Free Helping Others Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (2024)

No matter the time of year, learning to help others and practicing the skills needed to be kind, gracious, and thoughtful are valuable life skills for the rest of our lives. Learning to help others in preschool sets young children on a beautiful path towards empathy, love, and respect.

We know learning to help others takes lots of repetition, practice, and opportunity, so that’s why we created these free helping others preschool lesson plans. Be sure to check out all my best preschool thematic activities.

Free Preschool Lesson Plans for a Helping Others Theme

A helping others theme is essential all year in preschool as social-emotional learning is such an important focus in early childhood. Many love to use kindness/helping others as a themed focus around Valentine’s Day but it is also a great theme to use as we enter the back to school season.

Preschoolers benefit greatly from explicit and concrete examples in what helping, kindness, empathy, and gratitude look like, sound like, and make us feel. Since preschoolers operate from a sense of their own ego, it can be difficult for them to put themselves in another’s shoes and see different points of view.

Hands-on Helping Others Activities for Preschoolers

Since these lesson plans are a part of my Learn At Home Collection, they include a series of helping others preschool activities in various content areas. These lesson plans and activities will include the following:

• helping others literacy activities
• helping others math activities
• science activities that focus on being useful
• crafts and collages about celebrating random acts of kindness
• social-emotional activities that model helping
• and safe online music and videos

Get the Convenience Bundle

Although there are over 50 sets of free Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans to date, I have gathered them together in a convenience bundle to save you time!

Literacy Activities for a Helping Others Theme

Hands are For Helping – Invite your preschoolers to watch this short clip – Hands are for helping on YouTube. After watching, discuss different ways that we can help others. Write ”Hands are for Helping” on the top of a piece of paper. With paint or a large stamp pad, paint your preschoolers hands and have them stamp it below the words. Underneath their handprints, write ”I can help by _____” and invite your preschooler to fill in their idea.

Asking For Help is Cool Too – It’s important for young children to recognize that it’s ok to ask for help too. Asking for help when you are having big emotions is really important! Make a list together of things that your preschooler might need help with. Include everyday examples like brushing their teeth, pouring milk into a cup, or folding their clothes. As they brainstorm, see what items they may be able to start trying independently!

Helping Others Picture Books for Preschoolers

Every preschool theme needs some well-written picture books to support it. This is a book list of my favorite picture books about modeling helpfulness. Just click on the book cover to see more. They are all great for preschool, pre k, and kindergarten.

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Math and Science Activities for a Helping Others Theme

Superhero Graphing – Invite your preschooler to graph the superhero “helping” actions as they roll the dice. Encourage them to come up with super helpful actions after each roll!

Community Helper Sorting Mats – There are lots of helpers in our communities! Grab these sorting mats and sort the right objects, clothes, and items needed to do their job.

Help Make a Cleaning Spray – It’s always helpful when little ones help with the chores so why not make your own safe cleaning spray that preschoolers can use to clean up messes? You’ll need lemons, vinegar, and a large mason jar. Then pour into a spray bottle and clean!

Playful Learning Activities for a Helping Others Theme

Draw Each Other’s Portraits – Grab some cardstock or thick paper and focus on drawing portraits! Share that a portrait is a detailed drawing of a person so make sure to include the facial features and special characteristics of that person. Display your portraits proudly!

Paper Airplanes – Grab some paper and get to folding! Create paper airplanes together and find new places to send them soaring! Find a tall place (like the playground) and see how long before the plane hits the ground!

Do the Chicken Dance! – Turn on this classic song and dance and follow along! Invite your preschoolers to learn the classic moves and play along!

Social-Emotional Activities for a Helping Others Theme

Helping Hands – Go to YouTube and listen to the story, Helping Hands by Anna Prokos. After listening, ask your preschooler how did Ocho the Octopus prove to be helpful in this story? At the end of the story, ask your preschooler, “How did Ocho’s friends thank him for all of his help?” “Do you think it is easy or hard to be a helpful kid”? “Why or why not?” Encourage all answers and remind preschoolers that it’s just as important to ask for help when you need it as it is to give help when you can.

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? – Go to YouTube and listen to the story, Have You Filled a Bucket Today? By Carol McCloud. After listening, draw a bucket shape on a piece of paper and focus on easy things that your preschooler can do to fill someone else’s bucket. Some examples include sharing, holding a door, saying thank you, etc. Add their ideas to the bucket. Hang the bucket somewhere visable and invite your preschooler to think of new things to add. This bucket filling song is also a great way to reinforce the idea of making others feel good.

Helping Others Preschool Toys

Having the right toys and manipulatives can really enhance your preschool theme. You can use these helping and kindness resources in circle time or to in small groups.

Just Plain Fun Activities for a Helping Others Theme

Chore Cards – Grab these chore cards and help your preschooler find easy ways to help around the house! These visual cards make it easy for preschoolers to track and practice being helpful.

Superhero Name Shield – Helping others makes you a superhero! Practice your name and decorate your superhero shield! Invite your preschooler to add shapes, patterns, stripes, or additional art features!

Kindness Coloring Pages – Coloring is great for fine motor, color recognition, and visual discrimination. Choose a kindness coloring page and color together as a family or class.

Get Online Activities for a Nature Theme

Online Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the book, The Berenstain Bears Lend a Helping Hand by Stan and Jan Berenstain. After listening, ask your preschooler, “Did Brother and Sister Bear learn a lesson about helping neighbors?” Do you think the old lady was able to teach teach kindness?

All About Helpfulness – Rap along to this kind kid’s song about helping and doing your share!

Helping Others Video – Learn the value and importance of helping others with Elmo.

Helping Others Song – Helping others really does make us feel good. This song and video has some great ideas!

Grab Your Free Helping Others Preschool Lesson Plans

Think your preschoolers might enjoy these nature themed activities? Grab your free lesson plans by clicking the image below.

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