Our Feelings Together

Overview

This is lesson 1 of 4 in Caring Friends Together. Children listen to a story about friendship, notice that people can have different feelings about the same event, and practise showing care through facial expressions, words and actions. The lesson introduces aroha as caring, kindness and respect for others.

Learning intentions

• We are learning to notice and name some feelings.
• We are learning that people may feel differently about the same situation.
• We are learning to listen and respond with kind words and actions.
• We are learning how aroha helps us care for friends.

Success criteria

• I can show a feeling with my face or body.
• I can say how a character might feel.
• I can listen when someone else is speaking.
• I can suggest one kind way to respond to a friend.

Curriculum links

• Health Education — Relationships: self and others; friendships, feelings, listening, sharing and kind words.
• Health Education — Relationships: boundaries and staying safe; using positive language to solve disagreements and maintain friendships.
• Health and PE — developing respectful relationships, cooperation, empathy and participation.
• Key competencies: relating to others; managing self; participating and contributing.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–10 min · Story hook and read-aloud. Gather the 15 children in a comfortable circle, introduce the picture book, and explain that characters may have different feelings. Read the book aloud, pausing briefly at key illustrations to ask, “What do you notice?” and “I wonder how this character feels”; show the story hook and listening slides as visual prompts. Students look, listen and share short observations without needing to agree with one another.

2. 10–25 min · Feelings discussion and class chart. Revisit two or three story moments and invite children to suggest possible feelings, accepting more than one reasonable answer. Record their ideas on a class chart headed “Kind ways to respond” with simple words or drawings such as listen, ask “Are you okay?”, include someone, share, take turns, help and say sorry; use the feelings discussion slides to display the prompts. Students identify feelings using words, gestures or pointing, then help choose responses that show aroha and respect.

3. 25–40 min · Emotion faces and movement. Introduce a small set of emotion cards, such as happy, sad, worried, angry, excited and calm; model that faces and bodies can give clues, while reminding children that we cannot always know exactly how someone feels. Children take turns selecting an emotion card, making a safe facial expression or body shape, and having peers guess or describe what they notice; distribute the feelings drawing sheet for children who prefer to draw or point rather than perform. Students may copy, adapt or observe, and practise saying, “I might feel…” rather than insisting everyone feels the same.

4. 40–55 min · Simple friendship role-play. Place children in groups of three, with an adult or confident child modelling first. Present familiar, low-risk situations: someone is left out of a game, two children want the same toy, or a friend looks upset; show the role-play instruction and scenario slides. Students act out a helpful response using a sentence stem such as, “Would you like to play?”, “Can I have a turn after you?”, “Are you okay?” or “Let’s ask an adult for help.” After each short role-play, ask the audience, “What showed aroha?” and “How might the friend feel now?”

5. 55–60 min · Reflection and closing circle. Revisit the class chart and invite each child to choose one kind action they could try today, using words, a gesture, drawing or showing a card. Finish with the reflection and closing slide and a quiet whole-group response: “Caring friends listen, use kind words and include others.”

Resources

• Selected age-appropriate picture book about friendship and feelings
• the Caring Friends Together visual slide deck
• the feelings drawing sheet
• Emotion picture cards
• Large paper or whiteboard for the class chart
• Thick markers and crayons
• Optional soft toy for modelling friendship situations
• Carpet space for circle time and role-play

Assessment

• Listen for children naming or indicating feelings and recognising that two people may respond differently to the same event.
• During role-play, observe whether children listen, take turns, use a kind phrase, offer inclusion or seek adult help when needed.
• Collect or photograph the drawing sheet and note each child’s chosen feeling and kind response; record children who need further support with emotion vocabulary or turn-taking.

Differentiation

• Use clear photographs, gestures, emotion cards, repetition and sentence starters. Accept home-language words, pointing, signing, drawing or facial expressions as valid communication.
• Avoid asking children to disclose personal upsetting experiences; keep scenarios fictional and familiar. Children may watch role-play, take a non-speaking role or practise with an adult.
• For children with communication or sensory needs, reduce the number of emotions, offer a calm space, and provide predictable turn-taking with a visual “watch/do” choice.
• Extend confident speakers by asking, “Could someone feel another way?” or “What could you do if your friend says no?” Reinforce that kind friendship includes respecting boundaries and asking an adult for help when a problem feels too big.