Educator Guide: Kit Gives It Away (Book 16)
Free to use in your classroom. The matching family activity sheet is on the Educator Resources page.
At a Glance
| Ages | Series One, Ages 2 to 4 |
| Theme | Making something on purpose for someone else |
| Core lesson | A gift's warm feeling belongs to the giver too, earned by thinking of the other person first. |
| Read-aloud time | 5 to 7 minutes |
| Best group size | Whole group to read, pairs and small groups after |
| Staffing | Small groups assume a second adult covers the room. Alone, run one table and set the other centers out first. |
| Timing | Times are teaching time. Add five minutes for cleanup. |
Why This Book Matters
Holding another person's preferences in mind while your own hands are busy is hard cognitive work, and it arrives in small rehearsals. Kit does not simply give a cup away. He decides what Grandma loves first, then builds toward it, which is the step preschoolers usually skip.
Circle Time Discussion
Hold up the cover: "Who is Kit carrying that wrapped-up thing for?" Take two guesses, correct neither. Pause at "A gift should look as special as it IS." and ask what Ama is doing. Pause at "You MADE this? For ME?" and let children make Grandma's face.
- Kit painted flowers because Grandma loves flowers. What does your family love? [If no words: name two people, let them point.]
- Look at Grandma's face. What is it telling us? [If no words: copy the face, then name it, shiny eyes.]
- Ama says a gift should look special. What could we wrap something in? [If no words: offer a cloth napkin and a paper towel.]
- Kit gave the cup away and still felt warm. How does that work? [If no words: accept a nod to "Grandma would like it."]
- Who would you make something for? [If no words: point at a family board photo.]
The Six Activities, Adapted for the Classroom
Eyes Shut Till I Say Open
The book: build a block surprise while a friend's eyes stay shut, then say OPEN.
Materials: unit blocks, one basket per pair, a scarf for children who cover their own eyes.
Group: pairs at the small group table, 10 minutes both turns, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Seat pairs back to back so the eyes-shut rule keeps itself. Give the builder 90 seconds and six blocks, which keeps the wait short enough for a two year old. Coach a loud OPEN, then "I made it for you."
Say this: "Your job is not the blocks. It is the face."
Adapt it: Younger children may peek, that counts. Ready for more: ask which color the partner likes. Limited mobility or language: build on a tray, bang twice for OPEN.
Look for: the builder watching the face, not the blocks.
You Pick First
The book: make two things that are almost twins, let a friend pick first, and that one is theirs.
Materials: two identical sheets of paper and three matching crayons per pair, or six blocks.
Group: pairs at the small group table, 12 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Hand out matched materials rather than letting children pick colors, or one becomes the good one and the offer turns into a loss. A child who cannot let go keeps both, watches a friend do it, and tries tomorrow. That is data, not failure.
Say this: "Two hands, both open. Your friend picks first, and that one is theirs."
Adapt it: Younger children make two scribbles. Ready for more: guess which the friend will take. Limited mobility or language: hold both on a lap tray while an adult voices the offer.
Look for: the chosen item released without a grab back.
Two Hands, Say the Name
The book: pick something you made, carry it with both hands, and say "I made this for you" with their name before you let go.
Production note: early printings of this page carry Book 15's tapping instruction by mistake. The game here matches the picture.
Materials: one thing each child made this week, from the drying rack or the block shelf.
Group: small group of 4 to 6, 10 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Both hands is the whole rule, so practice the carry once with empty hands. The giver walks, stops, waits for the receiver's eyes, then says the sentence with the name in it. Nobody lets go before the name.
Say this: "Both hands. Wait for her eyes. Now say it: I made this for you, Ama."
Adapt it: Younger children say the name only. Ready for more: add what the thing is. Limited mobility or language: carry it on a lap tray, or let a partner voice the sentence.
Look for: the child waiting for eye contact before letting go.
Watch the Shiny Eyes
The book: wrap something you made, give it away, and watch the receiver's face, not the gift.
Materials: drawings or block creations children already made, cloth napkins or paper towels, tape.
Group: small group of five, 10 minutes, one sitting a day Monday through Thursday, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Five givings is the ceiling for one delighted face, so line up a different receiver each day: the cook, a family volunteer, the director, an older buddy. Wrapping costs ten minutes of prep the day before, and Monday's sitting means wrapping the previous Friday, before the weekend. If a receiver cancels, the second adult takes the chair.
Say this: "Your one job is her face. Tell me what her eyes do."
Adapt it: Younger children may watch one second, so describe the face. Ready for more: name the feeling. Limited mobility or language: seat them facing the receiver, accept a point.
Look for: eyes on the receiver's face rather than on the unwrapping hands.
Wrap and Give
The book: wrap one small toy in fabric, tie it, and hand it away: the wrapper never keeps it.
Materials: cloth napkins or squares from an old sheet, one small toy each, 18 inch yarn. 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 at the art table, 12 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Ama arrives with a basket of African print fabrics, and the wrapping is the care she carries, not decoration. Say that as you hand out cloth: somebody took time over this, and the time is part of the gift. Model the wrap, then a loose knot.
Say this: "This is Ama's rule. A gift should look as special as it is."
Adapt it: Younger children gather the corners while an adult ties. Ready for more: wrap two, deliver one to another class. Limited mobility or language: push the bundle across a tray.
Look for: the handoff completed without asking for the toy back.
Ask First, Then Draw
The book: ask a grown-up what they love, draw that thing big, and give it away.
Materials: large paper, fat crayons, a clipboard for an interviewer feel.
Group: small group of 4 to 6, 15 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: One adult sits with the group and is interviewed by each child in turn, so this needs one grown-up, not one per child. Coach the exact question, "what do you love?" No crayon moves until the answer is heard.
Say this: "Ask first. Now draw their thing, not your thing."
Adapt it: Younger children pick the crayon in the color the adult named. Ready for more: add "why do you love it?" Limited mobility: point at the clipboard while an adult voices the question. A child whose home language is not English can answer in that language, and you repeat the idea back in English while keeping their word.
Look for: a child drawing the adult's answer, not their own favorite.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| NGSS Practice | Asking Questions and Defining Problems | In Ask First, Then Draw the child asks "what do you love?" before drawing. |
| NAEYC | 2.B Social and Emotional Development, recognizing emotions | In Watch the Shiny Eyes the child watches the receiver's face and reports what it did. |
| NAEYC | 2.D Language Development, expressive language | In Wrap and Give the child says the giving sentence aloud to a named adult. |
| CASEL | Social Awareness | In You Pick First the child hands over the item the friend chose, without a grab back. |
Director's note: this title's science load is light by design. Pair it with a building-heavy book.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Gift | Something you give to show you care | "That is a gift now. You are giving it away." |
| Wrap | To cover something so opening is a surprise | "Let's wrap it so she cannot see it." |
| Give | To hand it over and let it stay | "It is hers now. Look at her face." |
| Surprise | Something nice you did not expect | "Eyes shut. This is a surprise." |
| Shiny eyes | How eyes look when someone is happy | "Her eyes went shiny. That is happy." |
| Thoughtful | Thinking what somebody else would like | "That was thoughtful. Blue is what Marcus loves." |
Watch For and Note
Emerging. The child builds with energy but describes the product by their own preference, and may reach to take it back after handing it over. In Watch the Shiny Eyes they look at the wrapping, not the face.
Developing. The child names one thing the receiver likes when asked and completes the handoff without a grab back. They notice the reaction after a prompt.
Proficient. The child names a feature they chose for the receiver before building, such as picking blue because Marcus likes blue. They keep their eyes on the face through the whole opening and report what it did without being asked.
Center Extensions
- Blocks: Post a classmate's photo at the shelf and build for that child.
- Art: Keep a wrapping station under a sign: whoever wraps it never keeps it.
- Dramatic play: Add a gift shop counter with one posted question, "what do you love?"
- Outdoors: Find one natural treasure to give away, delivered by name.
Family Connection
This week we read Kit Gives It Away, Book 16 of Kit's Little Sparks. Kit painted flowers on a cup because Grandma loves flowers. Your child is bringing home the Make a Gift activity sheet: help them make one small thing, wrap it, and watch the face of whoever opens it.
Next in the Series
Book 17, Kit's Show and Tell, teaches children to tell people about what they made using Layla's four steps: name, what you made, why it is cool, and smile. Bridge activity: bring back one gift from this week and have the maker practice those steps for three friends.