Friends

This week we talked about friends; what we like to do with our friends, it’s okay to disagree with friends, working together, and what it means to be a good friend.

The Books:

 

Extension Activities:

Poem: “With a Friend” by Vivian Gould
I can talk with a friend
And walk with a friend
And share my umbrella in the rain.

I can play with a friend
And stay with a friend
And learn with a friend
And explain.

I can eat with a friend
And compete with a friend
And even sometimes disagree.

I can ride with a friend
And take pride with a friend
A friend can mean so much to me!

Action Song: “Friend of Mine” (tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
Will you be a friend of mine,
A friend of mine, a friend of mine?
Will you be a friend of mine
And (insert action) around with me?
source: Johnson County Library

This song was great! I started with jumping then let the kids suggest different things to do. I even had one little boy in my Wednesday afternoon class that suggested we do Ring Around the Rosy. It was a lot of fun. 

Parachute Fun: “Freeze Dance” by Kids DJ’s Party Songs
After reading Will You Be My Friend? we talked about how all the animals had to work together to help rebuild Bird’s nest, so we were going to have to work together to have fun with the parachute. It worked too!

Fingerplay (or Game with our Hands): “One Hand Can Wave”
(put your hands behind your back)
One hand can wave (bring one hand out, then put it back)
One hand can snap (bring the other hand out, leave it out)
But it needs a friend…
to clap, clap, clap.

I found this on JBrary and thought it was so cute! My Tuesday morning class had so much fun they wanted to do it over and over and over and over again. Watch the video, you won’t be sorry.

Craft:
Friendship bracelets!
I let the kids make two friendship bracelets (one for them, one to give to a friend) out of chenille stems and pony beads. I encouraged parents to let the kids put the beads on themselves because it helps build their fine motor skills, which will then help them later when they are learning to write. They turned out really cute and the kids had a lot of fun making them. One girl asked if she could make more because she couldn’t choose which friend to give it to.