Service – Three Wishes

Service is one way to help your community – it is all about helping others out of the goodness of your heart.

Grade Level: K-12

Character Skills

Caring
Good Citizenship

SEL Skills

Relationship Skills
Social Awareness

Academic Skills

Curiosity and Passion

Definitions

Caring

Be kind.
Be compassionate.
Express gratitude.
Forgive others.
Be considerate of others’ feelings.

Good Citizenship

Do your share to make your home, school, and community better.
Cooperate.
Stay informed. Vote.
Be a good neighbor.
Make choices that protect the safety and rights of others.
Protect the environment.

Relationship Skills

Create positive relationships and meaningful connections with family members, classmates, and teachers.

Social Awareness

Assess and be sensitive to the feelings and needs of others.

Curiosity and Passion

Enthusiastic to understand more about themselves, others, and the world around them.

Learn more about our character, SEL, and academic outcomes.

Share This Activity

In this lesson, students will be inspired by the story of a young girl who goes to nursing homes and grants wishes to the residents. Students will explore the service theme and its impacts on the giver and receiver.

If you had three wishes, what would they be?
What is the definition of service?
- Service is the action of helping or doing work for someone.

Click here for the shortened video (best for secondary students).

How were your three wishes alike and different from those of the nursing home residents?
How did Ruby demonstrate service through her actions?
How do you think the residents felt when their wishes were granted?
How were Ruby and the residents impacted by the acts of service?
What simple acts of service can you do to make an impact in your community?

Greeting card-making materials (construction paper, markers, stickers, etc.)

Provide students with card-making materials and the artistic freedom to design a card to send to a local nursing home.
Incorporate poetry, pictures, quotes, or proverbs about love, caring, and kindness to bring joy to the residents.
Follow-up question:
- How does doing things for others, like making greeting cards, make you feel?

K-5

What wish would you like to grant for another person in your life? Why?
How can participating in service activities build stronger relationships?

6-12

Create a list of ways you could serve in the community.
How can you incorporate service into your life, now and in the future?
How can engaging in service activities strengthen our community and relationships?

Educators: Copy the Family Connection and email it to parents, or click here to download a PDF version to email or print.

Watch

Watch the video together: https://youtu.be/B1P0M_0mNtM

Discuss
Use these questions to start meaningful conversations about service.

What did you think about Ruby’s story?
How do you think the residents felt when their wishes were granted?
How can we show kindness and service to others in our community?
How did watching this video make you feel, and what did you learn from it?

Activity

Participate in a service activity together. Try volunteering at a local shelter, helping an elderly neighbor with yard work, making cards for nursing home residents, or delivering baked goods to nearby police and fire stations.