Preschool Scouts: noticing kindness (Monday–Friday)
Children point to a real kindness before they are asked to say or write thank you. This Monday–Friday plan is for preschool children in a Scouts group.
about 4 and 5- 5 to 7 minutes missions
- Monday–Friday
Noticing kindness for preschool in a Scouts group
Children point to a real kindness before they are asked to say or write thank you. In this scout den, preschool children (about 4 and 5) practice with “The greeting at the church door.” Mrs. Hale, the greeter, she learned a child’s name and held the program out where small hands could take it. The Monday–Friday calendar is the one that fits: This is the Monday–Friday format from the first half of the Operation Thank You Manual. You see the same children on five school days. Each day is one mission of 5 to 10 minutes. The note is the work of the later days, not of Monday.
The scout leader leads. The den may meet only once this week. Do not assign five school-day missions and hope families finish them. Use the weekly format and send one home mission. Children answer in one picture and one question, answered out loud in a small circle. The spoken line is “Thank you for saying my name..” The note line is “Thank you for greeting me at the door..” Alison Gilham’s program supplies the manual, the activity book, and the flashcards; this page is the plan for this group and this kindness.
Who is in the scout den
Scout dens and packs often meet weekly. The second half of the Operation Thank You Manual is a once-per-week sequence written for clubs, so gratitude practice fits a den meeting without taking the whole hour. A sponsor can fund the manual, an activity book for each child, and the flashcard set. Shipping is included on full and partial packages.
Plan 5 to 7 minutes for preschool. Most preschoolers dictate. The adult writes the name and the short line. A child who wants to mark the page can draw the helper and trace the words Thank you. The scout leader holds the manual. Children hold the line about Mrs. Hale once they can say what happened to a printed program.
Words to say about Mrs. Hale
This is a script the scout leader can say with preschool children during noticing kindness. It uses “The greeting at the church door,” a practice situation for this plan. It is not a list of the 30 printed flashcards. Those cards stay in the set and match the activity book. Use this script when you need the words in the room.
scout leader: “We are going to thank Mrs. Hale. Mrs. Hale is the greeter. Here is the kindness: she learned a child’s name and held the program out where small hands could take it. It happened at the door of the hall. Look at a printed program.”
Five preschool missions in the scout den
Keep Monday inside 5 to 7 minutes in this Scouts group. Look only. Put a printed program where preschool children can see it. Name Mrs. Hale, the greeter, and say the kindness: she learned a child’s name and held the program out where small hands could take it. It happened at the door of the hall. Ask “What is kinder, a paper or someone using your name?” Stop at 5 to 7 minutes. No note yet. The den may meet only once this week. Do not assign five school-day missions and hope families finish them. Use the weekly format and send one home mission. If they freeze, Practice with eyes on the person. If that is too hard, the child may look at the program and still say the name.
Age tips for preschool (about 4 and 5)
Preschool children can learn why thank you matters before they write much. They need a picture, a person, and one clear kindness. A long talk loses them. The leader shows the moment, the children say a short line, and the group stops while the words still feel friendly. For this Scouts plan, keep the mission inside 5 to 7 minutes. one picture and one question, answered out loud in a small circle.
The note for Mrs. Hale
The note can be a dictated sentence. The child supplies the person’s name and the kindness. The adult prints it on the activity-book template so the child can see that spoken thanks and written thanks are the same idea. For this kindness the sentence is “Thank you for greeting me at the door.” It has to mention the door of the hall or a printed program, not a general compliment to the greeter.
Copy-ready lines for “The greeting at the church door”
Spoken line to practice: “Thank you for saying my name.” Reply children may hear: “I am glad you are here.” Note line to write: “Thank you for greeting me at the door.” Spanish line for the same kindness: “Gracias por decir mi nombre.”
Classroom and group notes for the scout den
Scout dens and packs often meet weekly. The second half of the Operation Thank You Manual is a once-per-week sequence written for clubs, so gratitude practice fits a den meeting without taking the whole hour. A sponsor can fund the manual, an activity book for each child, and the flashcard set. Shipping is included on full and partial packages. The den may meet only once this week. Do not assign five school-day missions and hope families finish them. Use the weekly format and send one home mission.
If preschool children stall on Mrs. Hale
Practice with eyes on the person. If that is too hard, the child may look at the program and still say the name. A child who keeps thanking the scout leader is avoiding Mrs. Hale. Send them back to the greeter and the moment at the door of the hall. Whispering “Thank you for saying my name.” counts.
What Mrs. Hale's lesson needs
The Operation Thank You Manual is 98 pages. The first half is the Monday–Friday classroom sequence. The second half is the once-per-week sequence for clubs. Each child needs Why and How To Say “Thank You,” the classroom edition: a saddle-stitched activity book with situations for saying thank you, the How To Write A Thank You Note template, and extra pages to practice. The flashcard set has 30 cards, 8.5 by 11 inches, colorful, with rounded corners. The cards mirror the activity book so the group can look at one situation before writing. The manual, the activity book, and the flashcards are available in Spanish. The MISSION Reminders Supplement can be added when some children speak Spanish. Extra activity books are sold in packs of 10. For “The greeting at the church door,” also set out a printed program. Show the moment first. Ask what the helper did with their hands. Accept the action before you ask for the polite words.
Spanish materials in this group
If any child in the scout den speaks Spanish at home, order the Spanish activity book for that child and keep the same situation. The Spanish line for this plan is “Gracias por decir mi nombre.” The English line remains “Thank you for saying my name.”
Home work after The greeting at the church door
Thank a family member who greets you when you come home, and say what they do at the door. Write that in the activity book so the family sees Mrs. Hale's kindness, not a blank “say thank you.” The note can be a dictated sentence. The child supplies the person’s name and the kindness. The adult prints it on the activity-book template so the child can see that spoken thanks and written thanks are the same idea.
Books for this Scouts preschool group
Spoken practice about Mrs. Hale can start in the scout den today. The activity-book template matters when preschool children are ready to write “Thank you for greeting me at the door..” If a sponsor is funding this Scouts group, parents get a sample letter, and shipping is included on full and partial packages. The leader can ask at no cost.
Questions leaders ask
Let's Grow a Culture of Thank You.
Whether you're a parent, teacher, organization, business, or individual looking to make a difference, there's a place for you in the Culture of Thank You.
Let's help the next generation learn to recognize kindness, appreciate others,
and say “Thank You” with meaning.