Healthy Relationships and Empathy (Lower Elementary) Teacher Resource Pack

Healthy Relationships & Empathy — Lower Elementary Teacher Resource Pack

Grades K–2 | Ages 5–8 | Downloadable + Printable

Help young learners build the foundations for empathy, kindness, boundaries, and healthy relationships with Building Better Connections: Healthy Relationships & Empathy, a fully teacher-ready SEL resource pack designed for lower elementary students ages 5–8.

This developmentally appropriate pack provides five structured lessons, clear teacher guidance, and a wide range of hands-on activities that help children recognize feelings, include others, respect personal space, solve conflicts, and repair relationships after mistakes. Lessons are intentionally concrete, visual, and flexible—supporting early learners as they practice essential social skills in ways that feel safe, engaging, and meaningful.

The resource pack is fully downloadable and printable, making it easy to use in classrooms, homeschools, counseling or small-group settings, IEP support, and out-of-school-time programs.

What’s Included

• Teacher/Parent Guide with learning objectives, rationale, and facilitation tips

• 5 complete, teacher-ready lesson plans with step-by-step guidance

• Student-friendly read-aloud lesson sections (“A teacher, parent, or older sibling should read this”)

• Pre-assessment and post-assessment tools designed for young learners

• Multiple hands-on activities per lesson (drawing, sorting, movement, role-play, discussion)

• Universal Design for Learning (UDL) supports for accessibility and differentiation

• Printable worksheets, visuals, and activity pages

• Bonus resources including emotion dictionaries, calming strategies, brain breaks, and reflection tools

All materials are provided in print-ready PDF format and can be used as written, shortened, combined, or revisited as needed.

Skills Students Build

Students develop foundational social-emotional and relationship skills, including:

• Recognizing and naming their own feelings

• Noticing and caring about the feelings of others

• Practicing empathy and inclusion

• Understanding personal boundaries and body space

• Making independent, respectful choices

• Solving conflicts calmly using words

• Repairing relationships through apology and action

Lessons Included

This pack includes a full instructional sequence:

• Pre-Assessment

• Lesson 1: Everyone Belongs

• Lesson 2: My Space & My Choice

• Lesson 3: Making Friendship Choices

• Lesson 4: Solving Conflicts

• Lesson 5: Fixing Mistakes & Healing Feelings

• Post-Assessment

• Additional Teacher & Student Resources

Perfect For

• Lower elementary classrooms (K–2)

• SEL and character education instruction

• Homeschool and co-op learning

• Counseling and small-group support

• IEP and social-skills intervention

• After-school and out-of-school-time programs

Why This Pack Matters

Early elementary students are learning how relationships work—how to share space, manage feelings, include others, handle disagreements, and recover after mistakes. Without explicit instruction, these skills can feel confusing or overwhelming.

Building Better Connections gives educators a clear, age-appropriate way to teach relationship skills with empathy, consistency, and care—helping children build confidence, connection, and the foundations for healthy relationships that grow with them over time.