Family Values Reflect

Overview

This 30-minute lesson invites Year 0-1 students to reflect on the values important in their own families and understand how families around the world share similar values. The lesson supports development of empathy, belonging, and identity, aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh emphasis on values and key competencies.

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Curriculum Links

Learning Area: Religious Education
Year Level: 0-1 (Foundation Phase)

Learning Objectives (WALT – We Are Learning To)

• WALT identify important values in our families.
• WALT understand that families around the world share values.
• WALT express our thoughts about family values through art and story.

Success Criteria

• I can name at least two values important to my family.
• I can listen respectfully to friends’ ideas about their families.
• I can create a simple drawing or story about a family value.
• I can share my ideas clearly with others, showing care and respect.

New Zealand Curriculum Alignment

• Principles: Inclusion — recognizing diverse family structures and values;
  Equity — valuing all students’ family experiences.
• Values: Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Inclusion — explored through family stories and values.
• Key Competencies:
  • Relating to others — listening and sharing ideas about families;
  • Participating and contributing — sharing personal experiences in the group;
  • Thinking — reflecting on family values and their meaning.
• Social Sciences Achievement Objectives (Level 1) — understanding family as care and belonging units in society.
• Religious Education Focus: understanding values and beliefs that shape people’s lives, respecting diversity of belief and culture.

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Resources

• Large picture book or story about families from diverse cultures (focus on values).
• Whiteboard or chart paper and markers.
• Drawing paper, crayons, or coloured pencils for each student.
• “Family Values” prompt cards (simple words and pictures: kindness, sharing, love, respect, helping, etc.).
• Circle time space for discussion.

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Lesson Plan Template

Time	Activity	Teaching & Learning Notes	Assessment Opportunities
0–5 mins	Welcome & WALT Introduction	Gather class in circle. Introduce today's WALT and success criteria. Establish respectful listening rules.	Observe engagement, understanding of WALT. Clarify expectations.
5–12 mins	Story: Families and Their Values	Read aloud a picture story showing families practicing values (e.g., sharing, caring, kindness). Pause to discuss what values appear. Use prompt cards to highlight key words.	Listen for students naming values and connecting ideas to their own family.
12–18 mins	Sharing Time: My Family Values	Invite students to share one value important in their family. Use sentence starters: "In my family, we…", "We like to…", "We care by…". Support shy students gently.	Note students’ oral expression and respect for others during sharing.
18–27 mins	Creative Drawing/Storytelling	Students draw a picture showing a family value from their sharing. Encourage adding simple words. Teacher circulates, asks prompting questions.	Check drawing reflects value named; observe ability to explain their work.
27–30 mins	Reflection & Sharing	Invite some students to show their drawing and talk about their family value. Summarise the shared values, connecting to the idea of "One Family, Many Faces" globally.	Informal assessment of students' ability to express understanding and listen respectfully.

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Teaching Tips

• Provide sentence frames and vocabulary support to enable all students to participate.
• Use culturally responsive practices—acknowledge diverse family types, include te reo Māori greetings or terms for family (whānau).
• Reinforce respectful listening and valuing different experiences.
• Keep explanations simple and concrete; relate to student’s lived experiences.
• Use positive reinforcement and gentle encouragement.

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This lesson builds on prior lessons in the "One Family, Many Faces" unit by inviting self-reflection and fostering empathy, aligned with the overarching aim in the NZ Curriculum Refresh to create inclusive, supportive learning environments where students experience a sense of belonging and identity through connection to family and community values .

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