Introductions: Practice Meeting New Friends
Rusty and Ruby don’t just play side-by-side — they play and work as a team to “combine it and design it” together.
As children progress from playing near each other (parallel play) to playing collaboratively with one another, the idea of “friendship” becomes more important. Learning to play together often takes practice — and learning to sustain friendships does, too.
Pretend play can help kids get ready for these meaningful interactions!
Parent/Caregiver Tip: Pretend play can boost children’s creativity, language skills, their awareness of other people’s perspectives, their understanding of feelings, and their ability to manage their emotions. (Source: The Need for Pretend Play in Child Development, Scientific American)
Age Groups: Big Kids
Skills: Expression, friendship, Trust
Instructions
- Let’s imagine that you’re visiting someplace or someone new. It could be a favorite book character, someone famous, or even an alien in outer space.
- I’ll play the role of the person (or space alien) who you meet. What would you say to introduce yourself?
- What questions do you want to ask?
- What will you share about yourself?
Vocabulary
Introduce - to make known
Name - what a person is called
Age Groups: Little Kids, Toddlers
Skills: Expression, Trust
Materials
- Stuffed animals, dolls, or puppets
Instructions
- Let’s play with your stuffed animals! You pretend to be one animal and I’ll pretend to be the other.
- Let’s imagine our stuffed animals are meeting for the first time. How do they introduce themselves? What should they say?
- What does your stuffed animal want to know about mine? I wonder if they have anything in common.
Vocabulary
Introduce - to make known
Name - what a person is called
Age Groups: Babies
Skills: Expression, Trust
Materials
- Stuffed animals, dolls, or puppets
Instructions
- Let’s play with your stuffed animals!
- This stuffed animal can wave and say “hi” to you! It might even kiss you on the nose!
- Can you wave and say "hi" back?
- If your child is very verbal, try to extend the conversation. Have the stuffed animal share their name and encourage your child to tell the stuffed animal his or her name.
Vocabulary
Introduce - to make known
Name - what a person is called
