Hello Speech-Language Pathologists and Special Education Teachers! This lesson plan aims to enhance students’ communication and social skills through the joy of sharing summer stories. The beauty of it all? Zero preparation needed! Why select this elementary social skills summer break activity?
Sharing these unique summer stories can benefit students by:
- Improving their communication and narrative skills
- Building empathy through understanding diverse experiences
- Strengthening peer relationships
- Boosting confidence in public speaking
Lesson Plan: Elementary Summer Break Activity
Objective: Promote elementary social skills through sharing and discussing summer break activities.
Materials Needed: Absolutely none!
Duration: Between 45 minutes to an hour.
Step 1: Let’s Chat – Circle Time Discussion (10 minutes)
Start the lesson by gathering students for an engaging chat about summer. Questions like “What does summer mean to you?” or “What are your favorite summer activities?” can set the stage for their individual summer stories.
Step 2: Sharing Time – My Summer Break Plans (20 minutes)
This is the heart of our “Elementary Social Skills: Summer Break Activity.” Each student shares their summer break plans. To guide their storytelling, suggest they include:
- Their summer activities or travel experiences
- What they’re looking forward to the most
- What they will miss from the school year
Utilize our free printable download to write out their summer plans. When they share, encourage them to express as vividly and imaginatively as they can, further promoting their language skills.
Step 3: Engage & Reflect – Listening and Reflecting (10 minutes)
While a student shares, the rest focus on active listening. Then, ask a few students to reflect on what they enjoyed about the story or ask a relevant question. This not only reinforces attentiveness but also cultivates understanding and respect.
Step 4: Wrap Up – Group Discussion (10 minutes)
End the lesson with a group conversation about the diversity of everyone’s summer experiences. Highlight the learning opportunities that these diverse experiences offer.
More Easy-to-Implement Activity Ideas
Enhance the “Elementary Social Skills: Summer Break Activity” with these no-prep activities:
- Summer Break Pictionary: Students sketch a favorite summer memory for others to guess.
- Two Truths and a Lie: Students share three past summer stories – two real, one fictitious. Their peers have to spot the made-up tale.
- Role-Playing: Students pair up to act out a favorite summer activity, further promoting empathy.
Conclusion
Utilizing our Elementary Social Skills: Summer Break Activity lesson is a dynamic way to cultivate communication and social skills, fostering an inclusive and empathetic classroom environment.
Sample Video
Students learn best from watching real students their own age model skills. Try out this sample video-modeling lesson below. We offer our entire Social-Emotional Learning platform free for 30 days here!
