Educator Guide: Kit Shares with a Friend (Book 11)
Free to use in your classroom. The matching family activity sheet is on the Educator Resources page.
| Ages | Series One, Ages 2 to 4 |
| Theme | Sharing what you made, and the deal behind it |
| Core lesson | Sharing what you made sends it further, it does not take it away. |
| Read-aloud time | 5 to 7 minutes |
| Best group size | 12 to read, 4 to 6 for activities |
| Staffing | Small groups assume a second adult with the rest of the class. Alone, run them at a center in two shorter rotations. |
| Timing | Times are teaching time. Add five minutes for cleanup. |
Why This Book Matters
Two and three year olds learn "mine" long before "ours," and that order is correct. A child has to feel a thing is truly his before giving it away means anything. Kit's hesitation is printed on the page, so a teacher can treat a child's hesitation as normal too, and then show what comes after yes.
Circle Time Discussion
Read it first. On the cover, ask what keeps going wrong at Zara's stand. Zara (she/her) runs it. Pause at "Kit wants to help. But Kit also feels funny. Sharing is hard." and ask where in the body sharing feels funny. Pause at "It's a DEAL!" and ask what a handshake means.
- Kit felt funny before he said yes. Have you? [If no words: "Point to where it felt funny."]
- Zara told everyone, "Kit invented this!" How did Kit feel? [If no words: a happy face and a grumpy face.]
- What did Zara give Kit back? [If no words: a toy cup and a toy cookie.]
- Is sharing the same as giving away forever? [If no words: thumbs up or down, then say it.]
- Who here would you let use something you made? [If no words: let them stand by that friend.]
The Six Activities, Adapted for the Classroom
Start a Toy Parade!
Five toys march a loop, then the parade goes to a friend.
Materials: Five small figures or vehicles per parade, clear floor, one bell. Small parts: use pieces larger than a toilet paper tube opening in rooms with children under three, or run this activity in a small group with an adult seated at the table.
Group: Whole group, 10 minutes, two parades of six marching at once on opposite halves of the rug. Six handoffs each, not twelve. Both adults, one per parade.
How it runs: Give each parade a leader and five toys, and walk the loop once together. Ring the bell: the leader hands over all five, names the next owner, and goes to the back.
Say this: "This parade belongs to Malik. When the bell rings, Malik picks who is next."
Adapt it: Younger, three toys and a short loop. Ready for more, the leader invents the route. Limited mobility or language, put a parade stop chair on the route and give that child the bell.
Look for: The child lets go of all five without prying, then watches the parade, not their own toy.
One for You, One for Me!
Take one, give one, until the pile is gone.
Materials: Twenty unit blocks, or crackers at snack, and two trays.
Group: Pairs, 5 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Seat partners knee to knee, pile between them, a tray each. One child moves every item while saying "one for you, one for me" until the pile is gone. Both put their hands flat and look. Swap dealers.
Say this: "Say it while your hands do it. Your mouth and your hands are working together."
Adapt it: Younger, eight items, chanting for them. Ready for more, ask whether the trays are fair and let them count. Limited mobility or language, they signal whose turn by point or gaze while a partner slides the item. A child whose home language is not English can chant and count in that language, and you repeat the idea back in English while keeping their word.
Look for: The child hands over the alternate item unprompted, including the last one.
Trade a Smile!
Give a big smile, wait, and let it come back.
Materials: None. A hand mirror is a nice extra.
Group: Whole group, 3 minutes, ideal at a transition.
How it runs: Stand children facing a partner an arm's length apart. Count "one, two, three, smile," then hold the room silent five slow seconds. Let them report who smiled back and how fast, then rotate one step. Three rounds, then stop.
Say this: "Find your friend's eyes, give your biggest smile, then wait. The waiting is the whole game."
Adapt it: Younger, run it teacher to child so the return smile is guaranteed. Ready for more, ask who smiled first, the giver or the receiver. A child who avoids eye contact trades with a mirror or a wave.
Look for: The child holds still and waits for the smile to return.
Pass the Toy!
Hold a favorite toy for five slow breaths, say "your turn," and pass it.
Materials: A beanbag or soft ball for lap one, one genuinely wanted toy for lap two.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6, 8 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers with the other adult.
How it runs: Name the rule before anything appears: everyone gets it, everyone gives it. Run lap one with the beanbag, five slow breaths counted aloud, then "your turn" and pass. Bring the wanted toy in only on lap two.
Say this: "Five slow breaths, then say 'your turn.' The toy will come back. I will make sure it does."
Adapt it: Younger, two breaths and the beanbag only. Ready for more, the holder names who they pass to and why. Limited mobility or language, put a low tray between neighbors so the pass is a slide.
Look for: The child releases the toy on their own words, not on an adult countdown.
Share a Song!
Sing one line, stop, and let a partner carry the next.
Materials: The three printed verses on chart paper, the only prep this week, five minutes the day before. Rhythm sticks or blocks.
Group: Whole group, 6 minutes.
How it runs: Teach the alternation before the words: I sing, you sing, nobody sings on top of anybody. Take the adult lines and give children theirs, starting with "One for you and one for me." Verse three is for everyone, so let the room carry it.
Say this: "I sing my line, then I close my mouth. Your line is next, and I cannot sing it for you."
Adapt it: Younger, verse one only, tapping the beat. Ready for more, a pair invents a fourth verse about something they share. Limited mobility or language, give them the sticks, which enter on the children's line.
Look for: A child who is not singing still enters on the correct beat with a tap.
Set Up a Trade Table!
Put three things out, add a friend's three, trade one for one.
Materials: A low table, a placemat per child as a trading mat, three classroom items per child. Small parts: use pieces larger than a toilet paper tube opening in rooms with children under three, or run this activity in a small group with an adult seated at the table.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6, 10 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Each child lines up three items on their mat. Partners take turns asking for one item on the other mat, one for one. Coach it aloud once: ask, answer, swap, shake hands. When a no arrives, you hand the refused child their next move.
Say this: "He said no, and no is allowed. Look at his mat and pick something else."
Adapt it: Younger, two items per mat, teacher as one trader. Ready for more, each trader says why they wanted that item. Limited mobility or language, bring the mats to them and let them point.
Look for: The child hears a no, picks a different item, and completes a trade.
Learning Standards
The table below cites three frameworks: the Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).
| Framework | Element | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| NAEYC | 2.B Social and Emotional Development, cooperative play | Releases the toy on their own words in Pass the Toy and waits out the circle |
| NAEYC | 2.D Language Development, conversational rules | Enters on the children's line in Share a Song and stops for the adult line |
| NGSS Practice | Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking | Deals alternately in One for You, One for Me, then compares trays and says whether they are fair |
| CASEL | Relationship Skills | Hears a no at the trade table, picks another item, and completes the trade |
About these frameworks
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): the accrediting body whose Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards define what a high-quality preschool curriculum covers. Standard 2, Curriculum, is the section directors document during accreditation, and the rows above name the topic area each activity supports.
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): the kindergarten through grade 12 science standards adopted by most states. Formal NGSS expectations begin at kindergarten, so this table cites only its Science and Engineering Practices, naming the precursor behaviors this book builds rather than grade-level performance expectations.
- Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): the research organization whose five social-emotional competencies most states use to define social-emotional learning. Naming them shows where each activity builds skills such as self-management, social awareness, or relationship skills.
Key Vocabulary
| Word | Child-Friendly Definition | Teacher Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| share | letting someone use your thing | "You shared it. It is still yours." |
| deal | a promise two people make | "A deal: he holds it, then you do." |
| trade | you give one, I give one | "A fair trade, one for one." |
| turn | your time to hold it | "Five breaths, then Amara's turn." |
| kind | doing what feels good to someone else | "Handing it over unasked was kind." |
| proud | the warm feeling after doing something good | "Look at your face. That is proud." |
Watch For and Note
Emerging. The child holds a shared item against the body and turns away when a peer approaches. An adult countdown is needed before the item moves, and the child tracks it across the room afterward.
Developing. The child gives the item up when prompted and says a turn-taking phrase after the teacher models it. The wait is still hard, so the item often returns to their hands within a minute.
Proficient. The child offers a turn before being asked, uses their own words to do it, and stays with a new activity after handing something over. They point out fairness in other pairs out loud.
Center Extensions
- Blocks: One bin for two builders, with a photo of two children's hands on a tower.
- Art: A "one crayon, two artists" tray, one picture, both names.
- Dramatic play: A lemonade stand with cups and a sign, coaching "I tell people YOU made it."
- Outdoors: Fewer riding toys than children, plus a marked trading spot.
Family Connection
This week we read Kit Shares with a Friend, a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) book from Series One, Ages 2 to 4, in which Kit lets a friend use something he built and finds that sharing made it bigger. The take-home sheet, "Share Something You Made!", asks your child to hand something they made to someone at home and answer one question: "How did that feel?"
Next in the Series
Book 12, Kit's Special Stamp: Everyone Knows It's Mine, moves from sharing a thing to marking it so everyone still knows who made it. Bridge activity: after a trade, each child draws one shape on a sticky note for what they made.