“Are you my friend?”….. “Will you play with me?”…..”No one wants to play with me.”

Teaching 2 to 4 years old I sometimes don’t see much difference between them and adults. The big difference is that they have not learned to have a filter on what they say which allows them to express the feelings that most of us have everyday. What a wonderful thing!

As a parent, we send our child to school hoping they fit in. Will they make friends? Will they have someone to play with? Will they be sitting alone? Will they be scared? We can prepare them the best we can. We can teach them to play with all the kids and to be nice. We can hope they will treat the other kids the way we have taught them too. But when the school door closes a child is left to figure out these new feelings and actions on their own.

I observe from a distance the way the kids interact with others. My job is to guide and coach them, but not make them do what I would do.

For many kids socializing in school is the first time someone will take their special toy away from them or not let them play in a game where others are playing.

They are learning someone can be the best friends one day and the next day they have a new friend. As adults, just like kids it never feels good to have someone choose someone else over you.

I watch as groups of kids change friends daily, some stay with the same friend day after day never even giving other kids a chance.

But how do we teach our kids that in life not everyone will always want to play with them Not everyone will graciously invite them into their circle and not everyone will see you are alone and in need of a friend.

I can instill strong hearts and open eyes. I can build character which is something that will stay with them forever. I can model for them what friendship is and what friends do for each other.

Just like we cannot make someone be someone’s best friend. We can teach them kindness and respect. We can teach them to look for those who need a friend and share a smile.

We can’t say, “go play with them”, we can encourage the benefits of having wonderful friends.

Let your child explore their boundaries. They will play with many kids and learn they are all so different.

One day …”Will you be my friend?”

Will turn too…

“Look how many friends I have!!!”

Like I always tell the kids in my class…our hearts have room for as many friends as possible”