Introduction

Greetings play an essential role in fostering positive social interactions and building relationships among PreK students. Teaching children the importance of greeting others and responding to greetings can help them develop strong social-emotional skills, making them more confident and empathetic individuals. This blog post will provide educators with a no-prep activity, discussion questions, related skills, and next steps to teach the art of greetings to young learners.

No-Prep Activity

Role-playing is an excellent way to practice greetings with PreK students. This activity requires no preparation or materials, making it easy to implement in the classroom. Follow these steps:

1. Divide the students into pairs or small groups.
2. Ask each student to take turns being the greeter and the person being greeted.
3. Encourage the greeter to use eye contact, face their body towards their partner, and say “hello” or another appropriate greeting.
4. Encourage the person being greeted to respond with a similar greeting and positive body language.
5. Provide feedback to the students and discuss how the interaction made them feel.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think it is essential to greet others when you see them?
• How do you feel when someone greets you? How do you feel when someone doesn’t greet you?
• What are some different ways you can greet someone?
• How can you tell if someone is happy or sad when they greet you?
• Why is it important to respond to someone’s greeting?

Related Skills

Teaching greetings to PreK students also helps develop other critical social-emotional skills, such as:

• Empathy: Understanding others’ emotions and responding appropriately to their feelings.
• Active Listening: Paying attention to what others are saying and responding thoughtfully.
• Nonverbal Communication: Using body language, facial expressions, and gestures to convey messages and emotions.
• Respect: Treating others with kindness and considering their feelings and needs.

Next Steps

Now that you have learned about the importance of greetings in PreK students’ social-emotional learning, it’s time to put these ideas into action. To access free sample materials related to greetings and other essential social-emotional skills, visit Everyday Speech’s Sample Materials page. These resources will help you create a comprehensive and engaging curriculum that supports your students’ social-emotional development.