Activity
Helping Hands
Children notice when someone needs help and practice caring responses.
Ages 36–60 months
Supports this milestone
- expresses care and concern toward others. — Head Start ELOF
Materials
- A book or puppet showing a character who is hurt or sad
- Comfort props (toy bandage, soft blanket)
Steps
- Read or act out a moment where a character feels sad or gets hurt.
- Ask "How does she feel? What could we do to help?"
- Let children offer ideas and act out a caring response with the props.
- Connect it to real life ("When a friend is sad, we can ask if they're okay").
Variations
- Set up a classroom "helper" job that supports a peer each day.
Differentiation
- For beginners, model the helping action and have them copy it.
- For older children, brainstorm two different ways to help.
Accessibility
- Make caring actions explicit and concrete; some children need the action shown.
Practices these skills
Evidence
- Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs (4th ed.) — National Association for the Education of Young Children · 2022 · National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) — U.S. Office of Head Start · 2015 · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Early Atlas