Ages 5-12 · Book 5, Empathy · 4,299 places
Buddy Classrooms
Older and younger classes paired, where the older child discovers that being needed is different from being praised.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Helping Hand — “What matters more than earning a Gold Star?” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Pick the need first, from the people who actually have it
- Session 2
Read the story and name why helping cost him something
- Session 3
Plan the smallest useful thing, and do it this week
- Session 4
Do it without announcing it, and see how that feels
- Session 5
Say afterwards what changed for the person, not for us
Questions leaders ask
Is buddy classrooms in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is empathy — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 5-12. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
How long does a session take in a your area classroom?
Twenty to thirty minutes, structured as read-aloud, small group, and one step each child names out loud before they leave the room.
Does this need a specialist to deliver?
No. It is written for the classroom teacher, the counselor, or whoever has the room that period. The leader script carries the questions and the follow-ups.
The rules that make it work
Helping has to cost something
Kindness that is free teaches nothing, and children over about eight already know it. The cost is named out loud in every session.
Notice first — it is an attention skill
Empathy gets taught as a feeling children are supposed to summon. It starts as noticing one specific person, which is trainable and testable.
Owning a mistake is the harder lesson
Helping a friend is easier than admitting you were the one who caused the problem. The book teaches both, and this is the one adults skip.
Do not announce it
The moment helping becomes a thing you are seen doing, it becomes a performance. The follow-up asks what changed for the other person, never how the helper felt.
Success is bigger than the award
The gold star is in the title for a reason. A room that only celebrates outcomes has already taught the lesson this book is arguing with.
Adults go first, with a real mistake
An adult naming something they got wrong, at a cost, changes a room faster than any activity in it.
Buddy Classrooms by metro area
Northeast
- Buddy Classrooms — New York, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Philadelphia, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Boston, MA
- Buddy Classrooms — Pittsburgh, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Providence, RI
- Buddy Classrooms — Hartford, CT
- Buddy Classrooms — Buffalo, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Rochester, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Bridgeport, CT
- Buddy Classrooms — Albany, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Worcester, MA
- Buddy Classrooms — Allentown, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Syracuse, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Harrisburg, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — New Haven, CT
- Buddy Classrooms — Portland, ME
- Buddy Classrooms — Scranton, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Lancaster, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — York, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Springfield, MA
- Buddy Classrooms — Waterbury, CT
- Buddy Classrooms — Reading, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Manchester, NH
- Buddy Classrooms — Trenton, NJ
- Buddy Classrooms — Atlantic City, NJ
- Buddy Classrooms — Utica, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Norwich, CT
- Buddy Classrooms — Erie, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Binghamton, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Barnstable, MA
- Buddy Classrooms — Burlington, VT
- Buddy Classrooms — Kingston, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Amherst, MA
- Buddy Classrooms — Chambersburg, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Bangor, ME
- Buddy Classrooms — State College, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Vineland, NJ
- Buddy Classrooms — Lebanon, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Johnstown, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Pittsfield, MA
- Buddy Classrooms — Glens Falls, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Altoona, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Lewiston, ME
- Buddy Classrooms — Williamsport, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Watertown, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Gettysburg, PA
- Buddy Classrooms — Ithaca, NY
- Buddy Classrooms — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Buddy Classrooms — Chicago, IL
- Buddy Classrooms — Detroit, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Minneapolis, MN
- Buddy Classrooms — St. Louis, MO
- Buddy Classrooms — Cincinnati, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Kansas City, MO
- Buddy Classrooms — Columbus, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Indianapolis, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Cleveland, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Milwaukee, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Grand Rapids, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Omaha, NE
- Buddy Classrooms — Dayton, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Des Moines, IA
- Buddy Classrooms — Madison, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Akron, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Wichita, KS
- Buddy Classrooms — Toledo, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Springfield, MO
- Buddy Classrooms — Lansing, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Fort Wayne, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Youngstown, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Flint, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Canton, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Davenport, IA
- Buddy Classrooms — Ann Arbor, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Peoria, IL
- Buddy Classrooms — Lincoln, NE
- Buddy Classrooms — Rockford, IL
- Buddy Classrooms — Green Bay, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — South Bend, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Sioux Falls, SD
- Buddy Classrooms — Duluth, MN
- Buddy Classrooms — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Buddy Classrooms — Evansville, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Fargo, ND
- Buddy Classrooms — Kalamazoo, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Appleton, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Champaign, IL
- Buddy Classrooms — Topeka, KS
- Buddy Classrooms — Rochester, MN
- Buddy Classrooms — Lafayette, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Columbia, MO
- Buddy Classrooms — Joplin, MO
- Buddy Classrooms — Elkhart, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Springfield, IL
- Buddy Classrooms — St. Cloud, MN
- Buddy Classrooms — Racine, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Saginaw, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Iowa City, IA
- Buddy Classrooms — Muskegon, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Eau Claire, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Oshkosh, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Bloomington, IL
- Buddy Classrooms — La Crosse, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Terre Haute, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Waterloo, IA
- Buddy Classrooms — Kenosha, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Janesville, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Bloomington, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Jackson, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Traverse City, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Rapid City, SD
- Buddy Classrooms — Monroe, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Jefferson City, MO
- Buddy Classrooms — Niles, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Sioux City, IA
- Buddy Classrooms — Bismarck, ND
- Buddy Classrooms — Wausau, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Manhattan, KS
- Buddy Classrooms — Springfield, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Battle Creek, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Ames, IA
- Buddy Classrooms — Mansfield, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Lawrence, KS
- Buddy Classrooms — St. Joseph, MO
- Buddy Classrooms — Sheboygan, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Muncie, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Sandusky, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Michigan City, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Kankakee, IL
- Buddy Classrooms — Grand Forks, ND
- Buddy Classrooms — Mankato, MN
- Buddy Classrooms — Fond du Lac, WI
- Buddy Classrooms — Bay City, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Lima, OH
- Buddy Classrooms — Dubuque, IA
- Buddy Classrooms — Decatur, IL
- Buddy Classrooms — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Buddy Classrooms — Columbus, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Kokomo, IN
- Buddy Classrooms — Midland, MI
- Buddy Classrooms — Grand Island, NE
- Buddy Classrooms — Minot, ND
South
- Buddy Classrooms — Dallas, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Houston, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Atlanta, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Washington, DC
- Buddy Classrooms — Miami, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Tampa, FL
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- Buddy Classrooms — Charlotte, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Baltimore, MD
- Buddy Classrooms — San Antonio, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Austin, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Nashville, TN
- Buddy Classrooms — Virginia Beach, VA
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- Buddy Classrooms — Raleigh, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Oklahoma City, OK
- Buddy Classrooms — Louisville, KY
- Buddy Classrooms — Richmond, VA
- Buddy Classrooms — Memphis, TN
- Buddy Classrooms — Birmingham, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Tulsa, OK
- Buddy Classrooms — Greenville, SC
- Buddy Classrooms — New Orleans, LA
- Buddy Classrooms — Knoxville, TN
- Buddy Classrooms — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — McAllen, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Charleston, SC
- Buddy Classrooms — Baton Rouge, LA
- Buddy Classrooms — El Paso, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Columbia, SC
- Buddy Classrooms — Cape Coral, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Lakeland, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Greensboro, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Little Rock, AR
- Buddy Classrooms — Deltona, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Winston-Salem, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Palm Bay, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Augusta, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Durham, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Fayetteville, AR
- Buddy Classrooms — Jackson, MS
- Buddy Classrooms — Chattanooga, TN
- Buddy Classrooms — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Huntsville, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Pensacola, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Lexington, KY
- Buddy Classrooms — Killeen, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Wilmington, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Corpus Christi, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Ocala, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Savannah, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Brownsville, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Gulfport, MS
- Buddy Classrooms — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Buddy Classrooms — Lafayette, LA
- Buddy Classrooms — Asheville, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Naples, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Mobile, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Spartanburg, SC
- Buddy Classrooms — Beaumont, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Tallahassee, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Fayetteville, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Montgomery, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Shreveport, LA
- Buddy Classrooms — Hickory, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Lubbock, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Huntington, WV
- Buddy Classrooms — Gainesville, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Clarksville, TN
- Buddy Classrooms — Columbus, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Roanoke, VA
- Buddy Classrooms — Hagerstown, MD
- Buddy Classrooms — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Kingsport, TN
- Buddy Classrooms — Waco, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Longview, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — College Station, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Laredo, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Slidell, LA
- Buddy Classrooms — Amarillo, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Lynchburg, VA
- Buddy Classrooms — Daphne, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Tyler, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Lake Charles, LA
- Buddy Classrooms — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Buddy Classrooms — Macon, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Fort Smith, AR
- Buddy Classrooms — Panama City, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Charlottesville, VA
- Buddy Classrooms — Gainesville, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Athens, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Monroe, LA
- Buddy Classrooms — Punta Gorda, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Jacksonville, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Johnson City, TN
- Buddy Classrooms — Lexington Park, MD
- Buddy Classrooms — Warner Robins, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Auburn, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Florence, SC
- Buddy Classrooms — Charleston, WV
- Buddy Classrooms — Houma, LA
- Buddy Classrooms — Bowling Green, KY
- Buddy Classrooms — Dover, DE
- Buddy Classrooms — Midland, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Burlington, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Abilene, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Jackson, TN
- Buddy Classrooms — Greenville, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Blacksburg, VA
- Buddy Classrooms — Odessa, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Decatur, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Hattiesburg, MS
- Buddy Classrooms — The Villages metro area, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Florence, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Dothan, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Sherman, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Valdosta, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Winchester, VA
- Buddy Classrooms — Wichita Falls, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Rocky Mount, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Alexandria, LA
- Buddy Classrooms — Dalton, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Texarkana, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Albany, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Morgantown, WV
- Buddy Classrooms — Hammond, LA
- Buddy Classrooms — Harrisonburg, VA
- Buddy Classrooms — Jonesboro, AR
- Buddy Classrooms — Wheeling, WV
- Buddy Classrooms — Cleveland, TN
- Buddy Classrooms — Salisbury, MD
- Buddy Classrooms — Staunton, VA
- Buddy Classrooms — Morristown, TN
- Buddy Classrooms — Elizabethtown, KY
- Buddy Classrooms — Lawton, OK
- Buddy Classrooms — Goldsboro, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — San Angelo, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Brunswick, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Anniston, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Owensboro, KY
- Buddy Classrooms — Steubenville, WV
- Buddy Classrooms — Sebring, FL
- Buddy Classrooms — Pinehurst, NC
- Buddy Classrooms — Beckley, WV
- Buddy Classrooms — Sumter, SC
- Buddy Classrooms — Gadsden, AL
- Buddy Classrooms — Paducah, KY
- Buddy Classrooms — Rome, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Victoria, TX
- Buddy Classrooms — Hot Springs, AR
- Buddy Classrooms — Hinesville, GA
- Buddy Classrooms — Parkersburg, WV
- Buddy Classrooms — Enid, OK
- Buddy Classrooms — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Buddy Classrooms — Los Angeles, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Phoenix, AZ
- Buddy Classrooms — Riverside, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — San Francisco, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Seattle, WA
- Buddy Classrooms — San Diego, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Denver, CO
- Buddy Classrooms — Portland, OR
- Buddy Classrooms — Sacramento, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Las Vegas, NV
- Buddy Classrooms — San Jose, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Salt Lake City, UT
- Buddy Classrooms — Fresno, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Tucson, AZ
- Buddy Classrooms — Honolulu, HI
- Buddy Classrooms — Bakersfield, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Albuquerque, NM
- Buddy Classrooms — Boise, ID
- Buddy Classrooms — Oxnard, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Stockton, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Colorado Springs, CO
- Buddy Classrooms — Provo, UT
- Buddy Classrooms — Ogden, UT
- Buddy Classrooms — Spokane, WA
- Buddy Classrooms — Reno, NV
- Buddy Classrooms — Modesto, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Santa Rosa, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Visalia, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Vallejo, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Salem, OR
- Buddy Classrooms — Santa Maria, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Salinas, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Anchorage, AK
- Buddy Classrooms — Eugene, OR
- Buddy Classrooms — Greeley, CO
- Buddy Classrooms — Fort Collins, CO
- Buddy Classrooms — Boulder, CO
- Buddy Classrooms — Kennewick, WA
- Buddy Classrooms — Olympia, WA
- Buddy Classrooms — Merced, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Bremerton, WA
- Buddy Classrooms — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Bend, OR
- Buddy Classrooms — Yakima, WA
- Buddy Classrooms — Santa Cruz, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Buddy Classrooms — Bellingham, WA
- Buddy Classrooms — Las Cruces, NM
- Buddy Classrooms — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Buddy Classrooms — Yuma, AZ
- Buddy Classrooms — Medford, OR
- Buddy Classrooms — St. George, UT
- Buddy Classrooms — Chico, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Billings, MT
- Buddy Classrooms — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Buddy Classrooms — Yuba City, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Redding, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — El Centro, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Idaho Falls, ID
- Buddy Classrooms — Pueblo, CO
- Buddy Classrooms — Grand Junction, CO
- Buddy Classrooms — Logan, UT
- Buddy Classrooms — Maui, HI
- Buddy Classrooms — Santa Fe, NM
- Buddy Classrooms — Hanford, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Flagstaff, AZ
- Buddy Classrooms — Mount Vernon, WA
- Buddy Classrooms — Napa, CA
- Buddy Classrooms — Albany, OR
- Buddy Classrooms — Bozeman, MT
- Buddy Classrooms — Missoula, MT
- Buddy Classrooms — Wenatchee, WA
- Buddy Classrooms — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Buddy Classrooms — Twin Falls, ID
- Buddy Classrooms — Farmington, NM
- Buddy Classrooms — Longview, WA
- Buddy Classrooms — Cheyenne, WY
- Buddy Classrooms — Corvallis, OR
- Buddy Classrooms — Helena, MT
- Buddy Classrooms — Fairbanks, AK
- Buddy Classrooms — Pocatello, ID
- Buddy Classrooms — Grants Pass, OR
- Buddy Classrooms — Great Falls, MT
- Buddy Classrooms — Casper, WY
- Buddy Classrooms — Lewiston, ID
- Buddy Classrooms — Walla Walla, WA
- Buddy Classrooms — Carson City, NV
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