Brave Bear Adventures

Stories about bravery provide models for courage and help children understand that being brave doesn't mean not being scared—it means trying despite fear.

Objectives

Materials

Instructions

Introduce Brave Bear (a puppet or stuffed animal) who will guide the class through bravery lessons: 'Brave Bear has learned something important—being brave doesn't mean you're never scared. It means you TRY even when you feel scared. Let's hear some stories about being brave!'

Read a book about bravery, pausing to discuss: 'Was this character scared? What made them brave? What would have happened if they hadn't tried?' Connect character experiences to classroom situations: 'When in our classroom might you need to be brave like this character?'

Create a class definition of bravery together: 'Bravery is trying something even when it feels scary or hard.' Display this definition with illustrations.

Invite children to share personal bravery stories: 'Tell us about a time you were brave.' Prompt if needed: 'Was it brave when you tried the new food? When you said hi to the new kid? When you tried the tall slide?'

Offer Brave Bear certificates for children to fill out: 'I was brave when I .' These can go home to share with families.

Keep Brave Bear visible in the classroom as an ongoing symbol. Reference him throughout the year: 'This looks scary, but I bet you can be as brave as Brave Bear and try!'

Educator tip

Normalize fear as part of bravery. Children who believe brave people don't feel scared may never see themselves as brave. Emphasize: 'Brave Bear felt scared AND did it anyway.'

Assessment

Observe and note: ability to follow two-step instructions, use of new vocabulary in context, early problem-solving strategies, and sustained shared thinking episodes. Assess against Development Matters age-band expectations. Evaluate listening comprehension, ability to identify brave behaviours in stories, and willingness to share personal bravery examples.

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