Introduction
Jealousy is a natural emotion that everyone experiences from time to time. For young children, understanding and coping with jealousy can be especially challenging. As educators, it’s essential to teach students how to recognize and manage these feelings in a healthy way. By incorporating principles of Social-Emotional Learning into our lessons, we can help our PreK students learn to navigate their emotions and foster positive relationships with their peers.
No-Prep Activity
This no-prep activity, called “The Jealousy Role-Play,” requires no materials and can be easily incorporated into your lesson plan. To begin, have your students sit in a circle. Explain to them that they will be acting out a short scenario where one person is feeling jealous. Assign roles to three students: the person feeling jealous, the person receiving attention or a desired item, and a neutral observer.
Have the students act out a simple scenario, such as one student receiving a compliment or a toy that the other student wanted. After the role-play, ask the observers to describe what they saw and how they think the jealous person felt. Encourage the students to discuss alternative ways the jealous person could have handled their feelings.
Discussion Questions
- How can we recognize when we are feeling jealous? What signs might we notice in our bodies or our thoughts?
- Why is it important to acknowledge and label our feelings of jealousy?
- What are some healthy ways we can cope with jealousy when it arises?
- How can we support our friends when they are feeling jealous?
- What can we do to prevent jealousy from damaging our friendships?
Related Skills
In addition to understanding and coping with jealousy, there are other essential skills that can help PreK students develop healthy relationships and emotional resilience. Some of these skills include:
- Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others
- Self-awareness: Recognizing one’s own emotions and needs
- Conflict resolution: Finding peaceful solutions to disagreements
- Communication: Expressing thoughts and feelings effectively
- Emotion regulation: Managing one’s emotions in a healthy way
Next Steps
By teaching our PreK students to recognize and manage their feelings of jealousy, we are helping them build the foundation for strong social-emotional skills. To explore more activities and resources that support Social-Emotional Learning, sign up for free samples of our skill-building materials at Everyday Speech.
