Begin the Theme of Friendship at Circle Time (Group Time)
Start the topic of what it means to be a friend at group circle. Record the preschoolers answers down and then rewrite them into a large heart for display. Place the heart in a spot where parent's can read. A great song to include after this introduction is "The More We Get Together" by Raffi, and sing everyone's name into the song:
The More We Together
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together, the happier we'll be
Cause your friends, are my friends
And my friends are your friends
The more we get together, the happier we'll be
Another great song/chant to sing about friends which is a great transition song out of circle time is:
As I was walking down the street, down the street, down the street
One friend I happen to meet, hi ho, hi ho, hi ho
Riggidy jig, and away they go, away they go, away they go
Riggidy jig, and away they go, hi ho, hi ho, hi ho.
Preschool Crafts for Friendship Theme
There are a number of crafts that work well during a theme on friendship, such as:
- friendship bracelets or chains with paper
- working on art projects together, such as painting or group collages
- friendship quilt: each child decorates a square of paper and together the pieces make a quilt
- paperdoll chains
Friendship Theme in the Drama Center
The drama area is often the place in a preschool or daycare setting where young children learn about sharing and problem solving. It is an environment that allows them to play out what they are learning and viewing about relationships in the world around them. A great idea for a drama center set up during a friendship theme is to turn the area into a coffee shop. Certainly, many preschool children have gone into coffee establishments, such as Starbucks, and watched their parents buy the beverages while viewing friends chatting at the tables. Some of the material needed for this drama set up are:
Setting Up a Coffee Shop
•table and chairs
•coffee cups and coffee pots
•pastries from a playfood collection
•cash register and money
•purses, wallets, car keys, phones
•used coffee shop gift cards
Suggested Felt Activities about Friendship
The following bakery felt activity, can have the words changed for a friendship theme. Make five bakery items, such as muffins, cupcakes, doughnuts or cookies; whatever the choice, decorate the felt pieces with glittery felt pens. The following words can then be used:
Five yummy cupcakes in the bakery shop
Round and sugary with icing on the top
Along came (child's name) with a quarter one day
He bought one for a friend and gave it right away.
Further Reading: Preschool Songs for a Friendship Theme
