Introduction

As educators, it is our responsibility to help young learners develop strong social-emotional skills, including the ability to respect others’ opinions. In a world where disagreements can often lead to conflicts, it’s crucial for kindergarten students to learn how to stay respectful even when they don’t agree with someone. This blog post will provide you with a no-prep activity and discussion questions to help you teach your students the importance of respecting others’ thoughts, ideas, and opinions, as well as how to communicate effectively and kindly in such situations.

No-Prep Activity: The Respectful Listening Circle

This activity requires no preparation or materials and is designed to help students practice listening, not interrupting, and waiting their turn to share their opinions in a respectful manner. To begin, have your students sit in a circle. Explain to them that you will be discussing a topic, and each student will have a chance to share their thoughts and opinions. Remind them of the importance of listening while others talk, not interrupting, and waiting their turn to speak.

Choose a simple topic that is relevant to their age, such as their favorite animals or favorite activities to do during recess. Start the discussion by sharing your opinion on the topic, then invite the student sitting next to you to share theirs. Continue around the circle until everyone has had a chance to speak. Encourage students to use a calm voice and kind words when sharing their opinions, and remind them to keep hurtful thoughts in their heads.

Discussion Questions

• Why is it important to listen to others when they are talking?
• How does it feel when someone interrupts you while you are speaking?
• What are some kind words you can use when sharing your opinion with someone you disagree with?
• Can you think of a time when you disagreed with someone but still treated them with respect? What did you do?
• Why is it important to keep hurtful thoughts in our heads and only say things that are kind or helpful?

Related Skills

Teaching students to respect others’ opinions is just one aspect of social-emotional learning. Other related skills include:

• Active listening
• Empathy and understanding
• Conflict resolution
• Assertiveness
• Self-regulation

Next Steps

If you found this activity and discussion helpful, we invite you to explore more free sample materials designed to help teach social-emotional skills to kindergarten students. Sign up for your free samples at Everyday Speech and discover even more resources to support your students’ social-emotional learning journey.