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Ellis Abel Learns.
Peer Helper Programs icon — Ellis Abel Learns Book 5, empathy, for children ages 8-16

Ages 8-16 · Book 5, Empathy · 4,299 places

Peer Helper Programs

Older students with a script, because a helper without one defaults to being nice and nothing happens.

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

  1. Session 1

    Pick the need first, from the people who actually have it

  2. Session 2

    Read the story and name why helping cost him something

  3. Session 3

    Plan the smallest useful thing, and do it this week

  4. Session 4

    Do it without announcing it, and see how that feels

  5. Session 5

    Say afterwards what changed for the person, not for us

Questions leaders ask

Is peer helper programs 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 8-16. 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.

Peer Helpers by metro area

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Cities and all 3,143 US counties are covered too — every place page is live. The campaign sitemap lists every one.

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The rest of the series

Book 1AccountabilityBig feelings. Small choices. Real accountability.Book 2BelongingBeing brave means showing up anyway.Book 3ConfidenceTurn fear into confidence, one step at a time.Book 4DiscernmentChoose what you feed within.Book 6FaithDifference isn’t weakness. It’s a gift.