| Parents and teachers play a vital role in teaching | | | | little girls on the playground. |
| the skills of friendships and inter-personal | | | | Friendship Connections |
| relationships. Even toddlers can learn to initiate and | | | | To have a friend and to be a friend are basic |
| sustain friendship and build social skills on the | | | | needs of children and adults alike. We all want to |
| playground and in the group setting. | | | | belong. Young children who learn the skills of |
| One of the very easiest ways to find out how | | | | making friends from parents and teachers will also |
| your child interacts with others is simply to watch | | | | excel in emotional development. Those who learn |
| them at play. Two year olds like to do parallel | | | | to relate to the needs of others in socially |
| play, or do similar things in the same areas but | | | | acceptable ways are usually well liked and included |
| not necessarily together. Increasingly with age and | | | | in playground activities and school projects. |
| experience, children will learn to interact with other | | | | Teach Empathy and Mutual Respect |
| children, to share toys and games and to take | | | | Friendship and social skills on the playground are |
| turns. | | | | usually learned in a one on one conversation with |
| Pre-schoolers are more intentional in making | | | | teacher or parent. The life lesson we want to |
| friends. They give and take away the title of | | | | impart is that it is not others responsibility to like |
| "friend" varying on the activity or their mood. This | | | | us, it is our responsibility to be the kind of person |
| can become an early "power play" to see who will | | | | and friend that others will be drawn toward and |
| be the "Queen Bee" and the "Wannabees" of the | | | | want to befriend. |