Super Duper You: 4-Week Preschool Lesson Plan on Self-Esteem & Emotions

Bring the beloved book 'Super Duper You' by Sophy Henn to life with this complete 4-week preschool lesson plan! This unit is packed with creative arts, sensory play, and social-emotional learning (SEL) activities designed to boost self-esteem, explore feelings, and encourage kindness. Guide children through weekly themes as they create superhero capes, make emotion masks, go on a sensory scavenger hunt, and learn about being a community helper. Perfect for educators and parents of preschoolers and kindergarteners looking for engaging, book-based learning.

Create Your Own Custom Lesson Plan
PDF

Super Duper You: A 4-Week Creative Exploration

Overall Materials Needed for the Term

  • The book: "Super Duper You" by Sophy Henn
  • Large sheets of paper or a roll of craft paper
  • Crayons, markers, and child-safe paint
  • Old t-shirt, sheet, or piece of fabric for a cape
  • Fabric markers or paint
  • Stickers, glitter, craft gems, and glue
  • A mirror (handheld or wall-mounted)
  • Paper plates
  • Popsicle sticks or straws
  • Construction paper in various colors
  • Child-safe scissors
  • Small, opaque containers or jars for a scent game
  • Cotton balls, spices (like cinnamon), lemon slices, etc. for scent game
  • Various small food items for a taste test (e.g., pretzel, piece of apple, lemon slice, sugar cube)
  • A blindfold (a soft scarf works well)
  • Building blocks or LEGOs

Week 1: Discovering My Super Self

Theme: What makes me one-of-a-kind?

Learning Focus:

  • To identify and celebrate unique personal qualities and abilities.
  • To develop a positive self-concept.
  • To practice fine motor skills through creative expression.

Activities:

  1. Read "Super Duper You": Start the week by reading the book together. Talk about how everyone is different and special. Ask your child, "What is something super special about you?"
  2. "Super Me" Cape Design: Use an old t-shirt or piece of fabric as a cape. With fabric markers, paint, and glitter, help your child decorate their cape with things that represent them. This could be their initial, handprints, or drawings of things they love to do (like running, drawing, or building).
  3. My Superpower Portrait: On a large piece of paper, have your child lie down and trace their body outline. Inside the outline, they can draw or paint their "superpowers." Guide them to think beyond traditional powers. Are they a "Super Hugger"? A "Super Fast Runner"? A "Super Storyteller"? Label their powers together.
  4. Mirror, Mirror: Look in a mirror together. Make silly faces, happy faces, and sleepy faces. Talk about what you see. "I see your super brown eyes that are great at spotting bugs!" or "I see your super strong smile that makes me happy!" This builds positive body awareness.

Things to Observe:

  • Can your child name one or two things they are good at or like about themselves?
  • How do they express their ideas through drawing and crafting?
  • Do they enjoy wearing their cape and engaging in imaginative play?

Week 2: The Power of Feelings

Theme: All my feelings are my superpowers!

Learning Focus:

  • To identify and name basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, surprised).
  • To understand that it's okay to have different feelings.
  • To explore emotions through movement and creative arts.

Activities:

  1. Re-read "Super Duper You": Focus on the pages that talk about feelings. Point out the different expressions on the characters' faces.
  2. Emotion Masks: Use paper plates and markers to create simple masks for different emotions. Draw a happy face, a sad face, an angry face, and a surprised face. Attach them to popsicle sticks. Use the masks to tell stories or act out scenarios. "Show me the mask for how you feel when you get a big hug."
  3. Feelings Freeze Dance: Play some music and have your child dance. When the music stops, call out a feeling (e.g., "Happy!"). Your child then freezes and makes a happy face and pose. Continue with different emotions. This is a great way to connect feelings to whole-body expression.
  4. Color Your Feelings: On a piece of paper, ask your child what color they think happiness is. What about sadness? Let them scribble and paint with colors that they associate with different emotions. There is no right or wrong answer; the goal is expression.

Things to Observe:

  • Can your child match the emotion word to the correct facial expression on the masks?
  • Are they able to express different feelings physically during the freeze dance game?
  • How do they talk about their own feelings during the activities?

Week 3: Activating My Super Senses

Theme: My senses help me explore the world.

Learning Focus:

  • To identify and explore the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste).
  • To develop observation and description skills.
  • To engage in sensory-based play and discovery.

Activities:

  1. "Super Senses" Obstacle Course: Create a simple obstacle course. Include something to crawl on (touch), something to listen for (like a bell they have to ring), something to look for (I-Spy a specific color), and a special "super energy" snack at the end (taste).
  2. Super Smell Mystery Jars: Place different items with distinct smells (a cotton ball with vanilla, a lemon slice, cinnamon, a piece of soap) into small, opaque containers. Have your child use their "super nose" to guess what's inside each one.
  3. Super Hearing Sound Hunt: Sit quietly for one minute and listen. What sounds do you hear inside? What about outside? Go for a walk and listen for different sounds—a bird, a car, the wind. Talk about whether the sounds are loud or quiet.
  4. Super Taste Test: With your child's eyes closed (or using a blindfold if they are comfortable), give them tiny tastes of different foods: something sweet (a raisin), salty (a pretzel), sour (a tiny drop of lemon juice), and bitter (a small piece of dark chocolate). Help them use describing words for what they taste.

Things to Observe:

  • Can your child name any of the five senses during the activities?
  • Do they show curiosity and engagement in the sensory games?
  • Are they beginning to use words to describe what they see, hear, smell, and taste?

Week 4: My Super Helper Powers

Theme: Using my powers for good!

Learning Focus:

  • To understand the concepts of kindness and helping others.
  • To practice pro-social behaviors like sharing and teamwork.
  • To recognize the "superheroes" in our community.

Activities:

  1. Final Read-Through: Read "Super Duper You" one last time, focusing on the message that being yourself and being kind is the best superpower of all.
  2. Kindness Missions: Throughout the day, give your child secret "kindness missions." These can be simple tasks like, "Your mission is to give someone in our family a hug," or "Your mission is to help put away your toys without being asked." Celebrate the completion of each mission.
  3. Build a Super City Together: Using blocks, cardboard boxes, and other toys, work together to build a city. This activity encourages teamwork, sharing, and communication. You can add toy figures and pretend they are helping each other in the city.
  4. Thank You Cards for Community Heroes: Talk about the real-life superheroes who help us, like firefighters, doctors, or mail carriers. Create a thank you card for one of these helpers. You can draw a picture of them at work. This helps connect the idea of being "super" to real-world actions of helping others.

Things to Observe:

  • Does your child show enthusiasm for the "kindness missions"?
  • How do they navigate sharing and building together during the block activity?
  • Can they identify one or two ways people can help each other?