Lesson Plan
Kindness Ripple Effect
Students will be able to identify common bullying behaviors, understand how unkind actions make others feel, and explore how acts of kindness can positively impact their classmates.
Teaching about the effects of bullying and the power of kindness helps foster a supportive and empathetic classroom environment, equipping students with the tools to navigate social interactions positively and prevent harm.
Audience
Kindergarten
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion and creative drawing activity.
Materials
Whiteboard or projector, Slide Deck: Kindness Ripple Effect, Script: Kindness Ripple Effect, Activity: Ripple of Kindness Drawing, Crayons or colored pencils, and Paper
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Review the Kindness Ripple Effect Lesson Plan and all generated materials to ensure familiarity with the content and flow.
- Set up the projector/whiteboard for the Slide Deck: Kindness Ripple Effect.
- Print enough copies of the Activity: Ripple of Kindness Drawing for each student.
- Gather crayons or colored pencils and blank paper for each student.
Step 1
Introduction & Hook (5 minutes)
5 minutes
- Use Slide 1: What is Kindness? and Slide 2: What is Bullying? to introduce the concepts.
- Follow the prompts in the Script: Kindness Ripple Effect to discuss initial thoughts on kindness and bullying.
Step 2
Exploring Feelings (10 minutes)
10 minutes
- Use Slide 3: How Does Bullying Feel? and Slide 4: Show Me Sad! to discuss feelings associated with unkind actions.
- Engage students with role-playing sad/happy faces as guided by the Script: Kindness Ripple Effect.
- Introduce the 'ripple effect' concept using a simple analogy (e.g., dropping a stone in water) with Slide 5: The Ripple Effect.
Step 3
Kindness Ripple Activity (10 minutes)
10 minutes
- Distribute the Activity: Ripple of Kindness Drawing, paper, and art supplies.
- Explain the activity: Students will draw themselves in the center, and around them, draw acts of kindness that create positive ripples.
- Circulate and assist students, encouraging them to think about how their kindness affects others.
Step 4
Share & Conclude (5 minutes)
5 minutes
- Invite a few students to share their 'Ripple of Kindness' drawings and explain their ideas.
- Use Slide 6: Be a Kindness Creator to reinforce the main message.
- Conclude with a reminder that everyone can be a kindness creator and make our classroom a happy place, following the Script: Kindness Ripple Effect for closing remarks.
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Slide Deck
What is Kindness?
Being a good friend.
Helping others.
Sharing toys.
Using nice words.
Making someone smile!
Welcome students and introduce the topic of kindness. Ask students what they think kindness means. Encourage simple responses like 'being nice' or 'sharing'.
What is Bullying?
Being mean on purpose.
Calling names.
Pushing or hurting.
Leaving someone out.
Making someone feel sad.
Now, let's think about the opposite. What is bullying? Explain that bullying is when someone is mean on purpose, often more than once. Give simple, age-appropriate examples like taking toys without asking, saying mean words, or leaving someone out. Emphasize it's not okay and makes others feel sad.
How Does Bullying Feel?
Sad?
Angry?
Lonely?
Hurt?
Not good at all.
Ask students to imagine how it feels if someone is mean to them. Discuss feelings like sadness, anger, or loneliness. Connect these feelings to the idea that unkind actions can hurt people inside.
Show Me Sad! Show Me Happy!
Can you make a sad face?
How about a happy face?
Which one feels better?
Ask students to show you a sad face. Then ask them to show you a happy face. Discuss how much better it feels to be happy and to make others happy.
The Ripple Effect
One small act... big changes!
Like a stone in water, our actions spread out.
Kindness makes happy ripples!
Unkindness makes sad ripples.
Introduce the idea of a 'ripple effect' using an analogy. For example, 'If you drop a little stone in water, what happens? Little waves, or ripples, spread out! Our actions are like that stone. Good actions make good ripples, and unkind actions make not-so-good ripples.'
Be a Kindness Creator!
You have the power!
Choose kind words.
Choose kind actions.
Make happy ripples everywhere you go!
Remind students that they have the power to choose kindness and create positive ripples. Encourage them to be 'kindness creators' in the classroom and at home.
Script
Kindness Ripple Effect Script
Introduction & Hook (5 minutes)
(Teacher speaks)
"Good morning, wonderful friends! Today, we're going to talk about something super important: how we treat each other and how that makes everyone feel. We're going to learn about being a kindness creator!"
(Display Slide 1: What is Kindness?)
"Look at this slide! What do you see? What do you think kindness means? Raise your hand if you can tell me one way to be kind."
(Allow 2-3 student responses, affirming positive ideas like sharing, helping, using nice words.)
"Yes! Kindness is all about being a good friend and making others feel happy and safe."
(Display Slide 2: What is Bullying?)
"Now, sometimes, people are not kind. Sometimes, someone might try to be mean on purpose, or do something that makes another person feel really sad. We call this bullying. It's when someone keeps being unkind, like calling names, pushing, or leaving someone out on purpose."
"How do you think it feels if someone does these things to you?"
(Allow 1-2 student responses, focusing on negative feelings like sad, hurt, mad.)
Exploring Feelings (10 minutes)
(Display Slide 3: How Does Bullying Feel?)
"That's right. When someone is unkind or bullies, it can make others feel very sad, angry, or even lonely. Their tummy might feel funny, or they might want to cry. Nobody likes to feel that way."
(Display Slide 4: Show Me Sad! Show Me Happy!)
"Let's practice! Can everyone show me your saddest face?"
(Wait for students to make sad faces.)
"Oh, wow, those are some sad faces! Now, can you show me your happiest, biggest smile?"
(Wait for happy faces.)
"Fantastic! Which face feels better to make? Which face do you want your friends to have?"
(Students will likely say happy.)
"Exactly! We want everyone to feel happy and safe in our classroom, right?"
(Display Slide 5: The Ripple Effect)
"I want to tell you about something called the 'ripple effect.' Has anyone ever thrown a little stone into a pond or a puddle? What happens?"
(Guide students to observe how little waves spread out.)
"Yes! Little waves, or 'ripples,' spread out from where the stone landed. Our actions are just like that! When we do something kind, it creates happy ripples that spread out to our friends, and then to their friends, and pretty soon, everyone feels good! But if we do something unkind, it can also create sad ripples that spread out. We want to make happy ripples!"
Kindness Ripple Activity (10 minutes)
"Now it's your turn to be a kindness creator! I'm going to give you a piece of paper."
"In the middle of your paper, I want you to draw a picture of yourself. You are the start of the kindness!"
"Then, all around you, draw pictures of kind things you can do for your friends, your family, or even your teachers. Maybe you're sharing a toy, or helping someone pick up their crayons, or giving a hug. These are your happy ripples!"
(Distribute Activity: Ripple of Kindness Drawing, paper, and art supplies. Circulate and assist.)
Share & Conclude (5 minutes)
"Okay, artists! Who would like to share one of their amazing 'Kindness Ripple' drawings and tell us about a kind thing they can do?"
(Invite a few students to share their drawings and describe their acts of kindness. Affirm their contributions.)
(Display Slide 6: Be a Kindness Creator!)
"Look at all these wonderful ideas! Remember, you have the power to choose kind words and kind actions every single day. Every time you are kind, you are making happy ripples that spread out and make our classroom, our school, and even our homes better places."
"Let's all try our best to be kindness creators today and every day! Give yourselves a silent cheer for being such amazing, kind friends!"
Worksheet
Ripple of Kindness Drawing
Draw yourself in the middle of the circle below. Then, draw pictures of kind things you can do for your friends, family, or teachers around you. Each kind act creates a happy ripple!