education / elementary / family & relationships / child development R a g Create! Read! Play! s d a l e How do you present life’s complicated lessons about character to a a n d kindergartener? How do you get a group of 8-year-olds to think about S a purpose or integrity? y l o You play games. You act out storybooks. You let them draw and r Building Character paint. And while they’re busy having fun, you ask the questions that make them think and shape positive values. In this book you will find over 200 activities that engage kids in B from the Start: learning, prompt them to think about rules and expectations, and get u i l them moving. d i n g C RepRoducible book activities Games h 201 Handouts a r 90+ books followed 70+ games a Activities 40 coloring and c by activity ideas drawing pages Cub Reporter t e Role-play book characters r When I Grow Up Build a Body f Sculpt animals out of clay r Look Both Ways Human Band o m Take a field trip to a Let Me Do It! What Makes Me “Me” to foster creativity, literacy, pet store t h Making Up e Write new endings to old S favorites t a and play in K–3 r t “ Bfrtofoarmurv tt.ltio e hiohPen!aaenixP adTsnsT Fe cpc hpiuitahmknrleenbiloei rert Dlsgu teraseHd ohVfas tb .t auc ieittw Rsoavl-hil ieihnoo oceiikcydntnlkal onaehd evI sonssi. rd l”ehspdsetvu, oosr nateFc,o ow or saagoaousup-eminlnataf rhdw-dt-r,oe krri lo olff Tlbtroheahoselpaekyno i’rcnncehges ia i lobfldosnirolre i otnhlyen i,aw dear dinnfloeldi nnob o gtet t rt chhehoaeaansrvt ufl ivtnriahecglestu ysaroo ebwr s lmtooer lnuylui’icttfn hierog e snf akut,lo inilz l es. Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor www.search-institute.org Building Character from the Start: 201 Activities to foster creativity, literacy, and play in K–3 Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor Building Character from the Start: 201 Activities Library of Congress to Foster Creativity, Literacy, and Play in K–3. Cataloging-in-Publication Data Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor Ragsdale, Susan. The following are registered Building character from the start : trademarks of Search 201 activities to foster creativity, literacy, and play Institute: Search Institute®, in K-3 / Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor. Developmental Assets®, and . p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-1-57482-269-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) Search Institute Press, Minneapolis, MN ISBN-10: 1-57482-269-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) Copyright © 2009 by Susan Ragsdale 1. Moral education (Primary)—United States. and Ann Saylor 2. Education, Primary—Activity programs— United States. I. Saylor, Ann. II. Title. All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may LC311.R34 2009 be reproduced in any manner, mechanical or elec- 372.01’14—dc22 tronic, without prior permission from the publisher 2009015868 except in brief quotations or summaries in articles or reviews, or as individual activity sheets for educa- About Search Institute Press tional use only. For additional permission, write to Search Institute Press is a division of Search Insti- Permissions at Search Institute. tute, a nonprofit organization that offers leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote positive youth The content of this book has been reviewed by a development. Our mission at Search Institute Press number of K–3 professionals. Every effort has been is to provide practical and hope-filled resources to made to provide sound direction for each game help create a world in which all young people thrive. described herein. The authors, publisher, and review- Our products are embedded in research, and the 40 ers take no responsibility for the use or misuse of any Developmental Assets—qualities, experiences, and materials or methods described in this book, and will relationships youth need to succeed—are a central not be held liable for any injuries caused by partici- focus of our resources. Our logo, the SIP flower, is pating in activities and games from this book. Please a symbol of the thriving and healthy growth young use prudent judgment and take appropriate safety people experience when they have an abundance of precautions when participating in all activities and assets in their lives. games. Licensing and Copyright 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The handouts in Building Character from the Start: 201 Activities to Foster Creativity, Literacy, and Play Printed on acid-free paper in the United States in K–3 may be copied as needed. For each copy, of America. please respect the following guidelines: Do not remove, alter, or obscure the Search Institute credit Search Institute and copyright information on any handout. Clearly 615 First Avenue Northeast, Suite 125 differentiate any material you add for local distribu- Minneapolis, MN 55413 tion from material prepared by Search Institute. Do www.search-institute.org not alter the Search Institute material in content or 612-376-8955 800-888-7828 meaning. Do not resell handouts for profit. Include the following attribution when you use the informa- ISBN-13: 978-1-57482-269-4 tion from the handouts in other formats for promo- tional or educational purposes: Reprinted with Credits permission from Building Character from the Start: Editor: Alison Dotson 201 Activities to Foster Creativity, Literacy, and Play Book Design: Jeenee Lee in K–3 by Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor (specify Production Supervisor: Mary Ellen Buscher the title of the handout). Copyright © 2009 by Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor. All rights reserved. 2 ContentS 8 Dedication 9 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction 14 The Framework of Developmental Assets 17 Unit One: FiniSh the PictUReS And MASteRPiece cReAtiOnS Me and My Family All about Me 19 My Best Day 41 Good vs. Bad 20 That’s Funny! 42 Success! 21 My School 43 Treasures in the Forest 22 Let’s Party! 44 After-School Activities 23 Following the Rules 45 Religious Community 24 Fun at Home 46 My Favorite Story 25 Daily Chores 47 Standing Up 48 To Tell the Truth The People around Me 49 Restaurant Opening 26 Caring Adults 50 Look Both Ways 27 Neighbors 51 Making Up 28 You Are Special 52 Let Me Do It! 29 Listening to Your Neighbors 53 When I Grow Up 30 Good Grown-Ups 31 Turn That Frown Upside Down! How I See Things 32 School Trip 54 Being Neighborly 33 Healthy Choices 55 Home Safety 34 Let’s Be Friends 56 Around the World 57 Fashion Sense My School 58 Fairy Godmother 35 Schoolyard Friends 36 School Rules 37 Homework Help 38 Learning Is Fun! 39 Teacher for a Day 40 School Grown-Ups 3 59 Unit twO: exPeRiencing BOOKS Favorite Books for Grades K–1 73 Miss Nelson Is Missing! 60 All the Places to Love 74 Moe the Dog in Tropical Paradise 60 A Bad Case of Stripes 74 Mole Music 61 A Box Can Be Many Things 75 Not a Stick 61 Brown Bear, Brown Bear, 75 The Other Side What Do You See? 76 Put Me in the Zoo 62 Chrysanthemum 76 A Quiet Place 62 Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type 77 Something Might Happen 63 The Cow That Went Oink 77 Stellaluna 63 Dancing with Daddy 78 Sunflower House 64 Dog Breath: 79 Those Can-Do Pigs The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis 79 Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods 64 Dora’s Eggs That Make My Day 65 The Dot 80 Tom’s Tail 66 Duck on a Bike 80 Tuesday 66 Elmer 81 The Turn-Around, Upside-Down 67 Farm Flu Alphabet Book 67 A Fish Out of Water 82 Walking through the Jungle 68 The Friend 82 Wemberly Worried 68 The Gingerbread Man 83 When Sophie Gets Angry— 69 Green Eggs and Ham Really, Really Angry 69 If You Give a Mouse a Cookie 83 Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge 70 I’m Gonna Like Me: 84 Willy the Dreamer Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem 71 Ish 71 Kiss the Cow! 72 Little by Little 73 Long Night Moon 4 Favorite Books for Grades 2–3 99 The Paper Bag Princess 85 Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, 100 Pigsty No Good, Very Bad Day 100 Pippi Longstocking 85 Appelemando’s Dreams 101 The Raft 86 Babushka, Baba Yaga 101 Rechenka’s Eggs 87 Book! Book! Book! 102 The Relatives Came 87 A Chair for My Mother 102 Roxaboxen 88 Clorinda 103 Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes 88 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 103 Saturdays and Teacakes 89 Danny and the Dinosaur 104 The Spyglass: A Book about Faith 90 Flat Stanley 104 Stella Louella’s Runaway Book 91 Freckle Juice 105 The Stories Julian Tells 91 The Great Fuzz Frenzy 105 Thunder Cake 92 The Hallo-Wiener 106 Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a 92 How to Make an Apple Pie Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little and See the World Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic 93 The Keeping Quilt 106 Train to Somewhere 93 Koala Lou 107 The True Story of the Three Little Pigs 94 Letting Swift River Go 108 The Velveteen Rabbit 94 The Magic Finger 108 Weslandia 95 Meet Danitra Brown 109 When Jessie Came across the Sea 95 The Memory Coat 109 The Wonderful Happens 96 Mirette on the High Wire 110 Yoko 96 The Mitten 97 The Mouse and the Motorcycle 97 Mr. Popper’s Penguins 98 Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle 98 My Great-Aunt Arizona 99 My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother 5 111 Unit thRee: PlAy And MOve Community-Building Games Follow the Leader Games 113 Human Bingo 126 Red Light, Green Light 113 Hot Potato Toss 126 Bubble Gum Light 114 I Know You, Friend! 127 Teacher Says 114 Smile 127 Follow the Leader 115 I Like People Who Like . . . 127 Contrary Leaders 115 My Friend 127 The Review Line Game 116 Spinning a Yarn 128 Space Travel 116 Cub Reporter 117 What Makes Me “Me” Artsy Games 117 Gossip or Telephone 128 Collaborative Song Writers 129 Superheroes Live and in Action! Word Games 129 Human Band 118 Give Me an A! B! C! 130 Back Drawings 118 Spelling Beat 130 An Artist’s Tale 118 ABC Stack-Up 131 Hidden Treasures 119 What’s in a Word? 131 Alphabet Pictures 120 Rhymes Scramble 132 Animal Charades 120 The Changing Word Game 121 Alphabet Soup Energizing Games 121 Collaborative Writers 133 Workout Rolls 121 Round One: Word Wizards 133 Cinderella’s Shoes 122 Round Two: Sentence Starters 122 Round Three: Story Stacks Puzzle Games 122 By the Roll 134 Clang Clang 123 Story Perspectives 134 Guessing Game 124 Portable Words 135 I Spy 124 Impromptu Authors 125 Build a Body 6 Team-Building Games Marathon Events 136 Superhero Team Relay 144 Jumping Jacks 138 Stack-Up Cups 144 Running in Place 138 Tug of War 144 Sit-Ups 138 Group Roll 144 Push-Ups 139 Balloon Keep-Up 144 Squats 139 Beep Beep! 144 Nonstop Talking 140 Station Relay 144 Joke Telling 144 Stare-Downs Backward Play 145 Bet You Can’t Be Quiet! 140 Animal Match 141 Backward Dress Scavenger Hunts 141 Backward Lineup 145 Holiday Scavenger Hunt 142 Over/Under Pass 146 News Scavenger Hunt 146 These-Two-Things Scavenger Hunt Olympics 142 Disc Throw 142 Javelin Throw 143 Frisbee Throw 149 Asset Index 143 Long Jump 143 Long Jump Relay 143 Jumping Frog Variation 7 dediCation To kids everywhere, may you develop a lifelong passion and love for play, creativity, fantasy, and exploring imaginary worlds. To Pete, the “big kid” in my life, thanks for filling my life with laughter, play, and ongoing antics that keep me on my toes. —Susan To my three children—Daniel (7), Brendan (4), and Anna Kate (2)— who continually inspire the creative spirit within me. To my loving husband, who lets me be my crazy, creative self and pursue my sometimes crazy dreams! —Ann 8 aCknowledgmentS T o our art and play team who embraced To our young commentators and avid readers: this project with joy, energy, and enthu- Daniel and Brendan Saylor, ages 7 and 4; siasm, shared their favorite games, Miranda and Marcella Jones, ages 12 and 9; dreamed up possibilities, and gave from Nicholas and Sara Ann McClain, ages 9 and sage wisdom and experience for crafting just 7; Chad Thomas, age 8; Sarah and Andrew the right questions to engage children and Hunter, ages 13 and 10; and Ella Johnstad, adults together in joyful conversation. Sujette age 8, thank you for taking the time to share Overstreet, Sandy Gilbert, Rob Sasser, Russ your special books with us. Kids around the Harris, Paris Goodyear-Brown, and Lynn world will be grateful for your input! Hutcheson—you are all wonderful and special gifts to the children lucky enough And thanks to our big kid book connoisseur to be in your lives! And to Sam Goodyear- contributors: Linda Tupper, Marci McClain, Brown, age 7, it was a treat to have your Amy Anderson, Dana McIntosh, Kristin thoughtful input on the art section. Johnstad and Bill Richmond, Pam Hunter, Peggy Saylor, Shannon Truss, Susan Poulter, To the book connoisseurs who shared their Windee Robinson, and Melanie Jones. favorite books and their enthusiasm for why these books are the best ever! With you, we Final thanks and heartfelt appreciation go out were able to conspire and craft new ways to the usual suspects who help make our work to make books come alive and spent hours a reality: Bucky Rosenbaum, Alison Dotson, in animated conversations of pure fun. You Tenessa Gemelke, Mary Ellen Buscher, and helped to make this collection great. We give Bill Kauffmann. a special thanks to Lana Settle—you have hugely blessed this work! 9