Manners & Character Kids’ Activities

Thousands of teachers worldwide have learned how fun and helpful it can be to have Happy Kids© Songs in their classrooms. These full-production songs are both highly entertaining and age appropriate—adult quality music, but with words and themes that tap into the most common issues confronting young kids. The variety of adult and child soloists, children’s chorus, and wide range of instruments and styles of music easily hold children’s attention, and adults’ too.

I have your materials available for my team consulting with schools. There is nothing better as far as I am concerned. Thanks, and keep up the marvelous, inspiring work!!! --Maurice Elias, Ph.D. & Author of Educator’s Guide to Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement

Hundreds of studies have shown the beneficial effects of teaching social and emotional skills, even on academic performance. Music has been shown to be an effective, almost magical medium for teaching these skills--a fun way to “make the medicine go down.” Winner of a Teacher’s Choice and numerous other awards, we are in an effort to comply with and enhance the Common Core Standards. Research on these songs and activities has shown:

• Children make significant improvements in behaviors such as being helpful, staying on task, and understanding and using the Golden Rule.

• They learn new skills to better approach their peers and gain more effective tools for dealing with teasing and bullying.

• Kids are better able to resolve conflicts with others by learning to talk things out.

• Lessons about feelings give kids the words to use when sad, mad or frustrated. • As kids develop a more positive attitude and self-confidence, they also are far

more likely to encourage others to do their best.• And as far as academics are concerned, happy kids learn better!

Most of us still remember the words to songs from our childhood. Don’t you still sing the ABC song in your head when you’re trying to remember alphabetical order? This is the magic of music. It lights up over a dozen areas in the brain, reinforcing concepts across multiple intelligences. There may be no more powerful method of learning than through music, and no more important lessons for children than those that focus on character and social and emotional skills.

The following are lyrics and activity pages to help reinforce the key concepts in each song. Feel free to print them out, make copies, and share with others.

If you like this, you should check out: Happy Kids© Songs Workbook: Hands-on Activities to Build Social, Emotional and Character Skills This 125-page activity book includes the kids’ lyrics and coloring pages from all 8 of the KidsEPs albums plus adds more than a hundred lessons and activities for parents and teachers to share with kids. (Available at Amazon.com)

H-o-n-e-s-t-y“Hi. This is Sam reporting from the playground, and today we’re talking about honesty.”“Honesty is when people can trust you to tell the truth.”“It’s good to be honest because it’s kind to other people.”“If you tell the truth, you’ll get respect.”“If you want people to be honest with you, you should probably tell the truth to them.”“Once you tell a lie, you just keep telling more lies.”“If you tell the truth the whole day, you feel really good inside.”“It makes me feel happy when I tell the truth.”

H-o-n-e-s-t-y . . . “Why?” . . . Yeah, let’s repeat it.H-o-n-e-s-t-y . . . “Why?” . . . We really need it.It’s one of those greatest gifts that money can’t buy.That’s H-o-n-e-s-t-y.

“If you lie a lot, people will stop trusting you.”“Even when you tell the truth, they’re not gonna believe you.”“Being a good friend is being an honest friend.”“If you tell the truth, your parents might give you more freedom and trust you to drive when you’re a teenager.”

H-o-n-e-s-t-y . . . “Why?” . . . The way to spell it.H-o-n-e-s-t-y . . . “Why?” . . . We’re doin’ well with it.It’s one of those greatest gifts that money can’t buy.That’s H-o-n-e-s-t-y. Why?

’Cause you can get more freedom, and you can get respect,And a little more trust, is just what you’d expect,With a little bit of . . .

H-o-n-e-s-t-y . . . You best believe it.H-o-n-e-s-t-y . . . “Why?” . . . We really need it.It’s one of those greatest gifts that money can’t buy.That’s H-o-n-e-s-t, it’s the very best thing, H-o-n-e-s-t-y.

“It’s good to be honest . . . you make the world a better place.”

Trace the dashed letters to find a message about being a good friend. Then color in the picture with your favorite colors.

H-O-N-E-S-T-Y

Yo, lots of times when I ask for somethingThis is what I’ve heard,“Well, maybe I’ll give you what you wantIf you use the magic word.”

“The magic word?” I say, “Are you just trying to tease?”And then they’ll answer back to meThat the magic word is please. So I say please.

Chorus:“Please,” I say, “please.”It’s the magic word.“Please,” I say, “please.”It’s the magic word.

So why is this word so special?And why does it work so well?Well, how about just give it a try, And maybe time will tell?You can’t always get what you want,No, there’s no guarantees.But you can get things easierWith the magic word—please.

Chorus

Use that magic, use that magic, Use that magic word.“Can I please have some more?”“Please pass the ketchup.”“Can I please have a turn?”“Please don’t push.”“Please don’t talk to me like that.”“Can I please have my presents now?”“May I please be excused?”“Can I please borrow your bike?”“Please let me play too.”“Mrs. Huyett, may I please have some more homework?”

The Magic Word

L V U V O Y H I N P

M A N N E R S V K O

P U C N H N W C P L

K L Y E S P W T N I

Z I E C P S Y H D T

V Y N A M M G A Q E

J B W D S A G N N M

H Z O F G E T K S Y

J N R E M H Q S G Y

Z O D V O M A G I C

Find and circle these words:

PLEASE, THANKS, YES, MANNERS, POLITE, KIND,

MAGIC, WORD

The Magic Word

QuirksMy Uncle Arnie always sniffles,Sometimes he even snorts,My brother says, “What’s the difference,If all I do is . . . sports?”

My baby brother always gurgles,My sister Cindy smiles and smirks,My sister kisses gerbils,But they’re all just little quirks.

Chorus:Yeah, quirks are things that everybody’s gotSome got a few, and some got a lot, andSome are kind of cute, but some are not—People’s quirks need some understanding.

My cousin Nicky slicks his hair up,My best friend always burps.Some folks’ tempers flare upBut they’re all just little quirks.

Chorus

They’re funny little things with a funny name,Funny little things, it’s true,But who’s to say just what’s okayOr judge what others do? Not me and you . . .

Yeah, my Momma’s always thinkin’,And my Daddy has a knee that jerks,Grandma’s always winkin’,And Grandpa whistles when he works . . .

Chorus

Quirks are things that everybody’s got,Some got a few, and some got a lot,And some are kind of cute, but some are not,Little quirks, little quirks,Little quirks are what we’ve got.

No two people are alike. Did you know that no two snowflakes are alike, either? Snowflakes also are symmetrical. That means they’re the same on each side, just like butter-flies. Finish these drawings so they are symmetrical.

Quirks

8

The Golden RuleBa ohm boppa doo, ba ohm boppa doo, Ba ohm boppa doo badoo (2 times).

If you want to be my friend,Well, there’s one thing that’s got to end.Your teasing me’s just not okay,So let’s go find another way.

Well, yes, I want to be your friend.And a better way’s around the bend.Well, I was bein’ bad and cool, and what a fool.And I forgot the Golden Rule. What’s that?

Just do to others what you would like them to doTo you, that’s what you do.It’s like my momma said with her Southern drawl,“Y’all say somethin’ nice or nothin’ at all.”

You just do to others what you Would like them to do to you;Yeah, that’s what we’ll do.Just like my momma said, clear as I can recall,She said, “Say somethin’ nice or nothin’ at all.”

It’s so good you’re gonna be my friend.We’ll be together ’til the very end.Knowin’ life the way we do,Me and you’ll be goin’ by that Golden Rule.

The Golden Rule, ooo, ooo, ooo (4 times).

Color the words and frame. Hang it in your room or give it to a friend.

The Golden Rule

Six Little KidsSix little kids in a circus tent,Had never met an elephant,And they closed their eyes to see what it is,And took an elephant quiz.

Six little kids in a circus tent,Had never met an elephant,So they closed their eyes so they could see,All the things an elephant can be.

“An elephant’s a rope,” said the one with its tail.“No, an elephant’s a fan,” said the one with its ear.“Uh-uh, an elephant’s a hose,” said the one with the trunk.What have we here?

“An elephant’s a stick,” said the one with its tusk.“No, an elephant’s a wall,” said the one at its side.“An elephant’s a tree,” said the one with its leg.How do we decide?

Six little kids, six points of view,Which ones are wrong and which one’s true?

“An elephant’s a rope,” said the one with its tail.“No, an elephant’s a fan,” said the one with its ear.“No, an elephant’s a hose,” said the one with the trunk.What have we here?

“An elephant’s a stick,” said the one with its tusk.“No, an elephant’s a wall,” said the one at its side.“No, an elephant’s a tree,” said the one with its leg.How do we decide?

Six little kids, six points of view,Which ones are wrong and Which one’s true?Which one of them is true? Which one’s true?

“Hey, you know what? All of them are true!”“Yeah, she’s right!” All of them are true from different points of view. (repeat)

Can you find your way through the jungle to the elephant?

Six Little Kids