Kindergarten · Health Education
Quarter 2 · Week 1 · TEKS
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This lesson introduces kindergarten students to the concept that friends can influence a person's behavior and helps them practice skills for making new acquaintances. It supports social and emotional health by encouraging students to recognize positive influences and develop healthy relationships through role play and discussion.
Students should understand basic social interactions such as greeting others and sharing feelings.
Influence means how someone can affect what we do or how we act. Friends can influence us in many ways. For example, a friend might encourage us to share toys or to be kind to others. Sometimes friends might influence us to do things that are not good, like not listening or being mean. It is important to notice how friends affect our behavior so we can make good choices.
An acquaintance is someone new we meet and get to know. Making new acquaintances means learning how to start a friendship. This includes saying hello, sharing your name, asking questions like 'What do you like to play?', and listening carefully. These skills help us build healthy relationships and feel comfortable around others.
Social and emotional health means understanding our feelings and how to get along with others. Recognizing how friends influence us helps us make choices that keep us happy and safe. Practicing making new friends builds confidence and helps us feel connected.
Some students might think all friends always make good choices or that they must do what friends say. It is important to teach that we can choose to say no to things that feel wrong and that good friends respect our choices.
Look at the picture where one child shares a toy with another. How is the friend influencing behavior here?
The child sharing the toy is showing kindness, which influences the other child to feel happy and possibly share too. This is a positive influence because it encourages sharing and caring behavior.
The friend is influencing by being kind and sharing, which helps others learn to share too.
In a role play, a new student says 'Hello, my name is Sam. What do you like to play?' What skill is Sam demonstrating?
Sam is demonstrating the skill of making a new acquaintance by greeting and asking a question to start a friendship.
Sam is showing how to make a new friend by saying hello and asking about interests.
Show pictures of children playing together and ask students if they have friends who like to play with them. Ask: 'Can friends help us make good choices? How?','Have you ever made a new friend? How did you do it?'
Students share stories about their friends and times they made new friends.
This phase activates prior knowledge about friends and introduces the idea that friends influence behavior and the importance of making new friends.
Present picture cards showing different scenarios where friends influence behavior (sharing, helping, or not listening). Guide students to discuss each scenario.
In small groups, students talk about what the friends are doing and how it might influence behavior.
Students explore examples of friend influence through discussion and observation of scenarios.
Explain that friends can influence us to do good things like sharing and being kind, or sometimes not-so-good things. Teach simple skills to make new friends: greeting, sharing name, asking questions.
Students practice greeting each other, sharing their names, and asking a question to a partner.
This phase clarifies the concept of influence and models social skills for making acquaintances.
Lead role-play activities where students practice making new friends and choosing positive behaviors influenced by friends.
Students role play meeting new friends and making choices to be kind and share.
Students apply skills in social situations and reflect on how friends influence behavior.
Ask students to explain or show how friends can influence behavior and demonstrate how to make a new acquaintance through a short role play or discussion.
Students share examples of friend influence and role play meeting someone new.
Assessment confirms students' understanding of friend influence and social skills for making acquaintances.
In small groups, students talk about what the friends are doing and how it might influence behavior.
What does it mean when we say a friend influences your behavior?
It means a friend can help you decide how to act, like being kind or sharing.
How can you make a new friend?
By saying hello, sharing your name, and asking questions about what they like.
Use picture cards to show examples of friend influence. Provide sentence starters for greetings like 'Hello, my name is...'. Model social skills slowly and repeat as needed.
Use simple words and gestures to explain influence and friendship. Show pictures and act out greetings to support understanding. Encourage students to practice key phrases with partners.
Ask students to explain how they can say no politely if a friend asks them to do something wrong. Encourage students to share stories about when friends helped them make good choices. Have students create their own role play scenarios about making new friends.
Send a note home asking parents to help their child practice greeting new people and talking about friends who help them make good choices.
Friends can influence how we behave by encouraging us to be kind, share, or sometimes make poor choices. Learning to make new friends by greeting and asking questions helps us build healthy relationships. By recognizing positive influences and practicing social skills, we can develop strong, happy friendships that support our social and emotional health.
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