Let’s Be Friends
Practice Being Kind
Children spend lots of time with friends at school. Being kind and understanding others’ feelings helps children have positive interactions.
- Audience
- Caregiver
- Subject
- School Readiness
- Age
- KindergartenPre-KPreschoolToddler
- Languages
- Brazilian PortugueseEnglishHaitian CreoleSimplified ChineseSpanish
- Materials
- Washable Markers, paper, cardstock, washi Tape, paper Bags, eye Stickers
For young children, saying “hi” or “thank you” is a great start. They might also show how they care for others, like pretending to feed a doll. But sharing and taking turns can be challenging while their brains are still developing. With time and practice, these skills get easier, helping children build friendships and confidence.
Try these activities together!
Puppet Play
Making puppets
- Decorate a paper bag as a puppet. Add eye stickers and let your child decorate the rest with markers and washi tape.
- Make different characters. They can be family members, friends, or animals.
- Talk about each puppet as you make them together. What do they like to eat, wear, or play with?
Pretend with puppets
- Together, use the puppets to act out everyday interactions.
- “Hi Cow!” “Hi Bunny! I like the color of your shirt!”
- “Can I play with you?’”
- “You bumped your head! That must hurt. Are you okay?”
- While playing, incorporate each other’s ideas. You might prompt a conversation, or you might follow what your child does.
- Use the puppets to practice sharing and taking turns with props and materials, “Let’s share the cookies!”
Making thank you cards
- Fold a sheet of cardstock paper in half.
- Using markers or washi tape, decorate the card by drawing or writing a message of thanks.
- Once the card is ready, give it to the person you and your child are thanking.
- Talk with your child about how the person might feel when they receive your thank you card. If your child doesn’t fully understand the idea, you can talk about why you are thanking someone: “Grandma was kind to you when he gave you the gift. Now you can be kind to her by making a card.”
Everyday Interactions
Say “hi” to a neighbor. Say “thank you” to the staff at the grocery store. There are many moments when you can show kindness to others! It’s okay if your child isn’t ready to say these things—it can be hard to talk to a stranger. Showing how you greet and thank others are great steps.
Ways to support your child
“Thank you for listening to my idea. It makes me feel happy.”
“Did you notice grandpa’s smile? How do you think your thank you card made him feel?”
Just for the grown-ups
Being kind to everyone is hard, even for adults! It’s normal to not always be your best in every situation. But your child will see how you interact with people in the neighborhood, at work, or in stores. Just do your best. Your child will notice your example!
Related Resources
CaregiverActivitySnip, Stick, Scribble!
In school, children do lots of activities. They write, draw, paint, and build with different materials. As children do these things, they use tools–scissors to cut paper, paintbrushes to mix colors, and pencils to write letters and numbers.
CaregiverActivityI Can Do It
At home, children can often get one-on-one help with what they need. At school, teachers have many children to care for and may not be able to assist right away. This is why it is important for children to learn to do tasks like zip jackets, put on shoes, and open snack containers. These everyday tasks use fine motor skills—small movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
CaregiverActivityI Am Patient
Patience is about learning to wait for a turn, be with the group, and stay calm. These skills help children join class activities and make friends.
CaregiverActivityI Can Listen
Listening to and following directions happens throughout the school day. A typical school day includes circle time or morning meetings, where the class learns what happens during the day. During activities, they need to know what steps to follow. These skills help children feel like part of the group. When children feel that they belong, it’s easier to make friends, work together, and be ready to learn in school.
CaregiverActivityAll About Me
Starting school is exciting! But it might also feel a little scary. Children can start to connect with their new friends at school by talking about themselves and their families.
EducatorGuideOn Our Way To School – Playgroup Guide
You can use or adapt this playgroup structure to maximize school readiness skill development during your playgroup. Be sure to also visit the On Our Way to School collection to download the accompanying Family Activity Sheets. This playgroup guide includes:
CaregiverActivityFiguring It Out
Stuck zippers! Snatched toys! Spilled milk! Learning to be a good problem-solver helps children be independent and feel more comfortable trying new things. It also helps them enjoy playing with others.
CaregiverActivityUp, Down, and Around
When children crawl under a table, fit toys in a box, or figure out how to get through a narrow path, they are thinking about how to move through or fill up a certain space. Moments like these support spatial thinking—how we understand where objects are and how they move or fit together.