Lesson Plan
Kindness Is Cool!
Students will be able to define kindness, identify kind actions, and practice showing kindness towards their peers and teachers.
Teaching kindness at a young age helps students develop empathy, build positive relationships, and create a supportive and inclusive classroom community, which are foundational for their social-emotional growth.
Audience
Pre-K Students
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Through an interactive story, guided discussion, and a hands-on activity.
Materials
Whiteboard or Projector, Kindness Is Cool! Slide Deck, Kindness Starts With Me Activity, and Crayons or Markers
Prep
Prepare Materials
5 minutes
- Review the Kindness Is Cool! Slide Deck content and transitions.
- Print enough copies of the Kindness Starts With Me Activity for each student.
- Gather crayons or markers for the activity.
- Ensure projector or whiteboard is ready for use.
- Review all generated materials as needed.
Step 1
Warm-Up: What Makes You Smile?
5 minutes
- Begin by asking students: "What makes you feel happy? What makes you smile?"
2. Facilitate a brief discussion, encouraging students to share their ideas.
3. Transition by saying, "Today we're going to talk about something that makes everyone smile: kindness!"
Step 2
Introduction to Kindness
5 minutes
- Use the Kindness Is Cool! Slide Deck to introduce the concept of kindness.
2. Read aloud the definition of kindness in simple terms.
3. Show examples of kind actions from the slide deck and ask students to identify them.
Step 3
Kindness Story Time
10 minutes
- Read a short, age-appropriate story about kindness (e.g., The Rainbow Fish or Have You Filled a Bucket Today? if available, or a simple story created for the slides).
2. As you read, pause and ask questions: "Was that a kind choice? How do you think that made the other character feel?"
3. Emphasize how kindness impacts others.
Step 4
Kindness Starts With Me Activity
8 minutes
- Distribute the Kindness Starts With Me Activity worksheet to each student along with crayons/markers.
2. Explain the activity: Students will draw or write (with help) about a kind thing they can do at school or at home.
3. Circulate and assist students as they work, prompting them with ideas if needed.
Step 5
Cool-Down: Share Your Kindness
2 minutes
- Ask a few students to share their drawings or ideas from the Kindness Starts With Me Activity.
2. Conclude by reinforcing that even small acts of kindness make a big difference and encourage students to practice kindness every day.
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Slide Deck
Kindness Is Cool!
Let's learn how to be super kind friends!
Welcome students and introduce the topic of kindness. Set a positive tone for the lesson.
What Makes You Smile?
Think about something that makes you happy. Share with a friend!
Engage students with a warm-up question. Encourage several students to share their responses.
What is Kindness?
Kindness means being friendly, generous, and thoughtful to others. It's about being NICE!
Introduce the concept of kindness in simple, child-friendly language. Emphasize that kindness is about being nice and caring.
Kindness Looks Like...
Sharing your toys with a friend!
Show the first example of a kind action. Ask students if they have shared before and how it made them feel.
Kindness Looks Like...
Helping a friend who needs a hand.
Present the second example. Discuss how helping others can make a big difference, even in small ways.
Kindness Looks Like...
Using kind words like 'please' and 'thank you,' or giving a compliment!
Introduce the third example. Talk about the power of words and how kind words make people feel good.
Your Turn to Be Kind!
Now it's your turn to think about how YOU can show kindness!
Explain to students that they will now do an activity where they can show how they can be kind.
Be a Kindness Superstar!
Remember, every act of kindness makes the world a better place. Let's be kindness superstars every day!
Conclude the lesson by summarizing the importance of kindness and encouraging students to practice it daily. Remind them that kindness makes everyone feel good.
Activity
Kindness Starts With Me!
Instructions: Draw a picture or write about a kind thing you can do at school or at home. How will your kindness make someone feel?
Bonus: What kind words can you use today?
Script
Kindness Is Cool! Script
Warm-Up: What Makes You Smile? (5 minutes)
(Teacher Note: Begin with an open-ended question to get students thinking about positive feelings.)
"Good morning, everyone! Let's start our day with a happy thought. I want you to think about something that makes you feel really, really happy. What makes you smile? You can share it with your neighbor or just think about it for a moment."
(Pause for a few seconds, then invite a few students to share.)
"That's wonderful! It sounds like a lot of things bring us joy. Today, we're going to talk about something special that makes everyone smile and feel good: kindness!"
Introduction to Kindness (5 minutes)
(Teacher Note: Use the Kindness Is Cool! Slide Deck here, starting with the "What is Kindness?" slide.)
"Let's look at our first slide! It asks, 'What is Kindness?' Kindness means being friendly, generous, and thoughtful to others. It's about being NICE! It means we think about how others feel and we try to make them feel good."
"What do you think being 'nice' means? Can you give me an example?"
(Allow a few student responses.)
"Great ideas! Kindness can look like many different things. Let's see some examples on our slides."
(Move through the "Kindness Looks Like..." slides in the Kindness Is Cool! Slide Deck. For each slide, ask students questions.)
Slide: Kindness Looks Like... Sharing your toys with a friend!
"Look at this picture! What are these friends doing? Yes, they're sharing toys! Is sharing a kind thing to do? How do you think the friend who gets to play with the toy feels?"
Slide: Kindness Looks Like... Helping a friend who needs a hand.
"Here's another one! What's happening in this picture? One friend is helping another. Has anyone ever helped a friend? How did that make them feel? How did it make you feel to help?"
Slide: Kindness Looks Like... Using kind words like 'please' and 'thank you,' or giving a compliment!
"And this one! What kind of words can we use to show kindness? 'Please,' 'thank you,' and giving someone a compliment are all kind words. What's a compliment? It's when you say something nice about someone. Can you think of a kind word or a nice thing you could say to a friend?"
Kindness Story Time (10 minutes)
(Teacher Note: Read an age-appropriate story about kindness. If you don't have a specific book, you can tell a simple story about a character who learns to be kind. For example, 'The Bear and the Honey Pot' where a bear learns to share.)
"Those were wonderful examples! Now, I have a special story for us about kindness. Let's listen carefully and think about the kind choices the characters make, or don't make."
(Read the story. During or after reading, ask questions like:)
"Was that a kind choice when [character] did [action]? Why or why not?"
"How do you think that made the other character feel when [character] said/did [action]?"
"What could [character] have done instead to be kind?"
Kindness Starts With Me Activity (8 minutes)
(Teacher Note: Distribute the Kindness Starts With Me Activity worksheet and crayons/markers.)
"You all have such great ideas about kindness! Now it's your turn to show me how you can be kind. I'm going to give you a special paper called the Kindness Starts With Me Activity. On this paper, I want you to draw a picture or, if you like, you can write about a kind thing you can do at school or at home. Think about how your kindness will make someone feel!"
"I will walk around and help if you need ideas!"
(Circulate and provide assistance. Encourage students to be creative.)
Cool-Down: Share Your Kindness (2 minutes)
(Teacher Note: Invite a few students to share their work from the activity.)
"Wow, these are amazing kindness ideas! Who would like to share their drawing or idea about how they can be kind?"
(Call on 2-3 students to share.)
"Thank you for sharing! Remember, every single one of you can be a kindness superstar. Even small acts of kindness, like sharing a smile or saying 'thank you,' make a huge difference and make our classroom and the world a happier place. Let's try to be kind to everyone, every day!"