My 4 year-old son is struggling with being kind to other kids at school and church. I developed this FHE to help teach about love and kindness. He loves Dora the Explorer, so we used a Dora theme and followed a map to three different destinations in the backyard where we could talk about different parts of the lesson.

Opening Song: Kindness Begins With Me

Tonight we are having a Dora the Explorer adventure. But we aren't sure where to go for the adventure.  Who do we ask when we don't know which way to go? THE MAP

I brought out a huge map and sang: "I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, etc."

Go to the BRIDGE, Visit the DOCTOR, end at story time BLANKET.

At the bridge the Troll (my husband) sings:

I'm a Grumpy Old Troll,
Who lives under the bridge.
I'm a Grumpy Old Troll,
Who lives under the bridge.
If you want to come over,
All you have to do is this,
All you have to do is this...
Answer one riddle and one question.

Solve my riddle:

It is something Jesus tells us that we should show for each other.
The word has four letters.
A heart reminds us of this word.
The first letter of the word is the twelfth letter in the alphabet.

(The word is LOVE. )

Question:

What did Jesus say are the two greatest commandments?

Love God
Love your neighbor

The troll lets the children pass the bridge and sends them with a bag (inside it is a word puzzle.)

The following phrase was cut apart and so the children had to put it together to discover what it said…
"We must show our love by our words and actions."

Visit to the doctor…

I wore a white lab coat and in each of the big pockets had colored tongue depressor/popsicle sticks. One each one was written either a nice or a mean phrase. Examples included:

You are special.
You are stupid.
I like being with you.
Go away!
I'm sorry.

These sticks are to check and see how the phrases coming out of your mouth are: good or bad. We each took turns pulling a stick out. If it was good we placed it in another pocket to keep. If it was a bad phrase, we broke the stick and threw it in a trash can.

We played "Kindness ball toss" by tossing a ball to someone in the family and saying something nice about that person. Easy but fun activity!

Last spot: Story time blanket (blanket spread out on the grass so every one could lie down and listen). We read one poem and two stories about love and kindness. They are below:

I LOVE YOU, MOTHER

"I love you, mother," said little John.
Then, forgetting his work, his cap went on,
And he was off to the garden swing,
And left her the water and wood to bring.

"I love you, mother," said rosy Nell—
"I love you more than tongue can tell."
But she teased and pouted full half the day
Till her mother was glad when she went to play.

"I love you, mother," said little Ann;
"To-day I'll help you all I can;
How glad I am that school doesn't keep."
So she rocked the baby till it fell asleep.

Then slipping softly she took the broom
And swept the floor and dusted the room.
Busy and happy all the day was she,
Helpful and cheerful as a child should be.

"I love you, mother," again they said,
Three little children going to bed.
How do you think that mother guessed
Which of them really loved her best?

—JOY ALLISON.

A Story of Kindness by Braden Walden in August 2005 Friend

My mom was talking on the phone, and my little brother kept asking her to read him a story. My mom told him she was busy, but he still kept asking. I decided to do what I thought Jesus would do. I read my little brother a story. Afterward my mom thanked me, and I felt good inside because I had helped my mom and my little brother.

Kindness Begins with Me by Jessica Edwards, age 8, and Brooke Jesse, age 7, Friend, Dec. 1997

Christmas was coming, and the first grade class of Mrs. Blackhurst and Mrs. Saunders at Barratt Elementary in American Fork, Utah, had really looked forward to making gingerbread houses. Best friends
Jessica and Brooke were in the class together. When the long-awaited day arrived, each carefully and lovingly decorated her gingerbread house with candies and icing. They were really pleased with their
finished creations.

After school, they could hardly wait to take their treasured gingerbread houses home to show their families. As they walked down the hall, Brooke's gingerbread house slipped off its plate and fell to the ground. It splattered all over the floor of the school. Heartbroken, she and Jessica picked up the pieces and continued their walk home.

At home, Jessica cried and cried because she didn't know how to help her friend feel better. Then Mom suggested, "Why don't you give her your gingerbread house?" Jessica thought about it and decided that even though she loved her gingerbread house, that's what she would do.
 
She took it to Brooke's house and gave it to her. Brooke stopped crying and asked Jessica if she wanted to stay and play. The girls shared the broken gingerbread house, and they both felt happy.  Brooke felt good inside to know that she had a true friend.

Later, Brooke's dad told Jessica that her sacrifice was the most Christ like thing he had seen all season.  Jessica said that she felt good and that she learned that if you do Christ like things, you will feel happy too.

DISCUSSION:

What are some kind things people have done for you? How did it make you feel inside?

Who can you practice showing love and kindness to? List names of people. What are examples of things you could do for those people?

Closing Song: I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus

Treat: Pink Heart Rice Krispy Treats