Help children navigate first-day feelings with My Brave-Start Plan, an interactive Kindergarten read-aloud lesson created to accompany The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.
During the read-aloud, children use four visual response cards—Worried, Unsure, Hopeful and Brave—to identify how the character may be feeling. They look for story clues, explain their thinking and notice how feelings can change throughout a story.
After reading, children create a personal Brave-Start Plan. They identify someone or something that helps them feel connected, choose a supportive school strategy and practise communicating what they can do when a big feeling appears.
This gentle, developmentally appropriate lesson helps children understand that they can experience a big feeling and still take a brave next step.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
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One complete interactive read-aloud lesson plan
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Worried, Unsure, Hopeful and Brave response cards
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My Brave-Start Plan student activity
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Oral-language sentence frames
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Calming and connection strategy choices
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Assessment look-fors
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Differentiation suggestions
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Practical next steps for teachers
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Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum 2026 connections
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U.S. Common Core Kindergarten connections
CHILDREN WILL
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Identify and communicate different feelings
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Use words or illustrations as story clues
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Notice how a character’s feelings change
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Listen and respond to classmates
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Select a calming or connection strategy
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Create a personal plan for difficult transitions
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Communicate through talking, drawing, gesturing or dictation
SUPPORTIVE STRATEGIES INCLUDE
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Taking a slow breath
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Asking an adult for help
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Looking at a family photograph
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Holding an appropriate comfort item
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Joining a familiar classroom activity
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Creating an individualized strategy
PERFECT FOR
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The first day or week of Kindergarten
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Back-to-school read-alouds
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First Month of School planning
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Classroom community building
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Arrival and separation support
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Social-emotional learning
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Oral-language instruction
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Self-regulation conversations
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School transition activities
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Homeschool Kindergarten
FLEXIBLE AND INCLUSIVE
Children may respond by speaking, pointing, gesturing, drawing or dictating. Teachers can scribe children’s ideas, offer visual choices or practise a strategy privately.
Children are never required to disclose personal separation experiences. The lesson focuses on emotional safety, supportive relationships and strategies that can be revisited throughout the school year.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum 2026 connections include belonging and participation, self-regulation and well-being, oral communication and comprehension, representing ideas, and understanding and responding.
Relevant U.S. Common Core Kindergarten standards include RL.K.1, RL.K.3, RL.K.7, SL.K.1, SL.K.4 and W.K.3.
PLEASE NOTE
The Kissing Hand is required to teach this lesson and is not included.
This is an independently created educational resource. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the author, illustrator or publisher.
