Can I Play with You?

 Materials:  

Use this lesson after the 'Hello' lesson where the children learn about how to address someone new coming into the room. We talked about ways to talk with a new person who comes into our room. Today we are going to learn about how to talk to our friends, especially when our friends are busy or with other friends. What are we going to learn today? Good Listeners!

Objective/Purpose:

Child will talk about ways to join their friends in play.

Procedure:

1. I need two volunteers. Great. I want you two to come up here and pretend that you are playing together with these toys. Great.

2. Now, I need a third volunteer to come up here. Do you see how the two children are busy playing together? They are not paying attention to you, are they? No, they are too busy and they might not even know you are there or, they may think they do not want you to play with them because they are already having fun without you.

3. Children, what can she do or say when her friends are busy playing and do not seem to notice her or do not seem to want to play with her? (Kids will usually come up with answers such as 'She can say, "Excuse me, can I play with you too?' 'Hello.' Etc.)

4. Have child model doing this and the children complying and letting her play with them.

5. Now, what if the two children who are playing are too busy and do not want you to play with them? Let children discuss options. (Kids usually say things like 'You can go play with someone else.' 'You can come back later and ask again.')

6. Have the children practice doing this as well, then switch and let other volunteers take their place.

 Practice & Extended Activities:

Children can draw a picture or write in their journal about a time when they were not allowed to join in on a group or when they were accepted into the group.