Learning About Community Helpers

Learning about community helpers is a fun way to help young students understand the people who help their communities every day. It also gives you an easy way to connect social studies with literacy, vocabulary, writing, art, math, and dramatic play. Check out these fun ways to learn about community helpers in your classroom.

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Community Helpers Brainstorm

Before introducing specific community helpers, find out what your students already know.

Create a class chart and record their ideas. You might hear doctor, firefighter, librarian, teacher, mail carrier, police officer, construction worker, dentist, and veterinarian. Do not worry if your students have different ideas. That is part of the learning process. Throughout your unit, return to the chart and add new helpers as students learn.

Use Community Helper Teaching Slides

Teaching slides are an easy way to introduce one community helper at a time without overwhelming young learners. Talk about what each helper does, where they work, the tools they use, and how they help others.

As you teach, ask questions such as:

• What does this helper do?
• Where do they work?
• What tools do they use?
• How do they help people?
• Have you ever met this community helper?

Simply Kinder + has you covered with teaching slides to cover a variety of community helpers. Grab your teaching slides HERE!

Add Dramatic Play

Turn your dramatic play center into a community helper workplace.

Create a pretend:

• Doctor’s office
• Library
• Fire station
• Post office
• Construction site
• Veterinarian’s office

Add simple props such as clipboards, books, hats, paper, bandages, toy tools, phones, and badges.

Build a Community Helper Vocabulary Wall

Use new vocabulary throughout your unit. Add content-specific vocabulary to a community helper vocabulary wall as you learn about new workers. Encourage students to use these words during conversation and writing activities.

Make Community Helper Hats

Add in role play with community helper hats. Students can create these hats as you learn about each community helper and wear them for the day. These hats are also a great asset to your dramatic play center!

Community Helper Books and Readers

Add some community helpers read-alouds to your classroom library and enjoy reading them as a class. Here are some favorite titles:

• Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook
• Whose Tools Are These?: A Look at Tools Workers Use – Big, Sharp, and Smooth by Sharon Katz Cooper
• Whose Hands Are These?: A Community Helper Guessing Book by Miranda Paul
• Whose Hat is This?: A Look at Hats Workers Wear – Hard, Tall, and Shiny by Sharon Katz Cooper

Simply Kinder + features community helpers to support your read-aloud needs. Grab them HERE!

Go on a Community Helper Hunt

You do not always have to leave the classroom to explore your community. Take a walk around your school and look for people who help make the school work.

Students may notice:

• The principal
• The secretary
• The custodian
• The cafeteria workers
• The nurse
• Teachers
• Bus drivers
• Crossing guards

Community Helper Printable Resources

Incorporate math, phonics, vocabulary, and writing printables into your learning about community helpers. These resources make building a community helper unit a breeze. Use these resources during center rotations or whole group learning.

Other Community Helper Ideas

• Tie your classroom jobs into what you learn about community helpers.
• Invite a community helper to visit and teach your class more about their job.
• Have a community helper dress-up day.

Community Helper Resources and Teaching Slides

Ready to bring community helpers into your classroom? Check out Simply Kinder + for Community Helper teaching slides, printables, readers, and more HERE!