement.)
Introduction: What Are Social Skills? (5 minutes)
Teacher: "That's wonderful! Those are all fantastic social superpowers. Today, we're going to learn even more about these special skills. Look at our first slide Kindness Connects Us! Slide Deck!
(Display Slide 1: Kindness Connects Us!)
Teacher: "Our lesson today is called 'Kindness Connects Us!' We're going to explore how being kind and using good social skills helps us connect with others.
(Display Slide 2: What Are Social Skills?)
Teacher: "What exactly are social skills? They are like the secret ingredients to getting along with everyone around us! Things like talking kindly, listening when others speak, and sharing our things. Can you think of a time when someone used a good social skill with you? How did it make you feel?"
(Allow a few brief responses.)
(Display Slide 3: Why Are Social Skills Important?)
Teacher: "Why do you think these skills are so important? They help us make new friends, work together on projects, and have a super fun time at school! When we use social skills, we show respect to our friends and teachers, and everyone feels happier and safer. It's like building a strong, happy classroom community!"
Exploring Social Skills: Examples and Discussion (10 minutes)
(Display Slide 4: Let's Practice: Listening!)
Teacher: "One big social superpower is listening. What does it look like when someone is really listening to you?"
(Guide students to identify looking at the speaker, quiet body, not interrupting.)
Teacher: "Excellent! When we listen, we show others we care about what they're saying. It helps us learn new things and understand our friends better. Can you all show me your best listening faces right now? Great job!"
(Display Slide 5: Let's Practice: Sharing!)
Teacher: "Another awesome superpower is sharing. Who can tell me what sharing means?"
(Guide students to talk about taking turns, letting others use things, being fair.)
Teacher: "Sharing can sometimes be tricky, right? Especially with a favorite toy! But when we share, everyone gets a chance, and we can all have more fun together. How does it feel when someone shares with you?"
(Allow a few responses.)
(Display Slide 6: Let's Practice: Being Kind!)
Teacher: "Our last superpower for today is being kind. What are some ways we can be kind to our friends and teachers?"
(Brainstorm ideas: using nice words, helping someone pick up dropped crayons, smiling, saying hello, thinking about others' feelings.)
Teacher: "Being kind makes the world a brighter place! When you are kind to someone, you make them feel good, and that often makes you feel good too! It's like a chain reaction of happiness!"
Activity: Kindness Charades (8 minutes)
(Display Slide 7: Activity: Kindness Charades!)
Teacher: "Now it's time to put our social superpowers into action with a game called Activity: Kindness Charades! I'm going to divide you into small groups or pairs. Your job will be to act out one of the social skills we talked about – listening, sharing, or being kind – without using any words! Then, your classmates will guess what social skill you are showing. Who's ready to be a social skills actor?"
(Divide students into groups/pairs. Monitor the activity, providing gentle guidance and positive feedback. Encourage all students to participate.)
Cool-Down: My Kindness Star (2 minutes)
(Display Slide 8: Your Kindness Star!)
Teacher: "You all did an amazing job acting out those social skills! Now, for our cool-down, I want you to think about one social skill that you want to practice more this week. Maybe it's listening closely, sharing your materials, or finding new ways to be kind. I have a Cool-Down: My Kindness Star for each of you. On your star, I want you to draw a picture or write down the social skill you want to focus on. This is your personal 'Kindness Star' to remind you to use your social superpowers!"
(Distribute the 'Kindness Star' paper or instruct students to draw a star. Collect them as an exit ticket if desired.)
Teacher: "Thank you, everyone! Remember, every day is a chance to use your social superpowers and make our classroom and our world a kinder place!"
Activity
Activity: Kindness Charades
Objective: To actively demonstrate and identify positive social skills.
Instructions:
- Explain the game: "We're going to play 'Kindness Charades'! In this game, you will act out a social skill we discussed, and your classmates will guess what it is. Remember, no talking while you're acting!"
- Form groups/pairs: Divide students into small groups (2-3 students per group) or have them work in pairs.
- Assign or choose skills: Provide each group with one social skill to act out, or let them choose from the following:
- Listening (e.g., looking at someone, nodding)
- Sharing (e.g., offering a toy, taking turns)
- Being Kind (e.g., helping someone up, offering a smile, comforting a friend)
- Demonstrate (optional): Briefly model an example if students seem unsure (e.g., quietly pretending to share a pencil).
- Act it out: Have each group take turns acting out their assigned or chosen social skill. Encourage dramatic and clear actions.
- Guess the skill: After each performance, the rest of the class guesses which social skill was acted out.
- Discuss and reinforce: After each guess, briefly discuss how the students demonstrated the skill and reiterate its importance. "Yes! They were showing great listening by looking at their friend. Why is that important?"
Tips for the teacher:
- Keep the pace quick to allow multiple groups to participate.
- Encourage all students to watch and guess respectfully.
- Praise effort and participation from all groups.
Cool Down
Cool-Down: My Kindness Star
Instructions:
- Reflection prompt: "You all did an amazing job today! Now, for our cool-down, I want you to think about one social skill that you want to practice more this week. Maybe it's listening closely, sharing your materials, or finding new ways to be kind."
- Distribute/Draw Stars: "I have a piece of paper (or you can just draw one quickly!) for each of you to make your own 'Kindness Star.'"
- Write/Draw commitment: "On your star, I want you to draw a picture or write down the social skill you want to focus on. This is your personal 'Kindness Star' to remind you to use your social superpowers!"
- Share (optional) and Collect: If time allows, invite a few students to share their chosen skill. Collect the stars as an exit ticket.
Script
Kindness Connects Us! Script
Warm-Up: Social Superpowers (5 minutes)
Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to talk about something super important: how we treat each other. It's like having 'social superpowers' that help us be amazing friends and classmates. Does anyone think they have a social superpower? Maybe you're a really good listener, or you're great at sharing your toys? Raise your hand if you can tell us one social superpower you have!"
(Allow 2-3 students to share their 'social superpower'. Give positive reinforcement.)
Introduction: What Are Social Skills? (5 minutes)
Teacher: "That's wonderful! Those are all fantastic social superpowers. Today, we're going to learn even more about these special skills. Look at our first slide Kindness Connects Us! Slide Deck!
(Display Slide 1: Kindness Connects Us!)
Teacher: "Our lesson today is called 'Kindness Connects Us!' We're going to explore how being kind and using good social skills helps us connect with others.
(Display Slide 2: What Are Social Skills?)
Teacher: "What exactly are social skills? They are like the secret ingredients to getting along with everyone around us! Things like talking kindly, listening when others speak, and sharing our things. Can you think of a time when someone used a good social skill with you? How did it make you feel?"
(Allow a few brief responses.)
(Display Slide 3: Why Are Social Skills Important?)
Teacher: "Why do you think these skills are so important? They help us make new friends, work together on projects, and have a super fun time at school! When we use social skills, we show respect to our friends and teachers, and everyone feels happier and safer. It's like building a strong, happy classroom community!"
Exploring Social Skills: Examples and Discussion (10 minutes)
(Display Slide 4: Let's Practice: Listening!)
Teacher: "One big social superpower is listening. What does it look like when someone is really listening to you?"
(Guide students to identify looking at the speaker, quiet body, not interrupting.)
Teacher: "Excellent! When we listen, we show others we care about what they're saying. It helps us learn new things and understand our friends better. Can you all show me your best listening faces right now? Great job!"
(Display Slide 5: Let's Practice: Sharing!)
Teacher: "Another awesome superpower is sharing. Who can tell me what sharing means?"
(Guide students to talk about taking turns, letting others use things, being fair.)
Teacher: "Sharing can sometimes be tricky, right? Especially with a favorite toy! But when we share, everyone gets a chance, and we can all have more fun together. How does it feel when someone shares with you?"
(Allow a few responses.)
(Display Slide 6: Let's Practice: Being Kind!)
Teacher: "Our last superpower for today is being kind. What are some ways we can be kind to our friends and teachers?"
(Brainstorm ideas: using nice words, helping someone pick up dropped crayons, smiling, saying hello, thinking about others' feelings.)
Teacher: "Being kind makes the world a brighter place! When you are kind to someone, you make them feel good, and that often makes you feel good too! It's like a chain reaction of happiness!"
Activity: Kindness Charades (8 minutes)
(Display Slide 7: Activity: Kindness Charades!)
Teacher: "Now it's time to put our social superpowers into action with a game called Activity: Kindness Charades! I'm going to divide you into small groups or pairs. Your job will be to act out one of the social skills we talked about – listening, sharing, or being kind – without using any words! Then, your classmates will guess what social skill you are showing. Who's ready to be a social skills actor?"
(Divide students into groups/pairs. Monitor the activity, providing gentle guidance and positive feedback. Encourage all students to participate.)
Cool-Down: My Kindness Star (2 minutes)
(Display Slide 8: Your Kindness Star!)
Teacher: "You all did an amazing job acting out those social skills! Now, for our cool-down, I want you to think about one social skill that you want to practice more this week. Maybe it's listening closely, sharing your materials, or finding new ways to be kind. I have a Cool-Down: My Kindness Star for each of you. On your star, I want you to draw a picture or write down the social skill you want to focus on. This is your personal 'Kindness Star' to remind you to use your social superpowers!"
(Distribute the 'Kindness Star' paper or instruct students to draw a star. Collect them as an exit ticket if desired.)
Teacher: "Thank you, everyone! Remember, every day is a chance to use your social superpowers and make our classroom and our world a kinder place!"
Warm Up
Warm-Up: Social Superpowers
Instructions: