Committee for Children Blog

Class Coat of Arms—Activity

friendship making activity

Grades K–8

Working together as a team can strengthen interpersonal bonds and can help foster a supportive, collaborative climate in the classroom and beyond. This activity from the Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit is a great way to strengthen that supportive class climate, not to mention an opportunity for a history lesson in coats of arms and their meanings.

Download and Print

Materials

  • Large sheet of poster paper or download our Free Coat of Arms PDF here (Good for 8.5 x 11 and larger formats)
  • Variety of art supplies
  • Picture of the school mascot
  • Class or school motto

Preparation

If you didn’t download the provided image, draw the outline of a coat of arms on the sheet of poster paper.

Steps

1. Introduce the project:

We’re going to create a class coat of arms. A coat of arms uses pictures, colors, and words to show what’s important to a group of people.

2. Explain the sections of the coat of arms:

Each section of the coat of arms will have a different color, picture, or set of words.

  • Top left section: A picture of an animal with a character trait that’s important to the class (see below for ideas)
  • Top right section: A color that means something important to the class
  • Bottom left section: A second color that means something important to the class
  • Bottom right section: A picture of the school mascot
  • Banner: Class or school motto

3. Determine a process for selecting what will go in each section of the coat of arms. You might want the class to vote, or you might want pairs or groups to discuss their ideas and present them to the class.

4. Have students choose colors, pictures, and words to include on the coat of arms.

5. As decisions are made, add the elements to the coat of arms.

Variation

Provide copies of a blank coat of arms for students to complete on their own.

Color Meaning Animal Meaning
Red Bravery Bear Strong
Yellow Loyalty Leopard Agile
Orange Welcome Eagle Wise
Blue Responsibility Stag Strong spirit
Green Honesty Lion Brave

Like This Activity?

We’re adding more K–8 classroom activities to our Free Activities page all the time. They’re easy to find—just visit cfchildren.org/resources/free-activities/ for grade-specific, K–8 classroom activities that align with our Second Step Suite.


Learn more about social-emotional learning, research on the topic, and how it benefits students in the classroom, at home, and in their daily lives.