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Kindness & Emotions Connection Crew

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Lesson Plan

Kindness & Emotions Connection Crew

Students will learn to recognize kind actions, understand how their actions affect others, and develop strategies for managing big feelings like frustration and anger.

Learning about kindness and emotions helps students develop empathy, improve social interactions, and build essential self-regulation skills for navigating their world.

Audience

Kindergarten

Time

20 minutes

Approach

Interactive activities and guided discussion.

Materials

Whiteboard or chart paper, Markers, and Feelings Charades Game

Prep

Gather Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Warm-Up (5 minutes)

5 minutes

Begin by asking students what kindness means to them. Introduce the idea that our feelings are important and that we can learn to understand them. Use a simple warm-up activity to get students thinking about different feelings. For example, ask, "What makes you feel happy?" or "What makes you feel a little bit sad?"

Step 2

Understanding Emotions: Feelings Charades (10 minutes)

10 minutes

Play the Feelings Charades Game to help students identify and express various emotions. Emphasize that all feelings are okay and that we can learn healthy ways to show them. After the game, discuss how different feelings can make our bodies feel.

Step 3

Kindness Connection & Cool-Down (5 minutes)

5 minutes

Connect feelings to actions of kindness. Ask students, "How does it feel when someone is kind to you?" or "How do you think someone feels when you share a toy?" Conclude with a cool-down activity, such as a quick reflection on one kind thing they can do today or one feeling they learned about.

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Warm Up

How Do I Feel? Warm-Up

Objective

Students will quickly identify and share feelings to prepare for the lesson.

Instructions

  1. "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, Thumbs Sideways!" (3 minutes):

    • Teacher says an emotion or a situation, and students respond with a thumbs up (happy/good feeling), thumbs down (sad/not good feeling), or thumbs sideways (neutral/confused feeling).
    • Examples:
      • "How do you feel when you get a hug?" (Thumbs up)
      • "How do you feel when you share your toys?" (Thumbs up)
      • "How do you feel when it's raining outside?" (Thumbs down/sideways)
      • "How do you feel when you finish a yummy snack?" (Thumbs up)

  2. Quick Share (2 minutes):

    • Ask a few volunteers: "What makes you feel happy today?" or "What makes you feel a little bit excited?"

Teacher Notes

  • Encourage all students to participate by showing their thumbs, even if they don't share verbally.
  • Reiterate that all feelings are okay to have.
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Game

Feelings Charades: Show Me How You Feel!

Objective

Students will practice identifying and expressing different emotions in a fun, active way.

Materials

  • Emotion Cards (optional: pictures of happy, sad, angry, frustrated, surprised faces)

Instructions

  1. Introduce the Game (2 minutes): Explain to students that they will play a game called "Feelings Charades." Tell them that you will show an emotion, or describe a scenario, and they will act out how that emotion looks without using words. Remind them it's okay to feel all sorts of feelings.

  2. Demonstrate (2 minutes): Model a few emotions yourself. For example, make a happy face and body language. Then, ask students, "How do you think I feel?" Do the same for sad or angry.

  3. Play the Game (10 minutes):

    • Round 1: Teacher-Led: The teacher calls out an emotion (e.g., "Show me happy!") or describes a simple scenario (e.g., "Your friend shared their cookie with you. Show me how you feel!"). All students act out the emotion simultaneously.
    • Round 2: Student Volunteers (Optional): If time allows, invite student volunteers to come to the front and act out an emotion or a scenario you whisper to them. The rest of the class guesses the feeling.
    • Emotions to use: Happy, Sad, Angry, Frustrated, Surprised.
    • Sample Scenarios:
      • "You got a new toy!" (Happy)
      • "Someone took your favorite crayon." (Angry)
      • "Your tower fell down." (Frustrated)
      • "You missed your mommy or daddy." (Sad)
      • "You saw a puppy!" (Happy/Surprised)

  4. Discussion (1 minute): After a few rounds, ask students:

    • "Was it easy or hard to guess the feelings?"
    • "How did your body feel when you acted out being angry?"
    • "What does it feel like when you are happy?"

Extension

  • Create emotion cards with pictures of different faces for students to pick from and act out.
  • Have students draw a picture of a time they felt one of these emotions and what they did.
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Kindness & Emotions Connection Crew • Lenny Learning