Pre-K & Kindergarten Lesson Plan: Exploring Family, Heritage, and Two Homes

Engage your Pre-K or Kindergarten students with a heartwarming lesson plan on family, identity, and cultural heritage. This resource is perfectly designed to positively affirm children who have two homes, celebrating their unique family structure. Through hands-on activities like creating a 'My Two Homes' collage, exploring geography, and enjoying a sensory break with an allergy-safe play-doh recipe, students build self-esteem and key developmental skills. This plan seamlessly integrates social studies, fine arts, and fine motor practice, making it ideal for classroom and homeschool settings.

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Lesson Plan: Arturo's Awesome World - My Family, My Homes, and Me!

Subject: Social Studies, Personal Identity, and Fine Arts

Grade Level: Pre-K / Kindergarten (Age 5)

Focus: This lesson is designed to help Arturo celebrate his unique identity, family structure, and cultural heritage in a positive, hands-on, and creative way. It is tailored to his specific needs and strengths.

Materials Needed

  • For the Collage:
  • One large piece of poster board or two pieces of construction paper glued together.
  • Construction paper in various colors, especially red, white, green, and blue (for flags).
  • Child-safe scissors (and parent scissors for assistance).
  • Non-toxic, allergy-safe glue stick (e.g., check for soy/nut warnings).
  • Crayons or washable markers.
  • Photographs of Arturo, his mom, his dad, and any other important family members. Include pictures of his two homes if possible.
  • Stickers or other favorite craft supplies for decoration.
  • For the Sensory Activity:
  • Ingredients for allergy-safe play-doh:
    • 1 cup baking soda
    • 1/2 cup cornstarch
    • 3/4 cup warm water
    • Food coloring (red, green, blue)
    • Note: This recipe is free from wheat, nuts, soy, and beans.
  • A small pot and a stove (for parent use only).
  • Wax paper or a silicone mat for playing.
  • Optional Resources:
  • A globe or world map.
  • Children's music from Cuba and Mexico (available on streaming services).

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, Arturo will be able to:

  1. Identify his two homes and the primary family members who live in each.
  2. Point to Cuba and Mexico on a map as the places his family comes from.
  3. Verbally share one special fact about himself or his family using a simple sentence.
  4. Practice fine motor skills through cutting, gluing, and molding play-doh.

Lesson Activities

Part 1: Warm-Up - Where in the World is Arturo? (10 minutes)

Goal: To introduce the concept of heritage and geography in a simple, visual way.

  • Step 1: Map Exploration. Sit with Arturo and look at a world map or globe. Say, "This big map shows the whole world! People in our family come from special places. Let's find them."
  • Step 2: Find Mexico. Point to Mexico. Say, "This is Mexico. Your family on Dad's side is from here! The Mexican flag has green, white, and red." If you have a picture of the flag, show it to him.
  • Step 3: Find Cuba. Point to Cuba. Say, "This is Cuba. Your family on Mom's side is from here! The Cuban flag has blue, white, and red." Show him a picture of the Cuban flag.
  • Step 4: Connect to Arturo. Gently touch his arm and say, "That means you are part Mexican and part Cuban! How cool is that? You are part of both of these amazing places."

Differentiation for Speech/ABA: Use simple, repetitive phrases. "This is Mexico." "Arturo is from Mexico." "This is Cuba." "Arturo is from Cuba." Encourage him to point with you.

Part 2: Main Activity - My Two Awesome Homes Collage (25-30 minutes)

Goal: To create a visual representation of his family life that is positive and affirming of his two-home structure, while practicing fine motor and communication skills.

  • Step 1: Set Up the Board. Take the large poster board and draw a line down the middle. On one side, write "My Home with Mom" and on the other, "My Home with Dad." Say, "You have two homes, and both are full of love. We're going to make a special poster for both of them!"
  • Step 2: Build the Homes. Let Arturo use construction paper to make a house shape for each side. He can cut out squares and triangles or you can have them pre-cut for him. This is great OT practice! Ask questions as he works: "What color is the door at Mom's house?" "Does Dad's house have big windows?"
  • Step 3: Add the People. Look at the photos together. Ask, "Who is this?" as you pick up each photo. Help him glue the photo of his mom on her side and his dad on his side. Glue a picture of Arturo in the middle, right on the line, or have two pictures of him, one for each side. Affirm, "There's Mom in her home, and there's Dad in his home. And you are loved in BOTH homes."
  • Step 4: Talk About Their Jobs. When he glues his parents' photos, talk about what they do. "Mom is a vet nurse who helps animals feel better. She is studying to be a doctor for animals!" "Dad is a nurse who helps people feel better." This connects to his own experience with doctors and medicine in a positive way.
  • Step 5: Decorate with Pride. Use crayons, markers, and stickers to decorate. Encourage him to draw things that make him special. You can say, "Let's draw your special breathing medicine (inhaler) that keeps you healthy," or "Let's draw some yummy fruits you CAN eat!" Frame his medical needs as part of what makes him uniquely him, and focus on the tools that help him stay strong.

Differentiation for Physical/OT: If cutting is difficult, have shapes pre-cut. Using a glue stick is great for grip strength. If he has eczema flare-ups, ensure his hands are clean before and after, and apply lotion as needed. The activity should be calm to not trigger asthma.

Part 3: Sensory Break - Heritage Play-Doh Flags (15 minutes)

Goal: A calming, sensory activity that reinforces the lesson's cultural themes and supports OT goals.

  • Parent Prep: Following the recipe, quickly make three small batches of allergy-safe play-doh: one plain (white), one with red food coloring, and one with a mix of blue and green (or make separate blue and green batches). Let it cool completely.
  • Activity: Set the play-doh on wax paper. Say, "We're going to use the flag colors of Mexico and Cuba to make our own creations!"
  • Mexican Flag Colors: Give him the red, white, and green dough. He can roll them into snakes to lay side-by-side, or just squish and mix them.
  • Cuban Flag Colors: Give him the red, white, and blue dough. He can make stars, stripes, or any abstract shape he wants.
  • Conversation: As he plays, play some music from Cuba or Mexico. Talk about the colors and textures. This is a low-pressure way to reinforce the concepts while he strengthens his hand muscles.

Part 4: Wrap-Up & Share (5 minutes)

Goal: To review the concepts and give Arturo a chance to proudly share his creation.

  • Show and Tell: Display Arturo's finished collage. Ask him to be the teacher. "Arturo, can you tell me about your awesome world?"
  • Use Sentence Starters:
    • "This is my home with..." (He can point and say "Mom" or "Dad").
    • "I am from..." (He can say "Mexico" or "Cuba").
    • "I am special because..." (Help him with an idea, like "I am a great artist," or "I am from two amazing places," or "I am strong.")
  • Praise and Display: Give him specific praise. "I love how you chose a blue door for Dad's house." "You did a great job gluing." Hang the poster proudly in his room. This validates his work and his story.

Assessment

Observe Arturo's participation and review his final collage. Success is measured by:

  • Completion: Did he create a collage representing his two homes?
  • Identification: Can he point to his mom/dad and their respective "homes" on the poster?
  • Verbalization: Does he attempt to use the vocabulary (Mom, Dad, home, Mexico, Cuba) when prompted? Any attempt, even a single word, is a success.
  • Engagement: Was he engaged and positive during the activities?