Ages 7-16 · Book 5, Empathy · 4,299 places
Restorative Circles
The missing session: getting a child to the point where they can say what they did before being asked to fix it.
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
Read the story and stop at the moment Maya's work is ruined
- Session 2
Ask what Ellis Abel stood to lose by helping
- Session 3
Name the harder thing: telling the truth about a mistake
- Session 4
Each child names one person they will notice this week
- Session 5
Follow up by name and ask what they noticed
Questions leaders ask
Is restorative circles 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 7-16. 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.
Restorative Circles by metro area
Northeast
- Restorative Circles — New York, NY
- Restorative Circles — Philadelphia, PA
- Restorative Circles — Boston, MA
- Restorative Circles — Pittsburgh, PA
- Restorative Circles — Providence, RI
- Restorative Circles — Hartford, CT
- Restorative Circles — Buffalo, NY
- Restorative Circles — Rochester, NY
- Restorative Circles — Bridgeport, CT
- Restorative Circles — Albany, NY
- Restorative Circles — Worcester, MA
- Restorative Circles — Allentown, PA
- Restorative Circles — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Restorative Circles — Syracuse, NY
- Restorative Circles — Harrisburg, PA
- Restorative Circles — New Haven, CT
- Restorative Circles — Portland, ME
- Restorative Circles — Scranton, PA
- Restorative Circles — Lancaster, PA
- Restorative Circles — York, PA
- Restorative Circles — Springfield, MA
- Restorative Circles — Waterbury, CT
- Restorative Circles — Reading, PA
- Restorative Circles — Manchester, NH
- Restorative Circles — Trenton, NJ
- Restorative Circles — Atlantic City, NJ
- Restorative Circles — Utica, NY
- Restorative Circles — Norwich, CT
- Restorative Circles — Erie, PA
- Restorative Circles — Binghamton, NY
- Restorative Circles — Barnstable, MA
- Restorative Circles — Burlington, VT
- Restorative Circles — Kingston, NY
- Restorative Circles — Amherst, MA
- Restorative Circles — Chambersburg, PA
- Restorative Circles — Bangor, ME
- Restorative Circles — State College, PA
- Restorative Circles — Vineland, NJ
- Restorative Circles — Lebanon, PA
- Restorative Circles — Johnstown, PA
- Restorative Circles — Pittsfield, MA
- Restorative Circles — Glens Falls, NY
- Restorative Circles — Altoona, PA
- Restorative Circles — Lewiston, ME
- Restorative Circles — Williamsport, PA
- Restorative Circles — Watertown, NY
- Restorative Circles — Gettysburg, PA
- Restorative Circles — Ithaca, NY
- Restorative Circles — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Restorative Circles — Chicago, IL
- Restorative Circles — Detroit, MI
- Restorative Circles — Minneapolis, MN
- Restorative Circles — St. Louis, MO
- Restorative Circles — Cincinnati, OH
- Restorative Circles — Kansas City, MO
- Restorative Circles — Columbus, OH
- Restorative Circles — Indianapolis, IN
- Restorative Circles — Cleveland, OH
- Restorative Circles — Milwaukee, WI
- Restorative Circles — Grand Rapids, MI
- Restorative Circles — Omaha, NE
- Restorative Circles — Dayton, OH
- Restorative Circles — Des Moines, IA
- Restorative Circles — Madison, WI
- Restorative Circles — Akron, OH
- Restorative Circles — Wichita, KS
- Restorative Circles — Toledo, OH
- Restorative Circles — Springfield, MO
- Restorative Circles — Lansing, MI
- Restorative Circles — Fort Wayne, IN
- Restorative Circles — Youngstown, OH
- Restorative Circles — Flint, MI
- Restorative Circles — Canton, OH
- Restorative Circles — Davenport, IA
- Restorative Circles — Ann Arbor, MI
- Restorative Circles — Peoria, IL
- Restorative Circles — Lincoln, NE
- Restorative Circles — Rockford, IL
- Restorative Circles — Green Bay, WI
- Restorative Circles — South Bend, IN
- Restorative Circles — Sioux Falls, SD
- Restorative Circles — Duluth, MN
- Restorative Circles — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Restorative Circles — Evansville, IN
- Restorative Circles — Fargo, ND
- Restorative Circles — Kalamazoo, MI
- Restorative Circles — Appleton, WI
- Restorative Circles — Champaign, IL
- Restorative Circles — Topeka, KS
- Restorative Circles — Rochester, MN
- Restorative Circles — Lafayette, IN
- Restorative Circles — Columbia, MO
- Restorative Circles — Joplin, MO
- Restorative Circles — Elkhart, IN
- Restorative Circles — Springfield, IL
- Restorative Circles — St. Cloud, MN
- Restorative Circles — Racine, WI
- Restorative Circles — Saginaw, MI
- Restorative Circles — Iowa City, IA
- Restorative Circles — Muskegon, MI
- Restorative Circles — Eau Claire, WI
- Restorative Circles — Oshkosh, WI
- Restorative Circles — Bloomington, IL
- Restorative Circles — La Crosse, WI
- Restorative Circles — Terre Haute, IN
- Restorative Circles — Waterloo, IA
- Restorative Circles — Kenosha, WI
- Restorative Circles — Janesville, WI
- Restorative Circles — Bloomington, IN
- Restorative Circles — Jackson, MI
- Restorative Circles — Traverse City, MI
- Restorative Circles — Rapid City, SD
- Restorative Circles — Monroe, MI
- Restorative Circles — Jefferson City, MO
- Restorative Circles — Niles, MI
- Restorative Circles — Sioux City, IA
- Restorative Circles — Bismarck, ND
- Restorative Circles — Wausau, WI
- Restorative Circles — Manhattan, KS
- Restorative Circles — Springfield, OH
- Restorative Circles — Battle Creek, MI
- Restorative Circles — Ames, IA
- Restorative Circles — Mansfield, OH
- Restorative Circles — Lawrence, KS
- Restorative Circles — St. Joseph, MO
- Restorative Circles — Sheboygan, WI
- Restorative Circles — Muncie, IN
- Restorative Circles — Sandusky, OH
- Restorative Circles — Michigan City, IN
- Restorative Circles — Kankakee, IL
- Restorative Circles — Grand Forks, ND
- Restorative Circles — Mankato, MN
- Restorative Circles — Fond du Lac, WI
- Restorative Circles — Bay City, MI
- Restorative Circles — Lima, OH
- Restorative Circles — Dubuque, IA
- Restorative Circles — Decatur, IL
- Restorative Circles — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Restorative Circles — Columbus, IN
- Restorative Circles — Kokomo, IN
- Restorative Circles — Midland, MI
- Restorative Circles — Grand Island, NE
- Restorative Circles — Minot, ND
South
- Restorative Circles — Dallas, TX
- Restorative Circles — Houston, TX
- Restorative Circles — Atlanta, GA
- Restorative Circles — Washington, DC
- Restorative Circles — Miami, FL
- Restorative Circles — Tampa, FL
- Restorative Circles — Orlando, FL
- Restorative Circles — Charlotte, NC
- Restorative Circles — Baltimore, MD
- Restorative Circles — San Antonio, TX
- Restorative Circles — Austin, TX
- Restorative Circles — Nashville, TN
- Restorative Circles — Virginia Beach, VA
- Restorative Circles — Jacksonville, FL
- Restorative Circles — Raleigh, NC
- Restorative Circles — Oklahoma City, OK
- Restorative Circles — Louisville, KY
- Restorative Circles — Richmond, VA
- Restorative Circles — Memphis, TN
- Restorative Circles — Birmingham, AL
- Restorative Circles — Tulsa, OK
- Restorative Circles — Greenville, SC
- Restorative Circles — New Orleans, LA
- Restorative Circles — Knoxville, TN
- Restorative Circles — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Restorative Circles — McAllen, TX
- Restorative Circles — Charleston, SC
- Restorative Circles — Baton Rouge, LA
- Restorative Circles — El Paso, TX
- Restorative Circles — Columbia, SC
- Restorative Circles — Cape Coral, FL
- Restorative Circles — Lakeland, FL
- Restorative Circles — Greensboro, NC
- Restorative Circles — Little Rock, AR
- Restorative Circles — Deltona, FL
- Restorative Circles — Winston-Salem, NC
- Restorative Circles — Palm Bay, FL
- Restorative Circles — Augusta, GA
- Restorative Circles — Durham, NC
- Restorative Circles — Fayetteville, AR
- Restorative Circles — Jackson, MS
- Restorative Circles — Chattanooga, TN
- Restorative Circles — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Restorative Circles — Huntsville, AL
- Restorative Circles — Pensacola, FL
- Restorative Circles — Lexington, KY
- Restorative Circles — Killeen, TX
- Restorative Circles — Wilmington, NC
- Restorative Circles — Corpus Christi, TX
- Restorative Circles — Ocala, FL
- Restorative Circles — Savannah, GA
- Restorative Circles — Brownsville, TX
- Restorative Circles — Gulfport, MS
- Restorative Circles — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Restorative Circles — Lafayette, LA
- Restorative Circles — Asheville, NC
- Restorative Circles — Naples, FL
- Restorative Circles — Mobile, AL
- Restorative Circles — Spartanburg, SC
- Restorative Circles — Beaumont, TX
- Restorative Circles — Tallahassee, FL
- Restorative Circles — Fayetteville, NC
- Restorative Circles — Montgomery, AL
- Restorative Circles — Shreveport, LA
- Restorative Circles — Hickory, NC
- Restorative Circles — Lubbock, TX
- Restorative Circles — Huntington, WV
- Restorative Circles — Gainesville, FL
- Restorative Circles — Clarksville, TN
- Restorative Circles — Columbus, GA
- Restorative Circles — Roanoke, VA
- Restorative Circles — Hagerstown, MD
- Restorative Circles — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Restorative Circles — Kingsport, TN
- Restorative Circles — Waco, TX
- Restorative Circles — Longview, TX
- Restorative Circles — College Station, TX
- Restorative Circles — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Restorative Circles — Laredo, TX
- Restorative Circles — Slidell, LA
- Restorative Circles — Amarillo, TX
- Restorative Circles — Lynchburg, VA
- Restorative Circles — Daphne, AL
- Restorative Circles — Tyler, TX
- Restorative Circles — Lake Charles, LA
- Restorative Circles — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Restorative Circles — Macon, GA
- Restorative Circles — Fort Smith, AR
- Restorative Circles — Panama City, FL
- Restorative Circles — Charlottesville, VA
- Restorative Circles — Gainesville, GA
- Restorative Circles — Athens, GA
- Restorative Circles — Monroe, LA
- Restorative Circles — Punta Gorda, FL
- Restorative Circles — Jacksonville, NC
- Restorative Circles — Johnson City, TN
- Restorative Circles — Lexington Park, MD
- Restorative Circles — Warner Robins, GA
- Restorative Circles — Auburn, AL
- Restorative Circles — Florence, SC
- Restorative Circles — Charleston, WV
- Restorative Circles — Houma, LA
- Restorative Circles — Bowling Green, KY
- Restorative Circles — Dover, DE
- Restorative Circles — Midland, TX
- Restorative Circles — Burlington, NC
- Restorative Circles — Abilene, TX
- Restorative Circles — Jackson, TN
- Restorative Circles — Greenville, NC
- Restorative Circles — Blacksburg, VA
- Restorative Circles — Odessa, TX
- Restorative Circles — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Restorative Circles — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Restorative Circles — Decatur, AL
- Restorative Circles — Hattiesburg, MS
- Restorative Circles — The Villages metro area, FL
- Restorative Circles — Florence, AL
- Restorative Circles — Dothan, AL
- Restorative Circles — Sherman, TX
- Restorative Circles — Valdosta, GA
- Restorative Circles — Winchester, VA
- Restorative Circles — Wichita Falls, TX
- Restorative Circles — Rocky Mount, NC
- Restorative Circles — Alexandria, LA
- Restorative Circles — Dalton, GA
- Restorative Circles — Texarkana, TX
- Restorative Circles — Albany, GA
- Restorative Circles — Morgantown, WV
- Restorative Circles — Hammond, LA
- Restorative Circles — Harrisonburg, VA
- Restorative Circles — Jonesboro, AR
- Restorative Circles — Wheeling, WV
- Restorative Circles — Cleveland, TN
- Restorative Circles — Salisbury, MD
- Restorative Circles — Staunton, VA
- Restorative Circles — Morristown, TN
- Restorative Circles — Elizabethtown, KY
- Restorative Circles — Lawton, OK
- Restorative Circles — Goldsboro, NC
- Restorative Circles — San Angelo, TX
- Restorative Circles — Brunswick, GA
- Restorative Circles — Anniston, AL
- Restorative Circles — Owensboro, KY
- Restorative Circles — Steubenville, WV
- Restorative Circles — Sebring, FL
- Restorative Circles — Pinehurst, NC
- Restorative Circles — Beckley, WV
- Restorative Circles — Sumter, SC
- Restorative Circles — Gadsden, AL
- Restorative Circles — Paducah, KY
- Restorative Circles — Rome, GA
- Restorative Circles — Victoria, TX
- Restorative Circles — Hot Springs, AR
- Restorative Circles — Hinesville, GA
- Restorative Circles — Parkersburg, WV
- Restorative Circles — Enid, OK
- Restorative Circles — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Restorative Circles — Los Angeles, CA
- Restorative Circles — Phoenix, AZ
- Restorative Circles — Riverside, CA
- Restorative Circles — San Francisco, CA
- Restorative Circles — Seattle, WA
- Restorative Circles — San Diego, CA
- Restorative Circles — Denver, CO
- Restorative Circles — Portland, OR
- Restorative Circles — Sacramento, CA
- Restorative Circles — Las Vegas, NV
- Restorative Circles — San Jose, CA
- Restorative Circles — Salt Lake City, UT
- Restorative Circles — Fresno, CA
- Restorative Circles — Tucson, AZ
- Restorative Circles — Honolulu, HI
- Restorative Circles — Bakersfield, CA
- Restorative Circles — Albuquerque, NM
- Restorative Circles — Boise, ID
- Restorative Circles — Oxnard, CA
- Restorative Circles — Stockton, CA
- Restorative Circles — Colorado Springs, CO
- Restorative Circles — Provo, UT
- Restorative Circles — Ogden, UT
- Restorative Circles — Spokane, WA
- Restorative Circles — Reno, NV
- Restorative Circles — Modesto, CA
- Restorative Circles — Santa Rosa, CA
- Restorative Circles — Visalia, CA
- Restorative Circles — Vallejo, CA
- Restorative Circles — Salem, OR
- Restorative Circles — Santa Maria, CA
- Restorative Circles — Salinas, CA
- Restorative Circles — Anchorage, AK
- Restorative Circles — Eugene, OR
- Restorative Circles — Greeley, CO
- Restorative Circles — Fort Collins, CO
- Restorative Circles — Boulder, CO
- Restorative Circles — Kennewick, WA
- Restorative Circles — Olympia, WA
- Restorative Circles — Merced, CA
- Restorative Circles — Bremerton, WA
- Restorative Circles — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Restorative Circles — Bend, OR
- Restorative Circles — Yakima, WA
- Restorative Circles — Santa Cruz, CA
- Restorative Circles — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Restorative Circles — Bellingham, WA
- Restorative Circles — Las Cruces, NM
- Restorative Circles — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Restorative Circles — Yuma, AZ
- Restorative Circles — Medford, OR
- Restorative Circles — St. George, UT
- Restorative Circles — Chico, CA
- Restorative Circles — Billings, MT
- Restorative Circles — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Restorative Circles — Yuba City, CA
- Restorative Circles — Redding, CA
- Restorative Circles — El Centro, CA
- Restorative Circles — Idaho Falls, ID
- Restorative Circles — Pueblo, CO
- Restorative Circles — Grand Junction, CO
- Restorative Circles — Logan, UT
- Restorative Circles — Maui, HI
- Restorative Circles — Santa Fe, NM
- Restorative Circles — Hanford, CA
- Restorative Circles — Flagstaff, AZ
- Restorative Circles — Mount Vernon, WA
- Restorative Circles — Napa, CA
- Restorative Circles — Albany, OR
- Restorative Circles — Bozeman, MT
- Restorative Circles — Missoula, MT
- Restorative Circles — Wenatchee, WA
- Restorative Circles — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Restorative Circles — Twin Falls, ID
- Restorative Circles — Farmington, NM
- Restorative Circles — Longview, WA
- Restorative Circles — Cheyenne, WY
- Restorative Circles — Corvallis, OR
- Restorative Circles — Helena, MT
- Restorative Circles — Fairbanks, AK
- Restorative Circles — Pocatello, ID
- Restorative Circles — Grants Pass, OR
- Restorative Circles — Great Falls, MT
- Restorative Circles — Casper, WY
- Restorative Circles — Lewiston, ID
- Restorative Circles — Walla Walla, WA
- Restorative Circles — Carson City, NV
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