Introduction

Being helpful is an essential skill for children to learn, as it promotes kindness and respect towards others. It is crucial for educators to teach this skill to PreK students in order to foster a positive environment in the classroom and help students develop strong social-emotional skills. In this blog post, we will discuss a no-prep activity that requires no preparation or materials from the educator, followed by discussion questions, related skills, and next steps to further encourage helpful behaviors in young learners.

No-Prep Activity

This activity, called “Helpful Hands,” is designed to help PreK students understand the concept of being helpful and its importance in their daily lives. To begin, have the students sit in a circle. Explain that they will take turns sharing a time when they were helpful or when someone else was helpful to them. Encourage students to think about how they felt during these moments.

As each student shares their story, ask the rest of the group to show a thumbs up if the action was helpful or a thumbs down if it was not. This will help reinforce the concept of being helpful and allow students to practice evaluating their own and others’ actions. After everyone has shared, remind the students that being helpful is an essential part of showing kindness and respect towards others.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is it important to be helpful to others?
2. How does being helpful make you feel?
3. Can you think of a time when someone was helpful to you? How did it make you feel?
4. What are some ways we can be helpful at school and at home?
5. How can we encourage others to be helpful?

Related Skills

Teaching students the importance of being helpful also helps them develop other essential social-emotional skills. Some of these related skills include:

• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others is a crucial aspect of being helpful. When students learn to empathize, they are more likely to offer assistance to those in need.
• Cooperation: Being helpful often involves working together with others to achieve a common goal. Developing cooperation skills enables students to collaborate effectively and contribute positively to group activities.
• Responsibility: When students learn to be helpful, they also learn to take responsibility for their actions and understand the consequences of their choices. This skill is essential for their personal growth and development.

Next Steps

Now that you have learned about the importance of teaching PreK students to be helpful and have explored an engaging no-prep activity, it’s time to take the next step in fostering social-emotional learning in your classroom. We encourage you to sign up for free samples of skill-building materials and resources that will help you continue to develop your students’ social-emotional abilities. By incorporating these lessons and activities into your daily routine, you will create a supportive and nurturing environment for your young learners to thrive.