Friends!

 

Friends are such an important part of childhood and school. At STA, our kiddos make friends and play together just like other children, sometimes it just takes some practice to learn how to play and interact. We currently have a group of "big kids," our mostly 5 and 6 year olds, that love to play together. It's wonderful to watch them spontaneously create imaginary play scenarios between Spiderman and Ironman, or to run away and rescue each other from an adult that has turned into a scary monster. They are learning to take cues from other participants, communicate their ideas and desires, and use their imagination.
Not all of our kiddos are quite there yet. It takes a lot of language skills and an ability to cope with following another's agenda to engage in play of this kind. For the little ones that need to learn how to play and interact we like to use resources like turn taking games or crafts where resources need to be shared and requested. Some of our kids are encouraged to show a completed craft or a cool toy to a friend, this helps them to initiate a conversation or social interaction. During the days it is always important that our kids get lots of opportunities to play and work together. We absolutely love to see them make friendships and connections with each other.