Play With Me Or You're Not My Friend

How It All Began

"Play with me or you're not my friend" is commonly heard at school, yet these are shocking words to a child. Kindergarten is often the first time children are given the opportunity to socialize in a large group of peers.  What does this mean? SURVIVAL mode! We all want and need a safe environment where we feel we belong.
Prosocial Behaviours encourage students to engage in behaviours / actions that create a positive, enriching environment that encourages success.

The Process

SHARING

In January, a few students approached me and wanted to read The Gingerbread Girl story multiple times.

They had a plan, they wanted to make their own Gingerbread Girl cookie.  So naturally they were asked to make a shopping list for me.


Some even wrote their own versions of The Gingerbread Girl.

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Valentine's Day is about love and caring for others, this was a natural segway into learning to share. 
I worked with a combination of students that showed an interest in baking cookies as well as would benefit from discussions around sharing. The small group of children would help with decorating, baking and sharing the cookies with others.

After the cookies were ready, we thought about who we should share with.  "EVERYBODY !!!"  was a common answer, we narrowed the choices down since we didn't have enough for everyone.  We went to the office because there are always nice people who "give us ice when we get hurt" or help "call our mommies and daddies when we feel sick".  There was also Mr. M. and Mrs. S because "they are the VP and the Principal".  Along the way we saw Ms. Y, our Science teacher, and a few students shouted "There's Ms. Y! Can she have a cookie? Ms. Y, do you want a cookie?" we also found one of our crossing guards, the librarian and other Kindy teachers.

WHY DO WE SHARE? / HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU SHARED?

EC: Share with everyone? because we have lots. 
JW: Because they want one!  So everyone can say Thank you, they <cookies> are so yummy!
KM: They gonna be happy they ask someone to share.
KC: Because its nice.  Happy because I like to share.
JG: Because it can make people your friend.  Glad because I share with friends.
EE: Because it makes us happy. 
HL: Because people don't have a turn.

HOW DO YOU THINK OTHER PEOPLE FELT? HOW DO YOU KNOW?

EC: Happy, that will be nice.
JW: Happy but you can't share germs, they will make other people sick.
EE: Happy, people give hugs.
HL: Happy, feel good to make somebody smile.
KC: Happy because when they share, they will be your valentines.

Reflection

Many students understood that we have to share at school, they even understood that sharing makes others feel good too.  The idea of sharing with cookies may have been easy to understand since we know one person can't eat all the cookies or they'll get sick.  This concrete example with cookies will lead into more abstract ideas of sharing.  For example, sharing our time with different friends, our ideas in different situations, materials/toys equitably (we get what we need and it may be different from what others need) or even our expertise in things (teaching others how to draw and angry bird / fold an airplane).