The purpose of this lesson is for students to help build a safe, positive classroom community where everyone can learn.

Building a classroom community through kindness and respect creates a safe space where students feel supported to learn and grow. It boosts academic success by increasing motivation, engagement, and willingness to take risks, while kindness fosters empathy, better peer relationships, and fewer conflicts. Strong student-teacher bonds build confidence and resilience, leading to improved behavior, fewer disruptions, and reduced teacher burnout. Ultimately, this foundation helps students collaborate effectively and thrive long-term.

kind, safe, respect, community

Activity 1: (15 minutes) PYRAMID OF HAPPINESS 

Review the Pyramid of Happiness anchor chart from the slides and practice the actions associated with each level of the pyramid:

• Basic Needs: Rub tummy and pretend to drink (food and water)
• Safety: Pretend to put on a helmet (safety) and make a roof overhead with arms (secure place)
• Connection: Hug yourself (love) and give a friendly wave (belonging)
• Believe in Yourself: Make a thumbs up and show off your muscles (esteem)
• Superstar Self: Jump high and land in a superhero pose (self-actualization)

Highlight the 2nd level of the pyramid (Safety) and its action (Pretend to put on a helmet and make a roof overhead with arms). Read aloud the correlating poem stanza together from the slides. When we get to know our classmates, teachers, and school helpers, we can feel safe and secure in our school community. Share the definition of the terms “safe” and “community” from the slides. Have a discussion:

• What can you do to help others feel safe at school? (EQ)
• How do you feel when someone knows your name? 

Highlight the 3rd level of the pyramid (Connection) and its action (Hug yourself and give a friendly wave). Read aloud the correlating poem stanza together from the slides. When we are kind and respectful to classmates and adults at school, we will strengthen our connections with them. We can show respect to our classmates and teachers by making an effort to get to know them and creating a welcoming and positive classroom community for everyone. Share the definition of the terms “kind” and “respect” from the slides. Have a discussion:

• How do you show kindness at school? (EQ)
• What are examples of respectful behavior at school? (EQ)
• Why is it important to get to know the members of your school community?

Activity 2: (20 minutes) POSTCARD FROM THE TEACHER

Materials Needed: Postcards (1 per student), stamps (1 per student)

Teacher Tip: Write and send a postcard to each of your new students prior to the start of the school year. This is a wonderful way to introduce yourself, build excitement for the year ahead, and help students feel more comfortable about meeting their new teacher. You can also include details about Back-to-School Night, such as the date and time, if your school hosts this event.

Activity 3: (20 minutes) OUR CLASS FAMILY

Materials Needed: Materials for class tradition (varied, optional)

Prior to this activity, watch the video and see if it is the best fit for your students. Additionally, consider a simple tradition (or traditions) that you would like to implement in your classroom. This tradition should help students feel like they belong to a special place. Some ideas are listed below.

Class Tradition Ideas: 

• Create a special greeting that you use every day. 
• Develop a special hand signal or handshake to use when saying hello and goodbye at the beginning and end of the day. 
• Choose a stuffed animal and introduce it to students as the class mascot. Talk about the characteristics of that animal and how the students can emulate similar characteristics in your class. Assign students the responsibility to care for the class mascot, alternating each day. 
• Write a customized cheer and rehearse it often until the children can repeat it without help. 
• Create a Class Family Bulletin Board by making a large tree with brown and green butcher paper. Take a picture of students on the first day of school and add their photos to the leaves of the tree.

Ask children to think about what our families do for us. Have a discussion:

• What do our families do for us? (EQ) (Possible Answers: They love us. They help us. They teach us new things. They are always there for us. They have fun with us.)

Explain that we can have a classroom family in addition to our family at home. Invite children to look around the room at their classroom family. Tell children that their classroom family also cares for them and wants to help them learn, grow, and have fun at school.

Read the book Our Class is a Family by Sharon Olsen or watch the read-aloud video from 0:30–4:45. As students listen, have them pay attention to examples of people helping others feel safe and cared for. Have a discussion:

• How can we help others feel safe and cared for in our class family? (EQ)

Emphasize that when we choose to be kind and respectful at school, we are choosing to help our classroom family feel safe, connected, and cared for. Review the definition of the terms “kind” and “respect” from the slides.

Introduce the tradition (or traditions) that you have chosen to use in your classroom. Use the remainder of the time to explain the tradition(s) and help students practice, emphasizing what a special place your classroom is.

Activity 4: (30 minutes) ALL ARE WELCOME

Materials Needed: All Are Welcome handout (1 per student), art supplies

Prior to this activity, watch the video and see if it is the best fit for your students.

Ask students to think about what the word “welcome” means. Call on a few students to share their ideas. Explain to students that welcome means everyone is invited, everyone is included, and everyone belongs. It means we are happy you are here, just the way you are.

Read the book All Are Welcome Here by Alexandra Penfold or watch the read-aloud video from 0:05–3:36. As students listen, have them echo the repetitive line “All are welcome here.” Additionally, have children pay attention to how the students and teachers make others feel welcome. Have a discussion:

• How do the students and teachers make others feel welcome?
• How can you welcome friends in our class? (EQ)

Have children sit in a circle on the carpet. Teach children the cheer: “You are welcome, yes it’s true, there’s a place for me and you!” Explain that one way we make people feel welcome is by learning about them. Tell the class an activity you enjoy doing (e.g., reading, gardening, swimming, camping) then have the class sing the cheer. Invite the child to your right to share an activity they enjoy, sing the cheer for them, and continue until each child has had a chance to share and be sung to.

Pass out an All Are Welcome handout to each student. Have students use art supplies to decorate their handout to look like them. (Teacher Tip: When students are finished, hang their completed pictures on the outside of your classroom door with a sign that says All Are Welcome to remind students that they belong.)

Activity 5: (20+ minutes) GETTING TO KNOW THE SCHOOL

Materials Needed: School Scavenger Hunt cards (1 copy, cut apart), read-aloud book of your choice, treat (optional)

Prior to this activity, copy and cut apart the School Scavenger Hunt cards. (Teacher TIp: Feel free to amend the cards or make your own based on the needs of your students and the layout of your school). Put the first clue inside a favorite back-to-school themed read-aloud book (some ideas listed below), so your students will discover it after you have finished reading the story. Alternatively, watch the videos and see if they are the best fit for your students  and plan to reveal the clue at the end of the read-aloud. Post the rest of the clues around the school. Plan a small treat that goes along with the read-aloud to enjoy at the end of the scavenger hunt.

Read-Aloud Ideas:

• The Gingerbread Man Loose in School by Laura Murray
• The Pigeon HAS to Go to School by Mo Willems
• Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin
• If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff

Read the book of your choice to your students. When the first clue is discovered on the last page, read it out loud. (Teacher Tip: Children will likely be very excited. Remind them that as the class follows the clues, they will use walking feet, quiet or whisper voices, and keep their hands to themselves.)

Explain that as we follow the clues, we will be visiting important places around the school. As each clue is discovered, take a moment to describe the name of the location, what its purpose is, and how to behave when you visit this place.

Activity 6: (20 minutes) GETTING TO KNOW SCHOOL HELPERS

Teacher Tip: Prior to this activity, review the options for getting to know school helpers and make arrangements for visiting helpers or inviting them into your classroom.

Explain to students that our school helpers are an important part of our school. They want to help us feel safe, connected, and cared for. Ask students to think about the adults at school who help them. Call on a few students to share their ideas (Possible Answers: Teacher aides, office secretaries, principal, nurse, cafeteria workers, janitors, counselor, P.E. teacher, music teacher, librarian).

Option 1: Helpers Field Trip 

Tell children that they will be visiting different school helpers. Remind them to use walking feet, quiet or whisper words, and keep their hands to themselves. As students meet each school helper, show them how to shake hands (or make a fist bump) and say, “Hi, my name is _______.” Invite the school helper to explain what their job is at school and how they help students.

Option 2: Helper Visits

Invite your school helpers to come in and read their favorite children’s book to students. This is a great opportunity for children to get to know the adults they will be seeing and working with at school. Invite the school helper to explain what their job is at school and how they help students. Allow students to ask the school helper questions or play one of the get-to-know-you games listed in this lesson with them. (Teacher Tip: Consider inviting 1–2 school helpers in to read each day during the first week of school.)