Truth or Giggle Lesson Plan Truth or Giggle
Differentiating Jokes and Lies
Lesson Plan
Time
90 Minutes
Audience
Pre-K Students
Approach
Interactive Play
Why This Matters
Knowing the difference between a joke and a lie fosters trust, empathy, and responsible communication, essential for healthy relationships and emotional development.
Objective
Students will learn to distinguish jokes from lies through interactive stories, sorting games, and role-play, building honesty and social awareness.
Teacher Prep
β’ Print and cut Story Cards (Material 3)
β’ Print and cut Sorting Mats (Material 4)
β’ Print and cut Role-Play Prompt Cards (Material 5)
β’ Prepare Funny Faces and Truth Tokens (Material 6)
β’ Gather reward stickers for the closing ceremony
Lesson Sequence
10m
Warm-Up & Introduction
Gather children in a circle on the rug.
Ask: "Have you ever heard a funny joke or someone told a lie?"
Introduce the focus: how to tell a giggle (joke) from a truth (lie).
15m
Storytelling Session
Show each Story Card to the class.
Read the scenario aloud with expressive tone.
Ask: "Is this a joke or a lie?" and prompt them to explain their choice.
20m
Sorting Game
Distribute Sorting Mats and scenario cards.
Children place cards in the "Giggle" or "Truth" column.
Circulate and ask children why they made their choices.
20m
Role-Play Activity
Split into small groups (3-4 children).
Hand out Role-Play Prompt Cards .
Groups act out scenarios while peers guess if it's a joke or a lie.
15m
Reflection Circle
Reconvene in the circle.
Prompt: "Share a time you told a jokeβhow did it feel?"
Prompt: "Share a time you told a lieβhow did that feel?"
Discuss the impact on others' feelings and trust.
Finish
Closing & Rewards
Summary: Jokes make us laugh; lies can hurt feelings.
Distribute Funny Faces and Truth Tokens based on participation.
Hand out stickers for active listening and kindness.
Truth or Giggle Slides π
β
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π
Truth or Giggle!
Can you tell if something is a joke or a lie?
Welcome everyone! Today we will play and learn how to tell a joke (a giggle) from a lie (an untrue story that can hurt). Get the children excited by asking them to show you their biggest smile!
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Warm-Up: Giggles & Truths
β’ Have you ever heard a funny joke?
β’ Has anyone told you something untrue?
Letβs chat about it!
Gather children in a circle. Ask: βHave you ever heard a really funny joke? What made you laugh? Has anyone ever told you something untrue that made you confused or sad?β
What is a Joke? What is a Lie?
π
Joke (Giggle)
A silly story that makes us laugh and feel happy!
β
Lie (Truth Check)
A story that isn't true and can hurt feelings or cause trouble.
Explain in simple terms. Show two colored cards or pictures: one for jokes, one for truths. Reinforce that jokes are meant to be funny, not to hurt feelings.
Storytime!
"My cat told me it rode a rocket to the park yesterday!"
Is it a Giggle? π
Is it a Truth? β
Show a few sample story cards from the card set. Read them one by one. After each, ask the class βGiggle or Truth?β and let volunteers answer.
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Sorting Game
1
Pick a story card.
2
Put it in the "Giggle" or "Truth" column.
3
Tell your friend why!
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Hand out Jokes vs Lies Sorting Mats and scenario cards. Walk around and encourage children to talk about why they chose each column.
Role-Play: Act It Out!
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Step 1
Act out your scene for the class.
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Step 2
Class says: Giggle or Truth?
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Step 3
Explain why you think that!
Divide into small groups and give each group an Honesty Role-Play Prompt Card. Let each child act out their scenario, then the class guesses.
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Reflection Time
"How did telling a joke make you feel?"
"How did telling a lie make you feel?"
Bring everyone back into the circle. Ask each child to share how telling a joke felt and how telling a lie felt. Guide them to notice differences in emotions.
Truth or Giggle Story Cards Truth or Giggle Story Cards
Read these aloud. Ask: "Giggle or Truth?"
1
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"My teddy bear can sing songs to me."
2
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"I sleep in my bed at night."
3
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"I saw a cat driving a car yesterday."
4
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"I drink water when I'm thirsty."
5
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"My toy robot can dance on its own."
6
π
"I wear shoes when I go outside."
7
ππ
"The moon told me a bedtime story."
8
π₯£
"I eat breakfast before school."
Teacher Tip
Encourage children to look for clues (can teddy bears really sing? Yes, but only as a pretend joke!). Use their reasoning to distinguish silly make-believe from everyday real events.
Jokes vs Lies Sorting Mats Jokes vs Lies Sorting Mat
Place your cards in the right spot! Is it a giggle or a truth?
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Giggle
Place Silly Jokes Here
β
Truth
Place Real Stories Here
Mini Sorting Cards
Cut these out and place them on your mat!
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Singing Teddy Bear
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Sleeping in Bed
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Cat Driving Car
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Drinking Water
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Dancing Robot
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Wearing Shoes
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Talking Moon
π₯£
Eating Breakfast
Student Instructions:
Cut out the 8 mini cards above.
Think: "Is this silly/fake (Giggle) or real/true (Truth)?"
Place the card in the correct box on the mat.
Tell your partner why you put it there!
Honesty Role-Play Prompt Cards Honesty Role-Play Cards
Act out the scene. Will the class guess Giggle or Truth?
#1
ππ§Έ
Say to your friend:
"My teddy bear can sing songs to me."
Giggle Activity
#2
ππ
Say to your teacher:
"I wear shoes when I go outside."
Truth Activity
#3
ππͺ
Say to your parent:
"I didn't eat the cookie!" (even though you did)
Lie Check
#4
ππ¦
Say to your class:
"I saw a unicorn at the playground."
Giggle Activity
#5
πποΈ
Say to your friend:
"I sleep in my bed every night."
Truth Activity
#6
ππ§Έπ₯
Say to your sibling:
"I didn't break your toy!" (even though you did)
Lie Check
#7
ππ€π
Say to your group:
"My toy robot can dance on its own."
Giggle Activity
#8
πποΈ
Say to your teacher:
"I finished my drawing project."
Truth Activity
Facilitation Tip
After each act, ask the class: "Giggle or Truth?" Then ask: "How do you know?" Encourage students to notice if the actor is being silly or if they are trying to hide something real.
Funny Faces and Truth Tokens Truth or Giggle Tokens
Celebrate honest sharing and funny giggles!
Teacher Instructions
Print this page on cardstock. Cut out the tokens along the dotted lines. During the closing ceremony, award Funny Face Tokens for jokes and Truth Tokens for honest statements.
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Giggle Token
π
Giggle Token
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Giggle Token
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Giggle Token
β
Truth Token
β
Truth Token
β
Truth Token
β
Truth Token
π
Giggle Token
π
Giggle Token
β
Truth Token
β
Truth Token
π
Giggle Token
π
Giggle Token
β
Truth Token
β
Truth Token
Print multiple pages for larger classes