Friendship Theme for Preschool

Friendship in preschool--it's all about the friends!

We can take some time during these activities to teach the kids HOW a friend acts and behaves.

We can also teach them that, Yes--it IS okay to have more than ONE friend!

This friendship preschool theme page is filled with preschool activities and ideas for all areas of your classroom.

You'll find more themes to help you with your planning on my preschool themes page.

Let the Theme Planning Begin!

Friendship Theme Art

Circle of Friends Sign

Materials Needed: A large piece of sturdy paper with a circle drawn on it; several different colors of finger paint.

Have the children make hand prints ONLY on the drawn circle.

When dry, have the children print their names (as best they can) in the middle.

Label your sign "We are a Circle of Friends at Preschool"!

Togetherness Friendship Flag

Materials Needed: A large paper, different colors of finger paint, additional smaller paper

Ask the children if they know what a flag is, and then show them one. Explain that is is a symbol or a sign for a country. It is to remind us to get along and work together. Tell them that they are going to make a preschool flag.

The children work together to make strips out of their own hand prints (you could draw rows for them to fill up with hand prints.

When done, give them a smaller piece to continue some finger painting on!

When dry, glue copies of each child's picture in the area where the stars would be on the flag.

During this activity would be a GREAT time to discuss friendship, working together, etc.

Friendship Chain

Materials Needed: several different colors of construction paper some with pre-drawn lines (for cutting) and some without pre-drawn lines scissors; glue or tape (I have found that tape works better unless you use tacky glue).

The children cut out strips (either pre-drawn or freehand, depending on their ability level).

Show them how to link the chains together.

When complete, hang in your classroom!

Friends

Materials: Pre-cut paper dolls (4 connected dolls for each child); miscellaneous crafts supplies (buttons, ribbon, fabric, etc.); crayons or markers; glue

The children decorate their friends. This is a great time to remind them that we can have many, many friends at school!

Chameleon

Materials Needed: Read the story A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni. Discuss how we all look different but are all friends.

You will need: a picture of a chameleon printed onto poster board (1 for each child); shaving cream, different colors of paint; spoon, crayons

Have the children print their name on the paper with crayon.

Put shaving cream on their chameleon picture.

Ask them which colors paint they would like and drop a few colors on the shaving cream.

They spread and mix it over their chameleon

Stamping Friends

Materials: stamps, stamp pads, paper

Encourage the children to make a stamp picture of what they like to do with their friends.

Write down their story and display with their pictures.

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Friendship Theme Block Center Ideas

At The Playground

Encourage your children to work together to build a playground using the blocks! They can make slides, climbing walls, etc. Add some little people to use as well!

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Friendship Theme Circle Time Ideas

Circle Time is such a great time for children to learn the social skills of being together as a large group AND to learn more about your Friendship Theme!

5 Preschool Friends Fingerplay

5 preschool friends sitting in a row,

The first one is wearing a bright red bow

The second one has his hands in his lap.

The third one has a new blue cap (or hat!)

The fourth one said "Look at all our friends here today!"

The fifth one met a new friend on the way!

Who could that friend be that is so new?

Could that new friend be........YOU?! (point to another friend)

You could have 5 children act this out (have a red bow and blue cap for props).

Or, you could have 6 flannel piece children prepared for the children to put on the board as you say the poem.

What is a Friend?

Materials: A large paper to hang on the wall and a marker.

Ask the children what a friend is and write down all of their answers.

Then extend it to ask what do friends do for other friends? Write down their answers.

Some things to focus on are: help each other, say kind words, share toys, etc.

EXTENSION: Once you've listed the items, you can review them the next day at circle time and then take out a puppet to act out some friend scenarios.

For example, have the puppet discuss a "problem" he had with a friend, such as "My friend had a really, really, really, bad day. She was so angry about her day. When I said hi, she yelled at me. What should I do? Should I yell back? etc.

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Snack Recipe Ideas to Cook Up for Your Friendship Theme!

Cooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation! Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific Space theme questions while making these fun snacks!

Smiley Apples

Ingredients and Items needed: Apple slices and mini-marshmallows

Use 2 apple slices for lips and add a few mini-marshmallows in between them for teeth.

I have this poem written down that I've used (I'm not sure where it came from, but I love it!).

Edit! Source Found!!! Thank you to Leslie G. from Pasadena, TX for this information: "The source of the song is Girl Scouts. We had a breast pocket (with a handkerchief) where we kept our "great, big Brownie smile."

You could use it to introduce this snack activity or at circle time!

I have something in my pocket

It belongs across my face.

I keep it very close to me

In a very special place.

I try not to ever lose it,

Except once in a great big while

So now I'll take it out and put it on

It's a great big happy smile!

Friendship Soup

In advance, ask parents to supply a vegetable to add to the soup.  Of course, have extra available in case they forget!

Have the children help wash and prepare the vegetables and put them in a crock pot.

Add water and some vegetable bouillon cubes.

Enjoy! 

(I usually partially boil the vegetables on a stove top to get them soft....it takes a while in a crock-pot!)

Cracker Heart Friendship Snack

Ingredients and Items Needed: Graham crackers, powdered sugar, small construction paper hearts

The children place a heart on their graham cracker square and then sprinkle the powdered sugar on the cracker.

When they remove the paper, they will see a heart!

VARIATION: Before this activity, have the children cut out their own hearts to use for great cutting practice (you can pre-draw hearts on papers for them).

Raisin and Banana Buddy Muffins

Ingredients: can of non-stick spray, 2 VERY ripe bananas, 1 egg, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 6 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup raisins

Items needed: Blender or food processor, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, 2 mini-muffin pans (total 24 muffins) or 1 muffin pan (total 12 muffins), cooling rack

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray.
• Blend bananas in the blender and then scrape into a mixing bowl.
• Have the children help to add eggs and oil to the bananas and mix.
• In a separate bowl, have the children add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Then add banana mixture and mix.
• Stir in raisins.
• Place one tablespoon or so into each mini muffin tin.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes.

(For regular sized muffins, place about 1/3 cup mixture into each muffin tin and bake for 20-15 minutes).

Enjoy!

HINT: In advance, divide out the ingredients so that each child adds at least one ingredient.

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Friendship Theme Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area

Dress Up

Stock your dramatic play area with dress up clothes for them to help each other with! Or, just have your housekeeping center out for them to cook for each other!

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Friendship Theme Ideas for your Easel--More Than Just Painting
(Although that is always THE favorite in our classroom!)

Painting with a Friend

Materials Needed: One large paper on the easel instead of one paper for each child. The two children who come to the easel paint together. When dry, put their names on the painting and hang it on a wall or bulletin board for them to see!

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Friendship Theme Large Group Games to Help Build Your Children's Muscles While They Have Fun Together!

Who Is Missing?

Our little ones LOVE the "What's Missing" game where you place 7 or 8 items in a circle, they close their eyes and you take one item away. The open their eyes and guess which item is missing! It is a great transition activity!

Try this variation on that game for a Gross Motor game!

All the children sit together facing the same way in a line (or row). They close their eyes. You stand behind them and tap a child on the shoulder who gets up and hides behind a box or other area (be sure YOU can see the child!).

The children then guess who is missing by looking around!

Friendship Shadow Dance

On a sunny day, go outside and have the children find each other's shadows and "dance with the shadows"!

Friendship Train

This is a great way to learn to line up---in a fun way! The children make a train by GENTLY placing their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them.

Practice walking around to music in this way. The child in the front can clap to the beat or give that child a musical instrument to use as he or she walks.

Have the child in the front say "Train, STOP". The children all stop. The child in the front gives his or her instrument to the next child and then goes to the end of the train.

Continue until each child has a turn being the train director!

Follow the Leader

Instead of a train, play follow the leader! Either the children walk behind a child while copying what they do, or stand in a circle and choose a leader. That child does a movement or action (like jump or spin) and the other children copy.

Our kids LOVED doing this to music. One child would go into the middle of the circle and show us their moves and then they would return to the circle and another friend would show their moves. It was a great way to encourage their friends to dance together!

Bowling

Provide a play bowling set. I'd recommend limiting this activity to 2 friends at a time. One sets up the pins the other bowls. They then trade places.

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Obstacle Course for Friends

Create and obstacle course for the children to go through in groups of 2 or 3 friends. You could have a double balance beam where they need to hold hands as they walk on, crawl under a table together, hop into a hula hoop together,etc.

Friendship Theme Ideas for Your Preschool Classroom Library 

Book Suggestions for the Library

(I LOVE Amazon, and some of the links below will take you to the Amazon website.  If you do choose to purchase yours through Amazon, they do send me a few cents--which supports my coffee habit! )

A Rainbow of Friends by P. K. Hallinan

David and Dog by Shirley Hughes

Friends by Helme Heine

It's Mine! by Leo Lioni

I Will Surprise My Friend! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems

Making Friends (Mr. Rogers) by Fred Rogers

Me and Neesie by Eloise Greenfield

My Friend Leslie: The Story of a Handicapped Child by Maxine B. Rosenberg

No Hitting!: A Lift-the-Flap Book (Karen Katz Lift-the-Flap Books) by Karen Katz

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox

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Friendship Theme Activities to Help Your Preschoolers Develop Math Skills and the Small Muscles in Their Hands!

Clay Hand Prints

Materials: 1 1/2 cup salt; 4 cups flour; 1 1/2 cups water; 1 teaspoon Alum; rolling pin, cookie sheets, piece of paper and marker, access to an oven.

• The children help measure the ingredients and mix it up.
• Give each child some dough to roll and play with. After a few minutes have them flatten the clay with a rolling pin (about 1/4 inch thick).
• Have them make a hand print in the clay.
• Place it on the cookie sheet.
• Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for approx. 30-40 minutes.

When cool, they can put their name on the bottom with marker.

Use the paper and marker to make a chart to keep track of whose hand print belongs to whom!

Count Our Clay Friends!

Give children some clay or playdough to use. Ask them to count out how many friends they have in school using one piece of clay or playdough for each friend in their class.

How Many Friends?

Materials: Pictures of children in groups of 2,3 4 etc. They can be pictures of your own students or from magazines. You will also need index cards or papers with numerals printed on them.

Have them match the numerals with the number of children in each picture.

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Friendship Theme Music and Movement Activities and Ideas to Get Your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'!

Friend of Mine Movements

The children stand in a circle. You start this by singing the song and then pointing to a child to join you.

The song is sung to Mary Had A Little Lamb

Will you be a friend of mine,

Friend of mine, Friend of mine?

Will you be a friend of mine,

And _______________ around with me? (Fill in the blank with a movement such as hop, dance, wiggle)

The 2 children in the middle now sing it together and invite a 3rd friend to join.

Continue until all the children are in the middle dancing or moving together!

The More We Get Together

The more we get together, together, together,

The more we get together, the happier we'll be.

Because your friends are my friends

And my friends are your friends

The more we get together, the happier we'll be.

You can look up the sign language movements to go along with this song online.

There are additional lines that you can teach the children as well:

The more we share together, play together, help each other, etc. Add your own!

If You're Happy And You Know It...

Of course, this is a classic song to sing for this theme!

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

Ask the kids what the line "...then your face will surely show it" means. How do their faces look when they are happy?

How else do they show when they are happy? Jump up and down? Spin around? Say "weeeeee"...add your own unique actions to this song!

EXTENSION: Of course, you could extend this to talk about feelings. How does their face look when they are angry? Scared?

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Friendship Activities for Your Sand and Water Table

Boat Floating

Materials: Add small plastic containers (yogurt lids, margarine tups, plastic cups, etc) to warm water along with some little people to see which boats will hold the most "people" to get them across the pond!

VARIATION: This is a great follow up activity to the story Friends by Helme Heine

Bubbles!

What promotes giggles between friends in preschool more than bubbles?!! Add bubble solution to your water table and have fun! (Be sure this is on a carpeted area to avoid slips or take it outside!)

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Friendship Theme Science Activities--for Your Preschool Scientists in Training!

Fingerprints

Materials Needed: white paper, marker, stamp pads (washable!), magnifying glasses, baby wipes (for clean up!)

Show the children how to make a fingerprint on the paper and how to use the wipe to clean up.

Use the magnifying glass to look at their print. Have them compare their prints to their friends' prints.

You could introduce this at circle time to show them how.

VARIATION: Encourage the children to print their name on the paper before making finger prints OR have one paper for each child with their names already printed on them.

Whose Voice?

Materials: The children's voices on tape! This will take some preparation time the week before. I'd suggest taking each of the children aside and talk into the microphone saying something like "Hello, Who am I?". You should write down the order of the voices you record.

Leave the tape or CD in the science area for the children to listen to and guess the voices.

EXTENSION: Place the children's pictures out at the science area- they may be able to discriminate the voices better by seeing their friends' faces!

Heartbeats

Provide stethoscopes for the children to check their own and their friends' heartbeats!

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Writing Activity Ideas for Your Preschool Classroom's Friendship Theme!

Friendship Notes

Materials Needed: Pictures of each child, small pieces of construction paper.

Throughout the week, spend time with a few children and ask them about one or two children such as "I like Janey because______" Write down what each child says and post these friendship notes on a bulletin board with their pictures!

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Other Pages You Might Like:

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Click here to go to my Valentine's Theme page to supplement your Friendship Theme!

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Go to MAIN THEMES Page for more theme ideas!

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Go to Preschool Plan It's Home Page

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