Activity 01
Gallery Walk: Children Around the World
Post photos of children from six to eight countries engaged in familiar activities: playing, eating, going to school. Students walk around with a simple tally sheet to find one similarity and one difference between themselves and each child in the photos. The class debriefs together, noting what was surprising.
Explain what it means to be a good friend to someone from another country.
Facilitation TipDuring the Gallery Walk, stand near less confident students and quietly prompt them to share one thing they notice about a photograph before moving on.
What to look forGather students in a circle. Ask: 'Imagine you meet a new friend who just moved here from a country where they eat different foods than you. What are two kind things you could do or say to help them feel welcome?' Record student responses on chart paper.
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Activity 02
Think-Pair-Share: Being a Good Friend to Someone Different
Students share with a partner about a time they were kind to someone who was different from them. Pairs report back to the class, and the teacher records ideas on a shared chart titled 'Ways to Be a Good Friend to Anyone.' Students add drawings to the chart.
Compare different ways people live around the world (simple examples).
Facilitation TipFor the Think-Pair-Share, pre-select pairs to ensure diverse perspectives and provide sentence stems like 'I see…' or 'I think…' to support language development.
What to look forShow students picture cards depicting different cultural elements (e.g., a sari, a sombrero, chopsticks, a igloo). Ask students to point to the card and say one word about how they might feel if they saw it for the first time. Then, ask: 'What is one kind thing you could do if you saw this?'
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Activity 03
Inquiry Circle: Foods of the World
Show pictures of simple foods from several countries. Students work in small groups to sort them by category (grain, fruit, vegetable) and notice that people everywhere eat similar types of food prepared in different ways. Groups share one surprising similarity they found.
Predict how being kind to others helps make the world a better place.
Facilitation TipIn the Collaborative Investigation, assign small roles such as 'food finder' and 'picture holder' to keep all students engaged during the activity.
What to look forGive each student a drawing paper. Ask them to draw one way they can be a good friend to someone from another country. They can draw themselves sharing a toy, speaking kindly, or learning something new. Have them verbally explain their drawing to the teacher.
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Activity 04
Storytelling Circle: A Kindness That Crossed the World
Read a picture book featuring cross-cultural friendship or kindness. After reading, students each share one thing they would say or do to be a good friend to the child in the story. Responses are recorded on a class chart as a reference for the rest of the unit.
Explain what it means to be a good friend to someone from another country.
Facilitation TipDuring the Storytelling Circle, pause after key moments to let students turn and talk with a partner about what happened or how they would feel in the same situation.
What to look forGather students in a circle. Ask: 'Imagine you meet a new friend who just moved here from a country where they eat different foods than you. What are two kind things you could do or say to help them feel welcome?' Record student responses on chart paper.
RememberUnderstandApplyRelationship SkillsSelf-Management
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract ideas in concrete, sensory experiences. Avoid overwhelming students with too much information; instead, focus on one or two key similarities or kindness actions per activity. Research suggests that Kindergarteners grasp global citizenship best through repeated exposure to relatable examples, not definitions or lectures. Keep discussions short and allow movement to sustain engagement.
Successful learning looks like students pointing out similarities between their lives and those of children in other places, suggesting kind actions without prompting, and demonstrating curiosity about cultural differences through questions and drawings.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Gallery Walk: Children Around the World, watch for comments like 'They don’t even have toys!'
Redirect these comments by asking, 'What do you see in this photo that looks like something you do with your family? What might they use instead of a toy?'
During Think-Pair-Share: Being a Good Friend to Someone Different, watch for students assuming kindness requires speaking the same language.
Use the 'kindness charades' cards from this activity to model non-verbal actions like smiling or helping, and ask students to brainstorm other ways to show kindness without words.
During Storytelling Circle: A Kindness That Crossed the World, watch for students thinking global citizenship is only for people who travel.
After the story, ask students to share examples from their own lives, such as welcoming a new student or trying a food from another culture at home.
Methods used in this brief