Summer provides a wonderful time for your young child to make new friends.

When inviting friends over, it is wise to plan activities such as going to the park, playing games outside, or inside, viewing a favorite video, and enjoying a favorite snack together. With young children they are so happy with just the simple things. But the main issue you are focusing on is having your young children to get along.

Listen closely to your child when they speak about children they may like to have played with at preschool, school, church or other community activitie.

In teaching social interaction, it is best to start with a few children. Remember, we are teaching them relationship skills.

With very young children it is necessary for parents to quietly oversee the play of young friends especially if it is their first time to play. As a parent, you don’t want to dominate or control their play time, but you mainly want to facilitate their play. Young children depend on routine and familiar activities. 

Children perform and play well together when they know the routine and guidelines. I know in an early childhood classroom, children depend and adhere to a schedule.

Many of us as parents have to be a playmate ourselves, in modeling how friends get along. Teachers and early-childcare workers do this with young children all the time. This allows us to see where struggles might be and then we can guide and help our children.

Children consider their pets to be their friends. They play for hours with their furry friends such as dogs, cats, hamsters, etc.

Taking care of goldfish by feeding them as well as cleaning out their bowls helps to instill a sense of care and responsibility. Guiding children on how to take care of pets develops a sense of responsibility, which is necessary in friendships.

With young children, remember play is their work even in friendships. One important truth to teach young children is that they are very special and so are the friends they have.

A treasured friendship for all of us—young or old—is like a rainbow promise. Isn’t it nice to be unconditionally loved by a friend?

It’s better than a pot of gold!

Beth Pinyerd lives in Daphne and serves as director of younger children at Faith Family Fellowship in Spanish Fort.