Note for teachers using this lesson plan
Before the lesson, ensure you have a chart with the song lyrics or are very familiar with them. The central idea is to help pupils understand the joy of friendship and the importance of greeting others through song and guided interaction. Observe pupils actively participating in the song and demonstrating appropriate greetings to show successful learning.
Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: Second Term
Week: 6
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Songs and Rhymes
Curriculum Theme: Songs and Rhymes
Previous Lesson: Learning and reciting simple rhymes about animals.
Topic: Touch a Friend’s Hand
Subject Matter: Touch a Friend’s Hand
Specific Objectives
By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
Cognitive Domain
- Describe a friend using simple words.
- Recite and sing the “Touch a Friend’s Hand” song.
- State at least one importance of greeting others.
Affective Domain
- Show enthusiasm while singing about friendship.
- Express happiness when interacting with friends.
- Appreciate the value of friendly greetings.
Psychomotor Domain
- Perform simple actions associated with the “Touch a Friend’s Hand” song.
- Demonstrate how to greet a friend by touching hands.
Social Domain
- Participate actively in group singing and interaction.
- Practise greeting friends politely.
Reference Materials
- NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4
- Relevant Early Childhood Care and Education resources
Instructional Materials
- Rhyme books (with similar friendship songs)
- Chart showing the lyrics of “Touch a Friend’s Hand” song
- Picture cards of children greeting each other
Rationale for the Lesson
This lesson is important for 5-year-olds as it fosters social-emotional development by promoting friendship, empathy, and good manners. Learning to greet and interact positively with peers helps children build strong social bonds and develop essential communication skills, preparing them for more complex social interactions in school and beyond.Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge
Pupils can identify their classmates, know their own names, and have engaged in simple group activities and songs. They also have basic understanding of good manners like saying “hello” or “thank you.”Lesson Content/Board Summary
Touch a Friend’s Hand
We have many friends in our class and at home. Friends play together, share things, and help each other. It is good to be kind to our friends.
Describing a Friend
You can describe your friend by saying:
- Their name (e.g., “My friend is Emeka.”)
- What they look like (e.g., “He has short hair.” or “She wears a red dress.”)
- What they like to do (e.g., “He likes to play with blocks.” or “She likes to draw.”)
Touch a Friend’s Hand Song
Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” (or a simple, repetitive melody)
Lyrics:
Touch a friend’s hand, hello, hello,
Touch a friend’s hand, let’s say hello.
Smile at your friend, so happy and bright,
Touch a friend’s hand with all your might.
Touch a friend’s hand, hello, hello,
Touch a friend’s hand, let’s say hello.
Actions:
- “Touch a friend’s hand”: Gently reach out and touch a nearby friend’s hand, then your own.
- “Hello, hello”: Wave your hand while saying “hello”.
- “Smile at your friend”: Point to your mouth and smile broadly.
- “So happy and bright”: Make a happy face and clap your hands.
- “With all your might”: Gently squeeze your friend’s hand (or your own if no friend is near).
Importance of Greeting
Greeting people means saying “hello,” “good morning,” “good afternoon,” or “good evening.”
Why is greeting important?
- It shows you are polite and have good manners.
- It makes your friends and teachers feel happy.
- It helps you make new friends.
- It shows respect.
Key Words
- Friend – someone you know and like.
- Greet – to say hello to someone.
- Polite – showing good manners.
Watch and Practise
💡 Teacher Guide for Using This Board Summary
How to teach the content: Introduce the idea of friends by asking pupils about their best friends. Guide them to describe a friend using simple sentences, focusing on name, appearance, and favourite activities. Explain what greeting means and why it’s important using clear, simple language.
What to show or demonstrate: Use picture cards of children greeting each other. Model how to describe a friend. Demonstrate the actions for the “Touch a Friend’s Hand” song clearly and slowly before pupils imitate.
How to use the rhyme/song: Introduce the “Touch a Friend’s Hand” song by singing it clearly. Repeat the song several times, encouraging pupils to join in and perform the actions. Emphasize the words “hello” and “friend.”
How to use the video: Play the video “Hello Hello How Are You?” and encourage pupils to sing along and perform the greeting actions shown. After watching, discuss how the children in the video greeted each other and how it made them feel.
What to watch for: Observe if pupils are able to identify and describe a friend, sing the song with actions, and demonstrate a polite greeting. Correct any shyness or reluctance gently, encouraging participation.
Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques
Play-based Learning, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Songs and Rhymes, Picture Talk, Question and Answer, Role-play, Imitation, Repetition.Instructional Procedures
Step 1: Introduction
Time: 3 minutes
Teaching Skill: Engagement/Warm-up
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils warmly and asks, “Who is your friend in class today? Can you wave to your friend?”
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils wave to their friends and respond to the teacher’s greeting.
Learning Point: Pupils acknowledge their friends and feel welcomed.
Step 2: Describing a Friend
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Oral Language Development/Observation
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks a pupil to stand up and describes them briefly (e.g., “This is Aisha. She has beautiful braids and a lovely smile.”). Then, the teacher asks pupils to describe their own friend using simple words like name, what they look like, or what they like.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher’s description and then attempt to describe a friend in the class or at home.
Learning Point: Pupils learn to use simple words to describe a friend.
Step 3: Introduce the Song “Touch a Friend’s Hand”
Time: 4 minutes
Teaching Skill: Song Presentation/Vocabulary
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the song “Touch a Friend’s Hand” by showing the chart with lyrics and singing the song once, clearly and with simple actions. The teacher explains that the song is about being friendly and saying hello.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively to the song and watch the teacher’s actions.
Learning Point: Pupils are introduced to the new song and its theme of friendship.
Step 4: Guided Singing and Actions
Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Motor Skills
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher sings the song again, line by line, encouraging pupils to repeat and perform the actions. The teacher ensures pupils understand the actions for “touch a friend’s hand” and “say hello.”
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing along with the teacher, repeating the lyrics and performing the actions for the song.
Learning Point: Pupils learn the song lyrics and actions, reinforcing the idea of friendly interaction.
Step 5: Importance of Greeting
Time: 4 minutes
Teaching Skill: Discussion/Social Awareness
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks, “Why do we say ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’ to our friends and teachers?” The teacher explains that greeting shows good manners, makes others happy, and helps make friends.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils share their ideas about greeting and listen to the teacher’s explanation.
Learning Point: Pupils understand the importance of polite greetings.
Step 6: Role-play Greeting
Time: 4 minutes
Teaching Skill: Practical Application/Role-play
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher pairs pupils up and asks them to practice greeting each other by saying “Hello, [friend’s name]!” and gently touching hands, just like in the song. The teacher monitors and provides encouragement.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils role-play greeting their partners politely, saying “hello” and touching hands.
Learning Point: Pupils practically apply the skill of greeting a friend.
Step 7: Evaluation/Review
Time: 4–5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.
- “Who can describe one friend in our class?”
- “Let’s sing the ‘Touch a Friend’s Hand’ song one more time with actions.”
- “Why is it important to greet your friends?”
- “Show me how you greet your friend.”
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate.
Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.
Step 8: Conclusion
Time: 1 minute
Teaching Skill: Reinforcement
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their participation and reminds them to always be kind to their friends and greet everyone politely. “Remember, being a good friend makes everyone happy!”
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and repeat the importance of being a good friend.
Learning Point: Pupils internalize the value of friendship and good manners.
Lesson Keywords
- Friend – someone you know and like.
- Greet – to say hello to someone.
- Polite – showing good manners.
- Hand – the part of your body at the end of your arm.
Differentiation
- Support: For pupils who are shy or struggling to describe a friend, provide sentence starters like “My friend is…” or point to a friend and ask, “What colour is [friend’s] shirt?” Use hand-over-hand guidance for song actions if needed.
- Extension: Encourage advanced pupils to describe their friend using two or three sentences. Ask them to name other ways they can be kind to a friend. Challenge them to suggest additional actions for the song.
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