Friends Have Feelings Too Lesson Plan Friends Have Feelings Too
Building Empathy in the Classroom
Duration 20 Min
Learning Objective
Students will be able to recognize basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared) in pictures of others and demonstrate a simple empathetic response through role-play.
Why This Matters
Understanding and responding to the feelings of others builds strong friendships and creates a more caring classroom community. It helps students develop crucial social-emotional skills for life.
Materials Needed
Slide Deck: Friends Have Feelings Too!
Emotion Faces Pictures
How Would They Feel? Scenario Cards
Kindness Role-Play Instructions
Teacher Preparation (10 Minutes)
Review lesson materials and slides.
Print and cut Scenario Cards.
Prepare emotion faces pictures.
Clear space for role-play game.
Instructional Sequence
1
Warm-Up: Feelings Check-in (3 min)
Greet students and ask them to show you with a face how they are feeling today. Briefly discuss a few student responses, modeling how to name the emotion clearly (e.g., "I see you are smiling, you look very happy!").
2
Introduce Empathy (5 min)
Material: Slide Deck
Explain that empathy is understanding how someone else feels—like "feeling with" them. Use the slides to show basic emotions. Ask: "What does this face tell us?" and "What does that feeling feel like in your body?"
3
Observe Others' Feelings (5 min)
Display pictures of children in scenarios (dropping ice cream, getting a toy). Ask students: "How do you think this child feels? Why?" Guide them to look for facial expressions and body language clues.
4
Discuss Scenarios (4 min)
Material: Scenario Cards
Read Scenario Cards aloud. Have students turn-and-talk in small groups: "How do they feel? What is a kind thing we could do?" Circulate to prompt specific empathetic actions.
5
Practice Kindness Role-Play (3 min)
Material: Role-Play Game Instructions
Model an empathetic response first. Ask volunteers to act out being a "Kindness Hero" for a friend who is sad or frustrated. Focus on simple phrases: "Are you okay?" or "I can help."
Friends Have Feelings Too Slide Deck Friends Have Feelings Too!
Understanding how others feel makes us great friends!
Teacher Note: Welcome students! Ask them to show you with their face how they are feeling right now.
What is Empathy?
Empathy is understanding how others feel.
It helps us be kind friends!
🤝
Teacher Note: Explain it simply: "Empathy means understanding how someone else feels. It's like putting yourself in their shoes!"
Happy Faces! 😊
😊
Can you show me a happy face?
What makes you feel happy?
Teacher Note: Show a happy picture. Ask: "How does this person feel? What makes you think that?"
Sad Faces... 😢
😢
What does a sad face look like?
What makes you feel sad?
Teacher Note: Show a sad picture. Ask: "How does this person feel? What does it feel like to be sad?"
Uh Oh! Angry Faces! 😠
😠
When do people look angry?
What does it feel like to be angry?
Teacher Note: Show an angry face. Ask: "What makes you think they are angry?"
Wow! Surprised Faces! 😮
😮
What makes you surprised?
How does your face look when you're surprised?
Teacher Note: Show a surprised face. Ask about the difference between good and bad surprises.
Oh No! Scared Faces! 😨
😨
What makes you feel scared?
How can we help someone who is scared?
Teacher Note: Show a scared face. Discuss how kindness helps us feel safe.
Look and Listen!
👀
We look at faces and bodies.
👂
We listen to their words too!
Teacher Note: Why is it important to know how our friends are feeling?
Be a Kindness Hero!
When we know how a friend feels, we can choose to be kind.
Kindness makes everyone feel better!
Teacher Note: "What are some kind things we can do for a friend who is sad?"
How Would They Feel Scenario Cards How Would They Feel?
Scenario Cards Activity
Instructions: Cut along the dotted lines to create four scenario cards. For each card, show the picture/icon to the students, read the story aloud, and discuss the questions together.
Scenario 1
🪑
"The New Friend"
Story: Maria is new to our class. Today, everyone is playing outside, but Maria is sitting by herself on a bench.
How do you think Maria feels?
What could you do to be a kind friend?
Scenario 2
🩹
"The Ouchie"
Story: David was running and tripped. Now his knee hurts, and he looks like he might cry.
How do you think David feels?
What could you do to be a kind friend?
Scenario 3
🌈
"The Rainbow Artist"
Story: Lily spent a long time drawing a beautiful rainbow. She is very proud of her artwork and is showing it to you.
How do you think Lily feels?
What could you do to be a kind friend?
Scenario 4
🧱
"The Tumble"
Story: Sam was building a tall tower, but it just fell over, and all his blocks are scattered everywhere.
How do you think Sam feels?
What could you do to be a kind friend?
Kindness Role Play Game Instructions Kindness Role-Play Game
Classroom Social-Emotional Activity
Game Objective
To practice showing kindness and empathy by acting out helpful responses to everyday situations. Students learn that their actions can help a friend feel better.
How to Play
1
Set the Scene
The teacher reads a scenario where someone might be feeling a certain emotion. You can use the Scenario Cards or make up a fresh one!
2
Spot the Feeling
As a class, ask: "How is our friend feeling?" Have students name the emotion and describe the facial clues.
3
Be a Kindness Hero!
Volunteers come to the front to act out a kind response. Encourage specific words and helpful actions.
Kindness Toolbox: What to Say & Do
🗣️ "Are you okay?"
🤝 "I can help you."
🧸 "Do you want to share?"
🤸 "Want to play with me?"
🩹 Get a teacher's help
🤗 Offer a high-five or hug
Game Variations
Puppet Show
Use puppets to act out the kindness instead of students.
Kindness Art
After a scenario, students draw what a kind response looks like.
Hero Squad
Students work in pairs to solve the scenario together.