Friendship Activities for Kindergarten
The beginning of a new school year brings pupils the opportunity to make new friends. Teachers can use friendship activities to encourage pupils to socialize and get along with others in the classroom. They may include lessons that encourage pupils to appreciate uniqueness of those in the classroom and expand their social circle to include friends who mirror the diversity of the community.
Other People Are Reading
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"Horton Hears a Who"
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Read "Horton Hears a Who" by Dr. Seuss. Have the pupils answer with Horton, "A person's a person no matter how small!" Ask the pupils to name some ways Horton demonstrated his friendship with the inhabitants of Whoville. Let the pupils draw Horton and his friends on the clover or complete a coloring page (see Resources). Have the students use a pompom to represent Horton's clover and walk around the room protecting Whoville.
"Do You Want to Be My Friend?"
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Read Eric Carle's "Do You Want to Be My Friend?" Ask the pupils about all the different animals the mouse met before he found his special friend. Have the pupils think of some qualities they want in a friend. Ask them to draw pictures that show what makes a good friend.
Use different-color tempera paints to make a rainbow of friends. Have the pupils make different-colored hand prints on a large sheet of paper. Link the hand prints so they form a continuous path across the paper.
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Squanto Befriends the Pilgrims
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Read an age-appropriate book about how Squanto befriended the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. Ask the pupils what might have happened to the Pilgrims if Squanto had not assisted them. Have them pretend to be Pilgrims learning all that Squanto and his Indian friends could teach them to survive in the New World. Some can pretend to fish while others plant corn and some hunt for berries or animals for meat. Explain that part of the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving meal was to share friendship and thank the Indians for all their help.
Class Buddies
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Assign each pupil a buddy. Explain that for the day, the two pupils will work and play together. Have them walk together to lunch, recess and any other trips out of the classroom. Encourage them to work at the same learning centers together. Have them learn several new things about the other person.
Near the end of the day, have all meet for circle time. Have each buddy introduce his friend with, "This is my friend (name)" and tell what new thing he learned about his friend today. Allow enough time for all to participate.
Each day for a week, assign each pupil a new buddy. At the end of the week, ask the pupils to share some things they learned about classmates.
Make a New Friend
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Show pupils pictures of children working together and being friends. Ask them to identify how they can tell the children are friends. Identify some of the ways people behave with friends. Invite the pupils to make at least one new friend during the week and share about it on Friday.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit friends image by Renata Osinska from Fotolia.com
