The South Carolina Early Learning Standards are incorporated into the Sunflower classroom curriculum. 

Standards addressed during the class exploration on giving include:

• Goal ESD-7: Children recognize and respond to the needs and feelings of others.

•  Goal ESD-4: Children form relationships and interact positively with other children.

• Goal LDC-2: Children participate in conversations with peers and adults in one-on-one, small, and larger group interactions. 

Throughout the year, the Sunflower class has had a central focus on recognizing and responding to the needs and feelings of others through giving and kind actions. (Goal ESD-7) This year-long thread of giving began the first week of school when the children learned the expectations of the classroom, one being “kindness towards friends” (Goal ESD-4). Out of this discussion, the class brainstormed different ways that you could be kind to someone. Ideas were suggested, such as drawing a picture or giving hugs. When the children were asked “How can you be a good friend?” answers included:

“Help each other”

“Lift people up when they need help”

“Hugging someone when they are hurt”

“Sharing Toys”

Then an  idea came to bake something for another person to make them happy. From this child’s suggestion, our class began our exploration of what it means to give and how it makes others feel. (Goal ESD-7).

Learning Through Literature

 A substantial interest emerged around the topic of baking. The teachers followed the lead of the children’s engagement and chose the book The Little Red Hen as a bridge between their interest in baking and the overarching theme of giving. Literature is a way that children can learn about the concepts of giving and empathy. After reading the children’s book, The Little Red Hen, a student had the idea that the class could make bread to share. At circle time, the class discussed who they could make the bread for. The decision was made that the Sunflower’s would make bread for the Butterflies because they often do nice things for them. (Goal LDC-2) By extending their giving outside of the classroom, students began to learn the importance of being kind and generous to children around them and how that helps build new relationships. (Goal ESD-4) After sharing the bread with the Butterflies, there was a notable increase in play and interaction between the two classes during outdoor time.

Giving in the Local Community

As the holiday season began, the class thought of different people that they could make treats for. We decided to reach out to the local community and visit a nearby senior center to bring cookies and holiday cheer. During circle time, the children learned about how some people do not have people to visit them.  Each student worked hard to measure the ingredients, mix, and scoop the dough so that our class had a gift to give the adults in the center. 

At this point in the year, the class’s focus on giving extended into a lesson on empathy. Empathy, or the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is a skill that must be taught to young children. It can be hard for children to understand because it is a multi-step process of decoding the emotions of another person and then thinking about how it would feel if to be in their shoes. The best way to teach empathy is through thought-provoking conversations and modeling empathetic behavior.

Having the children practice an act of giving at the senior center allowed many of them to have “ah-ha” moments about how doing nice things makes others feel. When asked what their favorite part of going to the senior center was, one student replied:

 “Giving them cookies and making them happy.”

Collaboration with a Local School

Another extension of giving in the community came out of ECDC’s long-standing relationship with Memminger Elementary School. During the week of Valentine’s day, the class got excited to celebrate love and friendship. We extended an invitation to the three-year-old class at Memminger for a playdate and to create a “Friendship Fruit Salad.” Both classes brought a bowl of fruit to the playground and mixed it to make one big Valentine’s Day snack! The children were able to recognize the happiness that sharing fruit gave the other class because they were feeling that emotion as well.

Giving to People in Need

As a summation of our focus on understanding the needs of others and responding to those needs, the class set up a toy drive. Before the children went home to look for toys they wanted to share, the class discussed how sometimes people do not have the things they need. At first, the children had a hard time understanding why they would give away their toys. The idea of being generous was introduced. Over two weeks, the students were encouraged to look through their toys at home and pick one to donate to a child who doesn’t have any. The more discussion our class had about giving and the children the toys were for, the more excited the children began to get. The class left a box near the front of the room for the toys to be dropped off in. Each day more and more children would bring their friends over to the box and show them with pride the toy they had donated. For the class to understand where the toys were going, one of the organization’s volunteers came by to pick up the donations and thank each child as they handed her their gift. The students were overjoyed to give their toys away when they understood that they were for another child who needed them! Through this year-long exploration of giving and empathy, the children’s ability to care for their classmates’ needs and think about their local community became evident through their conversations and dramatic play scenarios.