Friendship Takes Practice Too
We spend a lot of time talking about academic readiness for school, but there is another kind of learning happening in every classroom that doesn’t come with a workbook.
Learning how to be with other people.
For young children, friendship can be complicated.
They are learning how to join a group that has already started playing. They’re learning that wanting a toy doesn’t automatically mean they get the toy. They’re learning that their very exciting story may have to wait because someone else is talking. They’re figuring out what to do when a friend says no, changes the rules, doesn’t want to play the same thing, or hurts their feelings.
Those are big lessons for little people.
And just like reading or math, children need us to teach them.
“Be nice” isn’t always enough. Sometimes children genuinely don’t know what to say.
We can give them the words.
“Can I play with you?”
“Can I have a turn when you’re finished?”
“I didn’t like when you did that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Can we start over?”
Those simple phrases become tools they can eventually use without an adult standing beside them.
We also have to remember that friendship doesn’t mean children will never have conflict. In fact, learning how to work through small conflicts is part of becoming a good friend.
If adults immediately solve every disagreement, children miss the opportunity to learn how to solve one themselves.
Of course, we step in when we need to. But sometimes a teacher’s job is simply to slow the situation down and help both children talk through what happened.
Who had it first?
What were you trying to do?
How do you think your friend felt?
What could we do differently?
Those conversations take longer than simply handing the toy to somebody and moving on, but they teach so much more.
Jesus tells us to love one another. That’s easy to say during Bible time. It’s a little harder when somebody has the marker you wanted.
But that is exactly where children begin learning what love, patience, forgiveness and kindness actually look like.
Friendship takes practice.
Thankfully, childhood gives us plenty of opportunities.
Want to learn more? Come visit us at Cornerstone Christian Academy in Justin, TX. We’d love to welcome you and your child into our joyful, encouraging school family.