Tips to help Preschoolers form Friendships with Infants & Toddlers

Helping Infants & Toddlers Form Friendships

Help preschoolers foster friendships with infants and toddlers to support social-emotional development and long lasting relationships. If you have multiple age groups in your care, we have you covered with the suggestions and resources in this post!
Be sure to check out our Friendship & Kindness Theme Page for a variety of learning activities.

This post contains affiliate links for your ease

Provide opportunities for Children to play together

Placing Infants face to face and near each other will allow them to be aware of each other.

Create Treasure Baskets for the Babies to explore together-from the Nurture Store
Invitations to play with balls and bowls from Munchkins and Moms

Support Multi-Age Friendships

Allow older children to safely play and interact with the younger Children in your care. Infants and toddlers can learn so much from older children about friendship and kindness. Check out this resource; The Value of Mixed Age Play from Education Week

Learn Names of Family & Friends

The Stay at Home Mom Survival Guide

When you are holding a young Infant you can talk about what the older children are doing-be sure to refer to them by name!
​Tips & Activities for Infant Language Development from The Stay at Home Mom Survival Guide

Provide Multiples of Favorite Toys

There will be plenty of opportunities for young children to learn to share. When it comes to fostering friendships create opportunities to play where there are multiple of the same type of toys for them to play with to reduce conflict. 

Provide a Place for Protected Play

This Infant play area that belongs to community member  Rachel G. She provides a safe place for crawling Children that allows for interaction from other Children.

This area belongs Community to member  Louise H. -I love how she incorporated a safe Infant/Toddler area in our Outside area.

Sheena W created this space for her infants and toddlers. She included a mirror with a bar they can pull themselves up on. Posters on the wall and objects above for infants and preschoolers to focus on. 

Acknowledge helping and sharing behaviors as you see them. For example "Connor I like how you shared that book with Angela".

A great collection of phrases to encourage young children from Picklebums

Read books about Friendship

Be sure to have a variety of books all about friendship available for your young learners. Including books with characters of a variety of races, ages, genders, and color is essential. Check out our picks for books all about Friendship in our bookshop. 

---

Friendship & Kindness Resources from PKPF

Free Friendship & Kindness Theme Planning Page
​Free Kindness Counts Preschool Challenge
Friendship Amish Bread Recipe with Starter

Friendship & Kindness Preschool Activities

$7.00

Shop

Emotions Play Dough and Coloring Mats

$4.00

Shop

Feelings and Emotions Photo Conversation Cards and Posters

$5.00

Shop