Introduction

One of the fundamental skills that young children need to develop in their early years is the ability to greet others. Greeting skills are essential in fostering positive relationships and effective communication. In this blog post, we will discuss an easy, no-prep activity that educators can use to teach PreK students the basics of greeting others. We will also provide discussion questions and related skills to help educators build a comprehensive social-emotional learning experience for their students.

No-Prep Activity: The Greeting Train

This activity is designed to help PreK students practice greeting skills without any preparation or materials required from the educator. The Greeting Train is a fun and engaging way to teach young children the importance of turning their bodies towards the person they are greeting, making eye contact, smiling, and saying “hi.”

Instructions:

1. Ask the students to form a line or a circle, standing an arm’s length apart from each other.
2. Explain to the students that they are going to practice greeting each other by following a simple script: “Hi! [Name of the person being greeted].”
3. Start the activity by greeting the first student in the line or circle, demonstrating the proper greeting techniques: turning your body towards the student, making eye contact, smiling, and saying “hi.”
4. Encourage the first student to greet the next student in line, using the same techniques. Continue the process until every student has had a chance to greet someone.
5. After the activity, discuss with the students how it felt to greet others while using the proper techniques.

Discussion Questions

After completing the Greeting Train activity, use the following questions to engage students in a deeper conversation about the importance of greeting skills:

1. Why is it important to turn your body towards the person you are greeting? How does this show that you are paying attention to them?
2. How does making eye contact and smiling help make your greeting more friendly and welcoming?
3. How did it feel to greet others using the proper techniques? Did it make you feel more connected to your classmates?
4. Can you think of other situations where it is important to greet others? (e.g., meeting new friends, greeting family members, etc.)
5. What other words or phrases can we use to greet others besides “hi”? (e.g., “hello,” “good morning,” “how are you?”)

Related Skills

In addition to greeting skills, there are several other social-emotional learning skills that can help PreK students build positive relationships and communicate effectively:

• Active listening: Teach students to listen carefully to others, make eye contact, and respond appropriately to what they hear.
• Empathy: Help students understand and share the feelings of others, promoting kindness and compassion.
• Conflict resolution: Encourage students to identify and resolve conflicts in a peaceful and respectful manner.
• Cooperation: Teach students the importance of working together and contributing to a group or team.
• Self-regulation: Help students develop the ability to manage their emotions and behaviors in various social situations.

Next Steps

Now that you have learned about the Greeting Train activity and its benefits for PreK students, we encourage you to incorporate these techniques into your classroom. To access free samples of social-emotional learning materials, including activities, videos, and lesson plans, visit Everyday Speech sample materials.