PRESCHOOL HEALTHY FRIENDSHIPS CONVERSATION GUIDE FOR SGLs
Every kid needs tribes over time to give them belonging. And
your small group is a great place for that kind of connection to
take place! As a small group leader, you’re a significant member
of a child’s tribe. So keep in mind that your conversations about
friendship matter—even during this early phase of preschool.
Your words could serve as the foundation of how a kid views
and forms their own friendships.
A marker of the preschool phase is that everyone is a friend.
The mailman. The neighbor down the street. The cashier at the
grocery store. The family dog. To a preschooler, friends come
in all shapes, sizes, genders, and species. The key to discussing
friendships with a preschooler is to keep it basic, specific, and
concrete—keeping your focus on what it looks like to be a
good friend. Acting out situations, playing games, and funny
stories are the best teachers in this phase.
Here are a few ideas of what to say—and what to avoid
saying—when leading discussions about healthy friendships
with preschoolers:
WHAT TO SAY:
• What does it mean to be a friend?
• Do you watch any shows or read any books about friends?
How do they treat one another? What type of things do
friends do together?
• Friends are kind and loving to one another. What does it mean
to be kind and loving?
• Good friends ask one another questions. Let’s take turns asking
each other questions like friends.
• Friends share with one another. Who shares with you?
Who do you share with?
• Friends use nice words when they play together. What are some
examples of nice words?
• Has a friend ever made you sad or hurt your feelings?
What did you do? What did you say?
• Have you ever seen someone sitting or playing by themselves?
What did you do? How could you be a friend to them?
• Friends forgive one another. What does it mean
to forgive someone?
WHAT NOT TO SAY:
• If someone hurts your feelings, they’re not a good friend.
• You should choose one friend and that’s it.
• If you don’t have lots of friends, maybe you aren’t very nice.