Lesson Plan: Respecting All Families Nurtures Everyone

The U.S. government's Center for Mental Health Services created Children's Awareness Month (June) to increase public awareness about the importance of protecting and nurturing the mental health of young people. For those of us engaged in educating young people, Children’s Awareness Month allows teachers, guidance counselors and other educational professionals to reflect on how we – individually and as an educational culture -- really treat our children.

In the lesson plan titled "Respecting All Families Nurtures Everyone!" written primarily for teachers working with Pre-K thru 3rd-grade students and based on The Different Dragon written by Jennifer Bryan, students will learn about respect, the importance of listening, and will share personal stories and hear about different types of families. These all help young people build the capacity to respect one another for similarities as well as for their differences.