Introduction

Friendships are essential for the social and emotional development of young children. In PreK, students begin to learn the importance of having common interests, making time for each other, and putting equal effort into their friendships. As educators, we can support children by teaching them how to start a friendship, ask questions to learn about their peers, and make plans that cater to their friends’ interests. This blog post will discuss an easy-to-implement activity, discussion questions, and related skills to help students build strong connections with their peers.

No-Prep Activity: The Friendship Circle

The Friendship Circle is a simple activity that requires no preparation or materials from the educator. To conduct this activity, follow these steps:

1. Ask the students to form a circle and sit down.
2. Explain that they will take turns asking each other questions to learn more about their friends.
3. Model a few examples of questions they can ask, such as, “What’s your favorite color?” or “What do you like to do for fun?”
4. Encourage students to remember the answers their peers provide.
5. Begin the activity by choosing a student to ask a question to the person sitting next to them.
6. Continue the activity, allowing each student to ask and answer questions, until everyone has had a turn.

This activity not only helps students learn about their peers but also encourages them to practice active listening and communication skills.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is it important to ask questions when getting to know a new friend?
2. How can we show our friends that we care about their interests and feelings?
3. What are some ways to make sure both friends are putting equal effort into the friendship?
4. How can we use the information we’ve learned about our friends to plan activities they will enjoy?
5. Why is it essential to pay attention to our friends’ efforts in maintaining the friendship?

Related Skills

Teaching students the importance of building friendships is just the beginning. Here are some other relevant skills that contribute to their social-emotional development:

• Active listening: Encourage students to pay attention to their friends’ words and feelings.
• Empathy: Teach children to understand and share the feelings of their friends.
• Conflict resolution: Help students learn how to address and resolve disagreements with their peers.
• Cooperation: Promote the importance of working together and valuing each other’s contributions.
• Respect: Teach children the importance of treating their friends with kindness and consideration.

Next Steps

Now that you have an understanding of the importance of friendship-building in PreK and have some strategies to support your students, it’s time to put these ideas into practice. To help you get started, we invite you to sign up for free samples of skill-building resources and activities. Our sample materials cover a range of social-emotional learning topics, providing you with valuable tools to enhance your students’ development and foster strong connections in the classroom.