
Dependability Activities
The activities below are great for teaching the Character Quality of Dependability, and can easily be modified for different age groups and grade levels. We’d love to hear how these activities go with your class or group, or if you made any changes that made the activity easier or more impactful in your comments at the bottom of the page!

To process the activity, ask these or similar questions:
- Did you enjoy the game?
- Which role did you like better, car or driver?
- How did it feel to be dependent on someone else?
- How did it feel to have others dependent on you?
- Will you remember this game the next time you need to be dependable?

“No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;” John Donne
Start the activity by writing or reciting the quote. Ask the class what it means. When the discussion is complete, distribute the downloadable worksheet or have them draw a simple outline of a head on their paper. On the inside, they should identify those people that depend on them. On the outside, write the people that they depend on. You may want to give them clues as to who they depend on. They can write a name or their job or role in the school or community.
For each of those whom they depend on, discuss what could happen if that person weren’t dependable. What would happen if the bus didn’t come every morning? Then turn it around and have them identify what would happen if they themselves were not dependable. What if they didn’t do the work for a group project for school?
To process the activity, ask these or similar questions:
- Was it hard to identify the people on the page?
- Were you surprised at the number of people on each list?
- Did you put your name on the outside list? How do you depend on you?
- Does seeing these lists make you want to be more dependable?

Click the link above and read the story to the class.
When finished, process the reading with these or similar questions:
- Did you understand the meaning of “I can sleep when the wind blows” when it was first said?
- How do you think the farmer and his wife felt toward the new farm hand after the storm?
- How do you think the farm hand felt when he woke up after the storm?
- As a student, how can you prepare for storms? (not waiting until the last minute to do chores or homework, stay focused on important things, ask for help when you need it, offer help when you can give it, learn from mistakes/storms how to better prepare the next time, looking ahead and anticipating problems.)
Here are some ways to teach the Character Quality of Punctuality, which means showing respect for others by doing the right thing at the right time. We use object lessons to teach the quality, but the important part is the processing questions. These questions are what make the lesson stick. Let us know in the comments the response from your students!
