Friendship and Kindness
This month’s theme is focused on friendship and kindness. The following are various resources from family activities, individual activities and book recommendations you can participate in with your child.
Family Activities
Family Activity: Caring and Helping
Read Together:
We can show compassion to others by saying or doing something kind or caring for others.
Practice Together: Caring and Helping at Home
Let’s think about times when someone you know might use some help or a kind word.
If you see that your sister can’t find her toy, what could you do to help?
It looks like your uncle could use some help clearing the dinner table. Is that something you could do?
What ways can you show compassion by helping at home? (answers may include: Help carry the groceries, help wash the dishes, etc.)
Why Is It Important?
Being able to show compassion helps children get along with others.
Family Activity: Showing Compassion
Read Together
When you have empathy for others, you can say or do many things to show your care and concern. Showing care or concern for others is called compassion. Saying something kind or doing something helpful for others are examples of showing compassion.
Practice Together: Compassion at Home
- Work together to write examples of things you have done or said or could do or say to show compassion to others at home. There are examples to get you started.
- Talk about how showing compassion made you feel in those situations.
Example:
Compassion Looks Like: Helping a family member bring in some heavy groceries.
Compassion Sounds Like: Telling family members you care about them when you notice they are feeling sad.
Practice Together: Helping Hands
People in your community need help!
- Read the scenario out loud together.
- Decide together what you can say or do to show your compassion.
- Write down your ideas, then act them out with each other.
Scenario: You see your neighbor unloading bags and bags of heavy groceries.
Scenario: You see a kindergartener slip and fall down in front of you on the way to school.
Your friend is sitting next to his favorite toy, and the toy is broken.
Your mom is setting the table for dinner, and your little brother needs help tying his shoes.
Example:
Scenario: Your sister scraped her knee on the sidewalk, and she’s crying.
Compassionate Act: I could ask her if she is okay, help her inside to wash up, and get her a bandage.
Why Is It Important?
Learning about how to show compassion for other people helps children take action on their feelings of empathy.
Family Activity: Being Assertive
Read Together
Today you and a family member are screenplay writers and actors. The scene is about a student who needs to ask a teacher assertively for help understanding an assignment. Remember, being assertive helps you communicate what you need or want in a way that is respectful toward others.
Practice Together
Together, write the lines the student and teacher will say to each other. Then decide who will be the student and who will be the teacher and act it out. Use the list of Assertiveness Skills to help you. (Look at the person you are talking to (if you are on a video call or in person); sit/stand tall; Use a calm, firm voice; use respectful words.
Example
A student needs help understanding a writing assignment.
Student: “Mrs. Park, can you please help me better understand what we need to do on this writing assignment?”
Teacher: “What part of the assignment do you not understand?”
Student: “I do not understand how long you want it to be and where I am supposed to turn it in.”
Why is it important?
When we are assertive, we can respectfully communicate what we want or need.
Family Activity: Conversation and Compliments
Read Together
Have you ever wanted to talk to someone, but didn’t quite know how? Starting a conversation with someone you don’t know well can be hard. Just like playing sports or learning your multiplication tables, you get better by practicing!
With someone else at home, practice making conversation. Pretend your partner is someone you don’t know very well, such as a new student at school. Select a topic of conversation and plan what you are going to say, then practice. Use the “Conversation Tips” to get started and keep the conversation going.
Practice Together:
A person I would like to start a conversation with is:
Conversation topic: (ideas: sports, music, hobbies, food, friends, relatives, art, plants, animals, school, books)
Things I can say to start a conversation:
Things I can say to keep the conversation going:
Conversation Tips:
- Ask a question to get the conversation started.
- Face the person (or show your face in the screen).
- Listen with attention.
- Use friendly, respectful, sincere words and tone of voice.
- Ask more questions to keep the conversation going.
- Notice something specific to compliment.
Why is it important?
Having successful conversations with peers helps you make and build friendships.
Great Kindness Challenge
Create a kinder world. Take a week, month or a year. Have fun and complete as many acts of kindness as you can. Your kindness matters!
- Do a household chore without being asked
- Read a book to a younger child
- Donate something to an animal shelter
- Make a thank you card for your librarian or teacher
- Entertain someone with a happy dance
- Smile at 25 people
- Create a family gratitude jar
- Leave a flower on someone’s doorstep
- Be kind to yourself and eat a healthy snack
- Call someone in your family you haven’t talked to in a while
- Say “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon” to 5 people
- Write a happy message with sidewalk chalk
- Learn to say “Thank you” in a new language
- Write or draw a loving note for someone
- Write a thank you note for your mail carrier
- Make and display a “Kindness Matters” sign
Book Recommendations
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Egg | Kevin Henkes
There are four eggs—one pink, one yellow, one blue, and one green. Pink, yellow, and blue baby birds hatch right away, but the green egg takes its time—and reveals a big Surprise.
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Horton Hears a Who! | Dr. Seuss
Horton the elephant hears a tiny voice coming from a speck of dust. The speck turns out to be Whoville, a tiny planet full of tiny people. Horton faces a lot of teasing in his gentle, sweet quest to protect the miniature community.
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How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends? | Jane Yolen
Would a stegosaurus hog the toys? Would a triceratops take over the whole swing set? Or would a T. rex be a good friend and give you a boost or his turn at the slide? Even the most intimidating dinosaur can play nice.
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Not Your Typical Dragon | Dan Bar-el
Dragons are supposed to breathe fire. But Crispin’s breath produces anything but: beach balls, marshmallows, whipped cream, and other surprises come out of his mouth. Crispin is sad, until the day his unusual ability comes in handy.
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A Sick Day for Amos McGee | Philip C. Stead
Amos takes the bus to the zoo every day to spend time with his friends, Elephant, Tortoise, Penguin, Rhinoceros, and Owl. One day he wakes up with a cold and can’t make the trip, so his friends return his kindness—and leave the zoo to go check on him.
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El Deafo | Cece Bell
Cece is self-conscious about her huge hearing aid. Then she discovers she can listen in on teachers’ conversations, and her deafness starts to feel like a superpower! Will it help her to conquer her loneliness and find a real friend?
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Hello, Universe | Erin Entrada Kelly
Four very different middle schoolers’ lives become entwined when one of them gets stuck in the bottom of a well. Filipino folklore figures prominently in this suspenseful story.
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Book Trailier (presented by the author):
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Real Friends | Shannon Hale
Shannon’s best friend, Adrienne, has been hanging out with the most popular girl in the most popular group in class. And some of those girls bully others. What will happen to Shannon and Adrienne’s friendship?
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Book Trailier:
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Wings | Christopher Myers
It’s hard enough to be the new kid in school, but Ikarus also is the only one with wings. When the other kids make fun of him, one girl speaks up for him, changing her life, too.
Author, Christopher Myers talks about being a storyteller, growing up in Brooklyn, and how reading impacts every part of his life. https://youtu.be/YO-JvLceR9w
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Wish | Barbara O’Connor
Charlie’s dad is in jail and her mom is sick. The secret wish she makes every day isn’t to go live with relatives in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But things change when she meets a stray dog and friendly neighbor.
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Book Trailer by
Author:
Book Trailer - Animated:
Chapter 1 Read Aloud:
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