Social interaction skills
Toddlers practice taking turns as part of playing with peers.
Be Prepared: Place the farm animal figures in baskets in the block area. Keep blocks on their shelves so toddlers have an opportunity for shared work in removing blocks.
[Invite toddlers to join you in the block area to build a farm using blocks. Place the basket of animal figures close to toddlers. Begin the activity with the first two or three toddlers who come to the block area. Other toddlers will be drawn into the activity by your enthusiasm and the play interactions.]
Let’s build a farm for our animals. Building a farm is a big job. We will need lots of helpers. Here are the animals who need homes.
[Encourage toddlers to take turns removing animals from the baskets.
Describe turn taking. Example: “It is Nevaeh’s turn. She takes out one animal. Next, Josiah, you take a turn. Please take out one animal. Yes, now Nevaeh takes another animal. Josiah, who has a turn next? Yes. Josiah gets a turn.”
Encourage toddlers to name each of the animal figures as they are removed from the basket. Offer the name if toddlers are not sure.]
What should we build on our farm so all our animals have a home?
[Pause for toddlers to offer idea(s). Use toddlers’ ideas as a starting point for the activity. If no ideas are offered, ask toddlers how the blocks might be used to build homes for the farm animals.]
[Invite toddlers to get the blocks they would like to build with from the shelf.
Encourage toddlers to play together. Examples: “Yes, making a dog house is a good idea. Josiah and Nevaeh, do you want to work on the doghouse together?” “Maybe you would like to make your doghouse big, so you can put both your puppies inside to be friends.”
Encourage toddlers to invite a peer to play. Example: “Alexis, you can ask a friend, ‘Do you want to play with me?’ You have a good idea about making a bed inside the doghouse. Maybe Riaan would like to help you.”
Point out positive interactions. Example: “You are all working together to get the animals from the baskets.”
End the activity after 10–15 minutes. You may wish to keep the farm structures intact for the rest of the day so toddlers can play with them. Describe this plan to toddlers. Alternatively, you might lead toddlers in cleanup. Encourage all toddlers to help take care of the toys by putting them away.]
We played together with blocks and animals. We took turns taking animals from the basket. Some friends built homes for animals. We are learning how to play together.
[Describe some actions you observed that led to positive play. Example: “Josiah and Nevaeh worked together to build a doghouse!”]
Toddlers will be excited to get blocks from the shelf for building. Some toddlers may attempt to get more blocks than they can easily carry. Facilitate turn taking as toddlers remove blocks from the shelf.
There are likely to be differences across toddlers in their familiarity with farm animals and farms. Some toddlers may remember the word “barn” from book sharing or other experiences. Be sure to offer names of animals and farm buildings so all toddlers have the benefit of farm knowledge related to the play activity.
Toddlers are developing an understanding of spatial relations and sometimes attempt to play very close to others. Social interactions will be most positive if toddlers have enough room to move without bumping others. Help toddlers find a good spot for play. Generally, toddlers play next to one another (parallel play). Suggesting two toddlers “work together” introduces the idea of interactive play and cooperation.
Stay close to toddlers and actively facilitate block building by talking aloud about toddlers’ intentions and actions. Examples: “Nevaeh, Josiah is saying he wants a big doghouse for all the dogs. Do you want to work with Josiah, or would you like to keep making one little house for the puppy? It is okay if you and Josiah have your own ideas.”
If issues regarding materials arise, provide guidance as needed. Example: “Josiah, that block is being used by Nevaeh to build her barn. There are more blocks on the shelf. Would you like me to help you find another long block? We have blocks for everyone.”
Extra support
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers practice taking turns while participating in a song activity.
Invite several toddlers to sit around a low table and sing a song about farm animals. Introduce the basket of animals and invite one toddler at a time to pick out a farm animal to hold. Depending on the number of farm animals, each toddler may have the opportunity to select a second animal. Help toddlers understand the concept of taking turns. Example: “Josie is picking her farm animal, let’s see what she chooses! Jack, you will get to pick your animal next. After that it will be Amiyah’s turn!” Acknowledge the disappointment of a toddler who does not get the opportunity to select a specific farm animal. Provide a later opportunity for the toddler to play with the desired animal. (See Extra Support tip)
As toddlers pick out their animals, encourage each toddler to name the animal he/she is holding. Example: “Josie, you are holding an animal that has feathers. What is the name of your animal?” Encourage the small group to make the sound of the animal. Example: “Josie told us she is holding a duck. Let’s all practice making the sound of a duck!”
Once toddlers have their animals, explain that we can sing “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” together. Invite each toddler to hold up their animal during the song. Example: “We are going to sing about each of our animals! First, we will start with Josie’s duck. Josie will hold up her duck while we sing. Next, we will sing about Jack’s horse, and Jack will hold up his horse. Everyone will get a chance to hold up their animal while we sing!”
At the conclusion of the song, provide a description of toddlers’ behaviors during the activity. Example: “We all took turns picking a farm animal from the basket. Then we sang a song together. We took turns holding up our animals. We had fun together with our song and farm animals!”
This activity is about providing a fun, interactive experience for toddlers to enjoy together. Toddlers have the opportunity to practice waiting for their turn to pick out, and later hold up, their animal during the song. Limiting the “waiting time” for each toddler to have a turn supports new skill development. (See Extra Support tip) Some toddlers may benefit from being frequently reminded of when their turn will occur. Examples: “Your turn will be next, Amiyah.” “Josie’s turn will be after Amiyah picks her animal.” Toddlers may be excited about holding their animal up during the song and may not do so at the appropriate time. Acknowledge their enthusiasm and enjoyment in the activity with their peers. Example: “Amiyah, I can see you are excited about holding up your cow! You are singing all the words of our song with your friends while you hold your cow.”
Recognize and acknowledge each type of positive interaction during the activity. Examples: “Jack was excited, and he waited patiently for us to sing about his horse!” “Amiyah sang all the words about the animals! I think you liked singing together with your friends, Amiyah.” “We all had fun singing together!”
Extra support
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers explore ways to initiate or join play with peers and work together in farm-focused pretend play.
Place the farm animal figures, toy barn, and different colors/sizes of paper near the block area. You may also wish to place the Big Red Barn book nearby to support toddlers’ interest in the animals and building structures. Invite several toddlers to explore the new materials in the block area. Example: “We have some new things in our block area today. We have farm animals and a barn, just like in our book Big Red Barn. How can we use the blocks and paper on the farm? Who would like to play?”
Encourage toddlers to play together by helping them learn how to start play and how to join in an established group. Help toddlers become familiar with two specific phrases: “Do you want to play?” and “May I play with you?”
Encourage toddlers to work together to think of new ideas for the materials, such as the paper and blocks. Examples: “I think the animals on our farm are hungry. I wonder if we can tear this paper into pieces of pretend food for the animals. What do you think the animals would like to eat?” “Joshua said horses like to eat hay. Maybe we can crinkle some pieces of paper to use as pretend hay for the horses!” “We have a barn for the animals, what else can we build on our farm?” (Ideas may include a fence, dog house, farm house, pigpen, etc.)
Acknowledge and describe the positive interactions throughout the activity. Examples: “Delilah and Samuel are working together to build a fence for the horses. They are sharing the blocks!” “Marcus and Joshua made food for their animals. Marcus helped Joshua crinkle the paper to look like hay. Now their animals are eating!”
This activity provides opportunities to practice positive social interactions, especially joining another child engaged in ongoing play, inviting others to play, and sharing materials. Some toddlers will jump right in and begin playing. Encourage and provide explicit support for toddlers to use their words to invite another toddler to play. Example: “Delilah, you are building blocks around the cows. I see that Samuel is watching you. Would you like to use your words to ask Samuel if he would help you build with the blocks?” Some toddlers may prefer to watch before joining in play. If the toddler appears interested in an activity, encourage them to ask to join the play. Example: “Samuel, I see you are interested in what Delilah is building with the blocks. Would you like to build with her? You can say ‘can I play with you?’ to Delilah. Let’s ask her and see what she says!”
Some toddlers will enjoy playing together, whereas others will prefer to play with their own materials next to others (parallel play). Recognize and acknowledge each type of play, while encouraging social interaction. Example: “Jeni, I see you are using all the long blocks to build a fence around your horse. Do you need more long blocks? I see Marcus has some. How about asking Marcus if you can use them?”
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, blocks, toy farm animal figures
Promote interactive play by placing farm animal figures near the blocks. Display the Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown and several other richly-illustrated books about farms or farm animals in the block area so toddlers may look at pictures during block play. The books are intended to spark ideas for using blocks and animals. Toddlers may benefit from your talking with them about pictures in the book. Example: If toddlers are interested in making a pigpen, find a picture of a pigpen in a book and show it to toddlers. “Maybe our book will show us how it is made. Here is a picture of a pen for pigs. The fence is on all sides of the pig house.”
Materials Needed: Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, blocks, toy farm animal figures
Preschool-age children in your setting may be good models for toddlers who are developing social interaction skills with peers. Place the farm animals in the block area and include all children in the activity. Provide plenty of materials for play. Sit on the floor where it is easy to talk with toddlers and to give them guidance in playing with others. Some toddlers may want to interact primarily with you. Help them shift an interaction with you to an interaction with a peer by inviting other children to participate in a specific task, such as making a corral for horses.
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