MAKING FRIENDS ONE DAY AT A TIME

Transcription

1 Patricia Bentham MAKING FRIENDS ONE DAY AT A TIME

2 Making Friends One Day At A Time Introduction Starting school and making friends can be challenging for young children. Although all children want friends, many lack the know ledge and skills to make and keep them. Children need to be equipped with the words to say to enter into play with others, to know how to invite others to play with them, and how to settle problems that arise when they are playing with others. 6 ways to help children to make friends 1. Read friendship stories Read stories about other children or characters making friends. Talk about what the characters in the story say and do to solve their friendship dilemmas and how the children can do the same. 2. Role play & use puppets Role play to show facial expressions and words that invite or repel friendship. After each short skit, discuss what the person s face looked like and what their voice sounded like. Did they make the children want to be a friend? Children seem to remember silly skits. Demonstrate puppets being bossy, aggressive and too shy. Act out being annoying by poking, asking the same question repeatedly, and grabbing toys. Be sure to role play ways to encourage friendship as well. Show positive actions such as smiling, sharing and helping. 3. Separate children into smaller groups Grouping small numbers of children can be less overwhelming for some children. Be sure to say the names of the group members and show the children (not just tell) what is expected of them before leaving children to work together. If a child seems really shy, match her/him with one child until she/he seems more comfortable. 4. Play games to help children learn each other s names Play games that reinforce learning names. For example, have a small group of children sit in a circle. Call out a name and have the child with the ball roll it to the child whose name you said. Repeat. Go to... for more songs and games. 5. Teach children that friends make mistakes Young children change their friends often, depending on what happens each day. If yesterday s friend will not share today, children say they aren t friends anymore. They need to learn that all friends make mistakes and will not always agree with them. 2

3 6. Make student, Making Friends One Day at a Time, books. Use the free handouts and patterns for tracers on the following pages to make the student books. For day by day instructions for books to read, games and songs to play and sing, and a daily student book activity, go to... html. Don t be discouraged if you feel like you are repeating the same concepts over and over throughout the year. Children s abilities to make and keep friends will improve as they mature and become less egocentric. Summary of student pages Details for each page are at Day 1 - Make Student Book Cover Day 2 - This is one of my new friends. Day 3 - Sometimes friends visit at my house. Day 4 - Friends work together Day 5 - Friends help each other. I can help... Day 6 - Friends forgive each other. I can tell my friends how I am feeling. Day 7 - Friends can share. I can share my Day 8 - Sometimes I talk to my friends on the phone. Day 9 - Friends can celebrate my birthday. Day 10 - Friends are different in some ways. I am taller/shorter than my friend. Day 11 - Friends are the same in some ways. Friends are different in some ways. Day 12 - These children are my new friends. My friend and I like to... Draw a picture to show how you can be a good friend. Patterns for tracers General instructions - Making Friends One Day At a Time Photocopy student pages and one of each pattern for tracers. Attach groups of each pages with a paper clips. Make a file folder for each child. Clearly mark the children s names on them and store the files where they are below the child s eye level (on a low shelf) to help kids file their own work in the correct file. When all pages are completed, staple each child s pages into a book. Save the empty file folder for the next project. Each day have the children put his/her name on the back of their page. Create a document with the name, address, phone number and birth date of each student. Use Century Gothic font at size 36 to match the rest of the page. Use the address for the house page, the birth date for the birthday page, and the phone number for the phone page. Pass the information to the student after they have completed gluing all other items on the page.

4 Making Friends One Day At A Time My name is

5 This is one of my new friends. Instructions: Use the new friend pattern to make student tracers. Student traces a new friend on his or her page, colors it and then asks the friend to print her/his name on the page (teacher helps if necessary).

6 Sometimes friends visit at my house. I live at... Instructions: Make tracers with the house pattern. Follow instructions on the house pattern.

7 Friends work together. and I made this picture. Instructions: Set up 2 trays of different colored paint. The student and a friend print their names in each other s books to complete the sentence. The student and the friend place one hand in a different color of paint and then press a handprint on their own page and on their friend s page.

8 Friends help each other. I can help my friends. Instructions: Student and a friend trace 2 hands and cut themn out (or teacher cuts them out). Each child glues one hand on their own page and the other on the friend s page. Child sticks a mini bandaid on one hand to represent helping one another.

9 Friends forgive each other. I can tell my friends how I am feeling. Instructions: Place emotion tracers under paper and make rubbings. Copy words if able.

10 Friends can share. I can share my... Instructions: Child cuts pictures of toys, books or sports equipment out of teacher supply or other catalogues, glues the picture on page and then prints words if able. 10

11 Sometimes I talk to my friends on the phone. My phone number is Instructions: Child glues his/her phone number (teacher provides) on the page and tries to copy it underneath. 11

12 Friends can celebrate my birthday. My birthday is on... I am years old. Instructions: Child glues a cake near the bottom of the page, then glues paper candles on cake, then draws fire on candles and decorates cake with sequins or other craft items. 12

13 My friends and I are different. I am taller shorter than my friend,. Instructions: Two children compare heights, then each one circles whether he/she is taller or shorter than the friend and prints the friend s name in space given. Child draws friend and self, showing one person taller. 13

14 Friends are different in some ways. Friends are the same in some way. We are the same. We are different. Instructions: Child draws a similarity in one box and a difference in the other. 14

15 Draw a picture to show how you can be a good friend. Instructions: Remind children what they have learned about making friends. Children may say - I can smile, I can share, I can forgive my friend, I can be kind or I can help. 15

16 These children are my new friends. My friend, and I like to Instructions: Provide a list of the names of children in the class for students to glue on the left side of their page. Have the child draw an activity that both a friend and she/he likes to do. 16

17 Pattern for cover puzzle Cover instructions Photocopy the page onto different colors of paper. Cut out the pieces by stacking about 5 pages together and stapling the sides so the pages don t move around too much when cutting. Children choose one head, body and leg piece and two different arms. Start gluing by placing the head at the top just under the title. Glue the body, legs and arms. Print name. 17

18 Pattern for This is one of my new friends, tracers. Teacher Instructions: Make new friend tracers on lightweight card with the patterns. Student instructions: Trace a new friend onto their page, then print the name of one of their new friends on the page (teacher or other student assists). Children add face, hair clothes. Optional: Teacher cuts out enough new friends for all students. Students glue on page and then complete steps. 18

19 Pattern for I can invite my friends to my house house tracers. Student Instructions: Trace the house onto construction paper, then cut it out. Door: Cut the black line of the door and fold the door back so it opens. Window: Fold the paper to cut the 2 horizontal black lines for the window, then cut the vertical window line. Fold windows open (teacher may have to help). Put glue on the back of the house except for the door and window flaps and stick their house on the page. Students glue their address on the page (teacher provides), then open the flaps and draw faces inside. Optional Teacher cuts out houses for students. 19

20 Patterns for Friends forgive each other tracers. Teacher Instructions: Photocopy or trace the circles onto lightweight card. Cut out circles and cut out the shaded grey parts. Make enough tracers for children to share. Stick tracers to table with tape. Place page on top Provide large, chunky dark crayons with the paper taken off. Students Instructions: Children rub the paper with the side a crayon. Children draw eyes and a nose. Children copy emotion words if they are able. 20

21 Pattern for Friends can celebrate my birthday... tracer. Teacher Instructions: Use pattern to make some cake tracers for students. Cut strips of colored paper into 3 x 1/2 lengths for candles. Other materials: Red, orange and yellow crayons or felt markers for fire. Put out a few shallow containers of sequins and white glue. Students Instructions: Students trace a cake on a half sheet of construction paper, then cut it out and glue it near the bottom on their page. Students count out as many candles as their age and glue them on their page. Students draw fire on their candles and decorate the cake with sequins or other craft items. Go to for tips to help children succeed with arts and crafts. 21