Author: GHoffman

Making Friends
Social-Emotional Kits
School Readiness Kits
This kit was created and assembled by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives in collaboration with the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute with funding from the School Ready Libraries Grant ; adapted from the work of the Grant County Public Library.

Social Emotional Development: Making Friends
Goals
Demonstrates desire to create relationships and understanding of these relationships with others
Uses etiquette, politeness, sharing and other positive social interaction skills
Works and plays collaboratively in large and small groups.
Uses appropriate means to express wants, needs and feelings
Practices attentive listening skills that build and maintain healthy relationships 1
“Social-emotional development includes the child’s experience, expression, and management of emotions and the ability to establish positive and rewarding relationships with others (Cohen and others 2005). It encompasses both intra- and interpersonal processes.
The core features of emotional development include the ability to identify and understand one’s own feelings, to accurately read and comprehend emotional states in others, to manage strong emotions and their expression in a constructive manner, to regulate one’s own behavior, to develop empathy for others, and to establish and maintain relationships. (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child 004, 2)

January 2018
Page 1

Write
Suggested Activities
Read a book about friendship aloud. Have the children draw a picture of what they like to do with their friends.
Have the child trace their hand and think of things that make them a good friend. The child or adult can then write one idea on each finger . Give the child a high five with the friendship hand.
Send a postcard to a friend. Have the child write or draw a message to their friend.
Do a buddy tracing- On a large sheet of paper, have one child trace another as he lies down and stretches out his arms. After the tracing is finished, both can fill in the details as they work together. Then the child who was traced can outline his partner. Display the tracings together, and point out that the kids couldn't have made them without each other.
School Readiness Asides for Parents and Caregivers
By helping your child the skills needed to begin and maintain a friendship, you are teaching them skills that they will need for the rest of their life.

January 2018
Page 3
Page 3

Read
Suggested Activities
Read a story and have the children act it out or parts of it out. For example children can act out the right way and the wrong way to treat friends.
Read some of the books in the kit and act them out.
After creating their own book about friends, read the book with the children.
School Readiness Aside to Parents and Caregivers
Preschool friendships are helpful in developing social and emotional skills, increasing a sense of belonging and decreasing stress.

January 2018
Page 2

Sing
“Clap a Friend’s Name with Me”
Tune: London Bridge is Falling Down
Clap a friend’s name with me,
Name with me, name with me.
Clap a friend’s name with me,
Let’s clap (name).
Variations: snap, stomp, pat (knees), bump (hips), flap (elbows)
The More We Get Together
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together the happier we’ll be
For your friends are my friends and my friends are your friends
The more we get together, the happier we’ll be

January 2018
Page 4

Talk
Suggested Activities
Help children expand their vocabulary while working on their friendship skills by having the children talk in pairs about a thing they like to do.
Make a class friends book and ask the children what they like about a child. Write it down and make a class book with pictures of each child.
School Readiness Asides to Parents and Caregivers
By allowing children to talk about what they like you are working on communication skills.
Children can also learn what they have in common with their friends and build upon that as they work and play together.

January 2018
Page 5

Citation Page
ALIGNMENT OF STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS. (2003, October 1). Retrieved March 07, 2017, from https://kidsnow.ky.gov/families/readiness/Documents/early-childhood-standards.pdf

January 2018
Page 7

Play
Suggested Activities
Pair a child with good social skills with a child that needs assistance in play. Make sure they have some toys that would encourage them to play together rather than separately (blocks, a large puzzle, balls). Stay close to the interaction at first to give suggestions. As things go smoothly, back away and let the children continue the play. Encourage the children to play together at least 10—15 minutes (depending upon the age of the child).
Provide activities throughout the day that will encourage cooperative play:
Rolling a ball back and forth
One child pulling another child in a wagon
Sharing playdough and playdough tools
Encourage dramatic play
Find games that encourage collaboration rather than competition.
School Readiness Aside to Parents and Caregivers
Having a child play with a peer increases social skills for both.

January 2018
Page 6

January 2018
Page 8

Please write any suggestions you have for this kit.

January 2018
Page 9

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January 2018
Page 11

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January 2018
Page 10

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January 2018
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