Zoey Feels Embarrased

Tell the children you will read a story about a time when Zoey feels very embarrassed.
Explain that feeling embarrassed happens when you believe that others think you have done something foolish.

Show the children the illustration for this lesson.

Read the following story aloud:

It was the most embarrassing day of her life. Zoey couldn’t stop thinking about the other kids laughing. It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t funny at all. Even worse, now she had to wear an outfit from Mrs. Muffin’s emergency bag.

Everybody knew what it meant to change clothes. It meant you had a potty accident. This had happened to a couple of kids throughout Zoey’s time at preschool. The teachers always reminded everyone that these things happen when kids are little. But that didn’t matter. It didn’t make it any better because Zoey hadn’t really wet her pants, but she was stuck wearing the potty emergency clothes anyway.

Here’s what happened. Zoey and her friends were playing at the sand and water table. There were all kinds of toy whales, sharks, shells, and scoops. Zoey, Jayden, Jeesun, and Maddox thought it was especially funny to squeeze the whale and make water squirt out of its blowhole. Then, to make everyone laugh, Maddox held the whale in the air and squeezed it hard. That sent a stream of water shooting over the sensory table and right onto the front of Zoey’s clothes. Oh, it felt so uncomfortable!

Mrs. Muffin was not happy that Maddox hadn’t followed the guidelines about keeping water in the table, or that none of them had put on their smocks. Even worse, as the cold water trickled down the front of Zoey, she let out a yelp that made Jeesun, Jayden, and Maddox start to laugh even louder than before. They didn’t even notice that Zoey was not smiling anymore.

Discuss with children that Zoey didn’t laugh when she got squirted, but the other kids did.
Explain that for some people, talking about an embarrassing situation right after it happened is difficult. They might need a little time to think about the situation.

Consider asking questions like:

• Why do you think the children reacted differently?
• Why was Zoey embarrassed about having to change her clothes?
• If you were Zoey’s friend, what could you do to help Zoey get over her embarrassment?

Tell the children to work with a building buddy to build a character who feels embarrassed, like Zoey felt in the story.

Tell the children to give their characters a name and a voice. Ask them to use their characters like puppets and have them tell the story (in the first person voice) about why the characters feel embarrassed.

Tell the children to think of a time when they felt proud.
Explain that when we feel embarrassed, we don’t want to be noticed. However, when we do something good, we feel proud of ourselves. Sometimes, we do something extraordinary, or extra special, and other people feel proud of us too.
Tell children to build a trophy for a friend and tell why they are proud of him or her.

Consider asking questions like:

• Can you think of a time when someone, such as your parent, grandparent, teacher, or coach, felt proud of you?
• Have you ever felt proud of someone else for doing something good?

Observing the following skills can help you monitor whether the children are developing socially and emotionally.
Children are able to understand other people’s feelings.
Children are able to express emotions in appropriate ways.