Introduction

Sharing is a fundamental skill that children should learn early in life. It’s essential in building healthy relationships, fostering empathy, and encouraging cooperation. In kindergarten, students begin to develop these skills as they interact with their peers. Sharing can be challenging for young children because they naturally enjoy engaging in activities they like. However, it’s crucial to teach them the significance of giving everyone a turn and considering others’ feelings. This blog post will explore an easy no-prep activity and discussion questions to help educators teach the importance of sharing to kindergarten students.

No-Prep Activity

This simple activity requires no preparation or materials, making it a perfect choice for busy educators. The “Share the Story” activity encourages students to practice sharing by taking turns telling a story.

1. Gather the students in a circle.
2. Begin with a simple story prompt. For example, “Once upon a time, there was a friendly bear in the forest.”
3. Ask the first student to continue the story by adding a sentence.
4. Continue around the circle, with each student adding a sentence to the story.
5. After the story has gone around the circle, bring it to a close by summarizing the tale and highlighting the importance of sharing in the storytelling process.

This activity not only teaches students the value of sharing but also encourages creativity, active listening, and collaboration.

Discussion Questions

After completing the “Share the Story” activity, use these discussion questions to engage students in further conversation about sharing:

1. How did it feel when it was your turn to add to the story? How did it feel to wait for your turn?
2. Why is it important to give everyone a chance to share their ideas in the story?
3. Can you think of a time when you shared something with a friend? How did it make you feel? How do you think it made your friend feel?
4. What are some other situations where sharing is important? (e.g., playing games, using classroom materials, etc.)
5. How can we practice sharing more in our daily lives?

Related Skills

Teaching the importance of sharing also helps students develop other vital social-emotional skills, such as:

• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
• Cooperation: Working together with others to achieve a common goal.
• Communication: Effectively expressing thoughts and feelings to others.
• Patience: Waiting calmly for something without getting upset or frustrated.

Next Steps

It’s essential to continue teaching and reinforcing the importance of sharing throughout the school year. To help you in this process, we encourage you to sign up for free samples of skill-building materials and activities at Everyday Speech. These resources will provide you with additional tools and strategies to support your students in developing essential social-emotional skills, including sharing, empathy, and cooperation.