Lesson Plan for Toddler - Civic Education - Animals: Social Behaviour

### Toddler Civic Education Lesson Plan: Animals - Social Behavior **Objective:** To introduce toddlers to the concept of social behavior using animals as examples, fostering an early understanding of how living beings interact and support each other in communities. **Duration:** 30 - 45 minutes **Materials Needed:** - Plush animal toys or animal figurines (e.g., elephants, bees, penguins, wolves, etc.) - Picture books featuring animals and their interactions - Simple animal coloring pages and crayons - Animal puppets or props for role-playing - Audio recordings of animal sounds **Preparation:** - Arrange the classroom with a comfortable seating area for storytime. - Set up a small table with coloring pages and crayons. - Have plush toys or figurines organized for an interactive storytelling session. - Prepare a puppet show area or a small stage. --- ### Lesson Plan: **1. Welcome and Introduction (5 minutes):** - Greet the children warmly and gather them in a circle. - Briefly introduce the day's topic: "Today, we're going to learn about how animals behave when they are together. We'll see how they help each other and live together happily." **2. Storytime with Picture Books (10 minutes):** - Choose a picture book that illustrates social behaviors in animals, such as "Elephants' Big Day" or "Busy Bees at Work." - Read the story aloud, pausing to show pictures and emphasize key behaviors, such as elephants helping each other or bees working together. **3. Interactive Discussion (5 minutes):** - Ask simple questions to engage the toddlers: - "What did the elephants do when one of them needed help?" - "How do the bees work together?" - "Can you think of how we help our friends?" **4. Role-Playing with Animal Toys (10 minutes):** - Use plush animal toys or figurines to re-enact scenes from the story. - Encourage children to take turns acting out roles, such as helping an injured elephant or being a busy bee. - Use simple sentences and prompts to guide their play: "The wolf is hungry. Who can help find food?" **5. Coloring Activity (10 minutes):** - Hand out animal coloring pages depicting social behaviors, like a family of wolves or a group of penguins. - Allow the children to color while discussing how these animals take care of each other. - Play soft audio recordings of animal sounds to create an immersive experience. **6. Puppet Show (5 minutes):** - Use animal puppets to perform a short skit showing animals helping each other or living in harmony. - Narrate the puppet show, making it interactive by asking children to guess what the animals will do next. **7. Closing Circle (5 minutes):** - Gather the children back in a circle to summarize what they learned. - Sing a simple song or chant about animals working together, such as: "Together we are better, just like the bees, Helping one another, we’re happy as can be." **8. Goodbyes and Transitions:** - Thank the toddlers for participating. - Transition to the next activity or free play. --- **Assessment:** - Observe children's engagement during the story, discussion, and activities. - Notice if they can relate the animal behaviors to their own actions and interactions. **Follow-up:** - Reinforce the concept with other stories or activities throughout the week. - Encourage parents to discuss and observe social behaviors in pets or animals during family time. --- This lesson plan aims to make the concept of social behavior accessible and enjoyable for toddlers through interactive, hands-on activities and simple discussions.