Importance of Communication

Year 0-1 | Lesson 15 of 20 | One Family, Many Faces

Duration: 30 minutes
Students: 20

WALT (We Are Learning To)

Understand how communication helps build strong relationships within families and communities.
Recognise different ways we can communicate with each other.

Success Criteria

I can listen carefully to others.
I can share my ideas and feelings using words and my body.
I understand that good communication helps me and others feel connected and cared for.

Curriculum Links

This lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh with focus on communication in social contexts, specifically within Religious Education about relationships in families and communities:

Health and Physical Education:
Managing self, relationships, and participating and contributing – learning about the importance of communication in caring for others and building respectful relationships (NZC, HPE, Years 0-1).
English:
Interpersonal communication – developing listening skills, turn-taking, and expressing ideas (Te Mātaiaho Literacy, Years 0-1) .
Key Competencies:
Relating to others by communicating effectively in ways that build relationships.

Learning Objectives

Students will actively listen and respond respectfully to others.
Students will engage in sharing their own ideas and feelings using verbal and non-verbal cues.
Students will recognise communication is a way to care for and understand family and community members.

Learning Activities

Time	Activity	Description & Teacher Notes
5 min	Welcome & Introduction	Gather students in a circle. Using a soft "talking stick" or puppet, explain that today we are learning about how talking and listening helps us care for our families and friends. Introduce WALT and success criteria. Use simple language and gestures.
8 min	Read-Aloud & Discussion: Story of Family Chat	Read a short, colourful picture book or story about a family communicating, e.g., “How Families Talk” (teacher-created or existing resource). Pause to ask simple questions about how the characters share feelings and ideas. Use sentence stems like “How do you think they feel when they listen?” and “What can we do to show we are listening?” Encourage children to answer briefly.
7 min	Role-Play Activity: Talking and Listening Game	In pairs/small groups, provide simple role-play scenarios (e.g., sharing toys, greeting family members, asking for help). Model using eye contact, taking turns, and nodding or smiling. Use sentence stems if necessary: “I like…”, “Can you help me…?” Prompt students gently. Support shy children. Encourage body language like facing the speaker and quiet voice.
5 min	Non-Verbal Communication Exploration	Show pictures or use puppets to demonstrate facial expressions and gestures that communicate feelings (happy, sad, confused). Invite children to mimic, express, and guess emotions. Reinforce that bodies also 'talk' and help us understand friends and family.
3 min	Reflection Chat Circle	Sit back in a circle. Ask children to share one way talking or listening helped them today. Highlight examples of caring communication. Link back to relationships in families and communities. Celebrate successes using success criteria.
2 min	Closing Song & Goodbye	Sing a simple “hello and goodbye” song that includes gestures promoting communication and connection in a family.

Resources Needed

Talking stick or puppet for circle time
Picture storybook about family communication or teacher-made story sheets
Role-play props (toy phone, pretend food, etc.)
Emotion cards or puppets showing faces
Song lyrics (simple hello/goodbye tune)

Assessment

Observe students’ participation in circle discussions and role-plays: are they listening and responding?
Note use of verbal and non-verbal communication during activities.
Use anecdotal notes to record instances where children demonstrate understanding of communication's role in relationships.

Teaching Considerations

Scaffold communication with sentence stems and modelling (e.g., “I feel happy because…”).
Use visual and gestural prompts for understanding, particularly for ECE students and those with language needs.
Be culturally responsive: acknowledge different ways families may communicate (e.g., gestures, silence).
Incorporate te reo Māori greetings and simple phrases to support bicultural learning and community connections.

Reflection for Next Lesson

Focus increasingly on expressing feelings with words and understanding others’ perspectives, moving towards nurturing empathy within “One Family, Many Faces” unit.

This lesson supports the development of the key competencies of Relating to Others and Managing Self while embedding the principle of Whanaungatanga (relationships) that underpin the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh, particularly in Religious Education focused on family and community connections .

If you would like, I can also draft supporting visual materials or a teacher script to accompany this lesson plan!

Teaching Instructions