Social Emotional Learning Activity

If Animals Built Your House

Overview

In the book, If Animals Built Your House, students are introduced to a variety of animals and learn how they build their homes. Through the pages of this story, they are invited to imagine what their lives might be like if they were any of the animals mentioned, and to practice empathizing with other members of the natural world.

Materials

Activity duration

  • 1 hour

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Watch: Play the If Animals Built Your House read-aloud video for your students.

  2. Discuss: Sit in a discussion circle with your students. Ask them which houses they would like to live in. Which wouldn’t they want to live in? Which would be the easiest? The most difficult? Which is the coolest house? Which one is the best one?

  3. Draw: Using the worksheet linked below, have your students draw what their house would look like if their favorite animal built it. They should include their favorite things and how they fit in with their new home. Make sure they write the name of the animal that built their house at the top!

Worksheet linked here!