The Ant and the Dove

Name: The Ant and the Dove
Author: RIGBY

A story that explores cooperation and opens a conversation with your child.

★★★★★ Loved by families

Read the Guiding Questions Find this book →

♥ This book teaches: Cooperation. choosing the group over the self.

Before, During & After Reading

Guiding Questions for Parents.

Definition of Cooperation for 4 - 7 year olds: Cooperation happens when two or more people help each other to make something good happen. It can also apply to animals or parts of a whole that need each other and work together. An example of this is the human body – all the parts work together to make you healthy. In a nutshell: Together we can do more. Summary: A dove saves a drowning ant from the river. A few days later, a boy aims a rock at the dove intending to hurt the bird, and when the ant sees this, he bites the boy’s toe and the dove escapes. They vow to always protect each other. Lesson Plan Objectives:

Students discuss the phrase: “kindness is rewarded,” and talk about examples of this in their own lives, especially how they feel when they do an act of kindness, and how they feel when someone is kind to them.

Guiding Questions:

Why do you think the dove decided to save the ant?
Why do you think the ant saved the dove?
Did the ant and the dove need each other? How did they help each other?
What might have happened to the dove if the ant had just watched the hunter shoot the dove?
The ant and the dove weren’t friends in the beginning of the story but that changed, why?
How do real ants cooperate and work together?
Can you think of a story or movie you like where the characters cooperated with each other? How did they help each other?
Do you remember a time when someone else needed you to help them? What happened?
Is there a time when someone else helped you when you needed it? What happened?
Can you think of someone who could use your help? What do they need you to do?

🌿 Virtue Connection: Cooperation means choosing to contribute to something larger than yourself.

About the Story.

This guide is part of the Values & Virtues library, a free collection of 400+ book guides and activities organized around 12 core virtues for children from pre-K to 6th grade. Each guide includes Guiding Questions designed to open a real conversation with your child in 10 minutes or less.