Educator Guide: Kit and the Copycat (Book 13)
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 | Calm the body first, then use words |
| Core lesson | Breathe first, talk second. Most conflicts are fixable. |
| Read-aloud time | 5 to 7 minutes |
| Best group size | 12 to read, 4 to 6 to practice |
| Staffing | Small groups assume a second adult with the rest of the class. Alone, run the calming activities one to one at the calm-down corner. |
| Timing | Times are teaching time. Add five minutes for cleanup. |
Why This Book Matters
A two or three year old in the grip of a big feeling cannot reach language, and no amount of "use your words" changes that until the body settles. This book puts the steps in order: Elias flips the hourglass first, and only after the breath does anyone talk. You cannot teach a script to a flooded child.
Circle Time Discussion
Read it first. Ask on the cover whether Kit will yell. Elias (he/him) carries the hourglass. Pause at "Let's take a breath." and breathe with Kit. Pause at "Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't think about it." and ask whether that kid was mean or thoughtless.
- Where does a mad feeling live in your body? [If no words: "Put your hand where it feels big."]
- Elias flipped the hourglass before talking. Why not talk right away? [If no words: "easier after a breath" or "Kit was too mad."]
- What feeling word could you use when somebody upsets you? [If no words: lay out the face cards.]
- Have you ever upset a friend by accident? [If no words: thumbs up or down, then say it for them.]
- Kit offered to help that kid build his own. Why was that kind? [If no words: a helping hand or a grumpy face.]
The Six Activities, Adapted for the Classroom
Big Feeling Balloon
A grown-up blows a big feeling in, one slow breath at a time, then ties it off.
Materials: A paper lunch bag, the version most centers can run, since many ban balloons. If balloons are allowed, an adult inflates and ties them, uninflated balloons never reach a child's hands, and inflated ones go out at day's end.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6, 8 minutes, rest of the class at centers.
How it runs: Hold the bag up and name what it is for: this is where a big feeling goes. Model one slow breath in through the nose and one slow blow out. Pass it so each child adds one breath, never two.
Say this: "It got bigger, and my chest feels quieter. The big feeling had somewhere to go."
Adapt it: Younger, you hold the bag. Ready for more, name the feeling before and after. Limited mobility or language, bring the bag to them and count the breath aloud.
Look for: Shoulders drop and breathing slows after their turn.
Squeeze and Release
Squeeze both fists like holding two lemons for a count of five, then open wide and shake.
Materials: None. Two real lemons or two soft balls make the image concrete.
Group: Whole group, 4 minutes, excellent at a transition.
How it runs: Sit at eye level and hold up your own fists so children copy your hands, not just your words. Squeeze on a slow count to five, and let them see your face relax. Open wide and shake. Run it three times.
Say this: "Now I let it go. Shake, shake, shake. The feeling drops out through my fingers."
Adapt it: Younger, count to three and squeeze a soft ball. Ready for more, do it silently and report how the hands feel. Limited hand mobility, a shoulder shrug and release on the same count.
Look for: The child copies the full sequence, squeeze and release, not just the squeeze.
Push the Wall
Push a wall with both hands at shoulder height for a count of ten, then shake out.
Materials: A clear stretch of wall, nothing hanging on it, no shelf that can shift.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6 along the wall, 5 minutes, rest of the class at centers.
How it runs: Space children an arm's length apart and say the rule aloud: hands on the wall only. If a child turns and pushes a friend, put both hands back on the wall, no lecture, and restart the count. Push to ten, then shake out.
Say this: "Hands on the wall only. The wall never moves, so nobody gets hurt."
Adapt it: Younger, count to five and stand beside them. Ready for more, show the feeling with big arms or small arms. Wheelchair user or limited arm strength, a seated push against your two palms.
Look for: The child pushes hard on purpose, then stops on the count and shakes out.
Name the Feeling
Four drawn faces and tiny stories the child answers by pointing.
Materials: Four faces on index cards, drawn before circle: mad, frustrated with a tight mouth, sad with a tear, silly with a tongue out.
Group: Whole group, 8 minutes.
How it runs: Lay the cards where the circle can see them and name each one first. Tell the story about Kit's tower and the last block falling off, then let a child point. Cheer the pointing, then say the feeling word clearly. Tell the other three stories.
Say this: "You named it. Frustrated. That's exactly right."
Adapt it: Younger, two cards, adding the rest over the week. Ready for more, they invent a story for the group to name. A child whose home language is not English can name the feeling in that language, and you repeat the idea back in English while keeping their word.
Look for: The child matches a feeling word to a situation without hearing the word first.
Try, Try, Trade
Something tricky, three tries, then the words "I tried. Now I need help."
Materials: One tricky item per child: a jar with a screw lid, a zipper, a laced shoe, a stiff puzzle piece. 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, rest of the class at centers.
How it runs: Hand out the items and name the feeling before anyone struggles, so frustration arrives labeled. Count the tries aloud, one try, two try, three try. A child done at try two is done: go straight to the magic words.
Say this: "Good trying. Now we get to use the magic words: 'I tried. Now I need help.'"
Adapt it: Younger, a snap, and count two tries. Ready for more, they ask a peer. Limited mobility or language, pick an item their body can act on and take a help sign or a tap.
Look for: The child asks for help with words or a signal instead of throwing the item.
Stomp It Out Parade
Stomp a short path saying "MAD" each step, then walk back whispering "calm."
Materials: A path six or seven steps long in floor tape, or chalk outdoors.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6, one at a time, 8 minutes, rest of the class at centers.
How it runs: Walk it yourself first with big stomps and one word per step, so children hear how loud they may be. Send them one at a time. At the end they turn around, and the return trip is slow and whispered.
Say this: "Now we walk back. Whisper with me: calm… calm… calm. Where did the mad go?"
Adapt it: Younger, walk it holding their hand and say the words with them. Ready for more, they pick their own feeling word. Limited mobility, run it seated with hand stomps on a lap tray.
Look for: The child's voice and body change between the loud trip and the quiet one.
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, self-regulation | Chooses a calming move, and breathing slows after it |
| NAEYC | 2.B Social and Emotional Development, resolves conflicts | Uses a feeling sentence instead of grabbing, and re-enters play |
| NGSS Practice | Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information | Points to the face that fits the story and says the word |
| CASEL | Self-Management | Squeezes, breathes, or pushes the wall before speaking in a dispute |
Note for directors: this title carries a light science and engineering load by design, and one practice is all it honestly supports. Schedule it beside a building-heavy title.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| calm | quiet and settled inside | "Your body looks calm now." |
| breath | air you pull in and let out on purpose | "One more slow breath." |
| frustrated | when something will not work | "You are frustrated. That block keeps falling." |
| sorry | telling someone you wish you had not upset them | "He said sorry. What next?" |
| copy | making the same thing somebody else made | "He copied it. Tell him how that felt." |
| talk it out | using words until it is fixed | "Talk it out. I will sit right here." |
Watch For and Note
Emerging. The child goes from calm to flooded with no visible middle step and needs an adult body close by to settle. In conflict they grab, hit, or freeze, and language is unavailable until well after the event.
Developing. The child will breathe, squeeze, or push the wall when an adult offers it, and can say a feeling word once the body has settled. An adult still has to open the conversation with the other child.
Proficient. The child picks a calming strategy on their own, then uses a feeling sentence with the peer directly. They can hear "I'm sorry" and re-enter play, and some will bring the calming tool to another upset child.
Center Extensions
- Blocks: A sand timer on the shelf, flipped when a tower falls, breathe first.
- Art: Big paper and fat crayons for a "scribble it out" page, then a small one.
- Dramatic play: Two chairs and an hourglass as a talking spot: how I feel, what I need.
- Outdoors: Chalk a stomping path, loud out and quiet back.
Family Connection
This week we read Kit and the Copycat, a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) book from Series One, Ages 2 to 4, in which Kit takes a breath first and then says honestly how he feels. The take-home sheet, "Let's Talk About It," walks you through calm words: breathe together, then say, "I feel sad when… Can we talk about it?"
Next in the Series
Book 14, Kit Helps a Friend Build: Working Together Is Better, moves from repairing a conflict to building with someone whose ideas differ. Bridge activity: pair two children who settled a disagreement this week, give them one set of blocks, and let each add one piece at a time.