Social interaction skills
Toddlers watch a puppet demonstrate how to ask someone to play and participate in an opportunity to play with a peer.
Play together
[Invite 3–4 toddlers to join you in the block area. Sing “The More We Get Together” as toddlers join the gathering.]
[Introduce the puppets. Alternate making two puppets speak to the toddlers.]
Puppet 1: Welcome! I am so happy to see you today!
Puppet 2: I see so many friends! I see . . .
[Name each toddler sitting in the group. Example: “I see Devon, and Carlos, and Isabella!”]
Puppet 1: I love to play with friends. But sometimes I don’t know how to tell someone I want to play. Can you help me learn how to let my friends know I want to play?
Puppet 2: Sure! I just ask a friend if they’d like to play. Let me show you.
[Make Puppet 2 speak to a child in the gathering. Use the child’s name.]
Hello, (child’s name). Would you like to play with me? We can play with blocks!
[If the child responds, have Puppet 2 tell Puppet 1 how the child responded. Example: “See, (child’s name) said she would play with me. It can be easy to ask someone to play!”]
Puppet 1: I like to play with blocks! Can I play too?
Puppet 2: Sure! It’s fun to play with other friends.
[Have Puppet 2 suggest the following to toddlers in the gathering:]
All of us can play with blocks for a while. We can stay with you. Let’s all play together with the blocks!
[Encourage toddlers to play together as they build with blocks. Use both your voice and the puppets’ voices to support toddlers’ interactions. Consider using the following strategies:
A puppet showed us how to ask someone to play. The puppet said “Would you like to play with me?” Then the puppet asked us to play together with the blocks. We are learning how to ask someone to play. We had fun playing together with the blocks!
Some toddlers will be familiar with playing with peers in a group, whereas other toddlers may be in an early phase of learning to share play materials and do things with one or more peers. Although the activity is aimed at promoting play interactions among peers, not all toddlers are ready for this step. Some toddlers will prefer to play independently near their peers. Acknowledge each type of participation in the activity and avoid comments that imply the only way to participate in the activity is to play with someone else. The development of peer interaction skills takes time and practice. Supportively acknowledge individual efforts with the blocks (see first Extra Support tip).
Some toddlers may not fully understand that an animated puppet is not real. Allow time for each child to touch a puppet, if interested.
Extra support
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers participate with peers in creating a group painting.
Paint together
Be Prepared: Firmly affix the butcher paper to a low table or surface. Pour about four tablespoons of paint into the trays, using a different color for each. Snack-size paper plates may be used instead of foam trays.
Invite 2–3 toddlers to paint together. Help toddlers put on their art smocks and give each toddler one paintbrush and a tray of paint. Invite toddlers to paint together to make one big picture that will be displayed in the room. Encourage toddlers to interact with each other as they paint together. Use strategies, such as the following, to promote positive peer interactions during the activity:
This activity encourages toddlers to work together to create art to be displayed in the room. Some toddlers will enjoy painting together, whereas others may prefer to paint independently next to their peers. Although the activity emphasizes play interactions among peers, some toddlers will need extra time to develop these skills (see Extra Support tip). Recognize that each toddler’s participation in this group project is a step toward developing beginning social skills.
Extra support
Some toddlers may struggle to share their space on a group project. Encourage toddlers who do not wish to share space to use their words to request where they would like to paint. Example: “I can see that Carly is too close to you, Noah. You can say, ‘I am painting right here.’”
Enrichment
Encourage toddlers to watch what the others are doing. Comment when toddlers naturally imitate one another or do similar things. Example: “You are both making big lines by moving your paintbrushes up and down the paper.”
Social interaction skills
Pairs of toddlers paint together with wheels of toy vehicles.
Be Prepared: Firmly affix the paper to a low table or surface. Pour a small amount of paint into the trays, using a different color for each. Place the toy vehicles nearby. Snack-size paper plates may be used instead of foam trays.
Invite one pair of toddlers at a time to create a wheel painting together. Introduce the toy vehicles and encourage each toddler to select one to dip into the paint and “drive” across the paper. Toddlers can use the wheels of several cars and trucks to make paint marks on the paper together. As toddlers work together to create the wheel painting, comment on their interactions with each other. Example: “Mari is using blue paint on her wheels. Shin is using yellow paint on his wheels. When you paint over each other’s tracks, you make green paint! You created green!” Describe how the toddlers make marks with their cars alongside a friend. Examples: “You are driving your cars side by side. You are painting together!” “You both used the red paint with your cars. What color are you going to choose next?”
This activity encourages toddlers to work together in pairs to create a special type of painting. Toddlers have the opportunity to drive their cars side by side or work together to create different patterns, such as crossing each other’s wheel marks. Although this activity encourages play interactions between toddlers, some toddlers will prefer to create wheel marks in their own space on the paper. Acknowledge each type of participation. Describe the actions of each toddler to create awareness of the other, which can support the development of beginning social skills.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: toy cars and trucks, blocks, puppet (optional)
Place toy cars and trucks in the block center. Encourage toddlers to work together while building. Encourage toddlers to initiate play with one another. Example: “Madison, you are watching Gabby drive the car on the road she made. Would you like to drive a car on the road, too?” You may wish to use the puppet to comment on toddlers’ play activities.
Materials Needed: large pieces of paper—1 per pair of children, washable tempera paint, 3–4 shallow foam trays or snack-size paper plates, several toy cars and trucks
Children of all ages will enjoy painting with the wheels of cars and trucks. Invite older children to pair with toddlers to create paintings together. Encourage positive social interactions while they work on their painting. Talk with each of the children about their ideas and actions as they paint. Older babies may enjoy playing with a chunky toy car and a small amount of washable finger paint on a high chair tray.
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