Help Your Child Plan for a Grr-ific Visit With a Friend

Talk with your child about having a friend over to visit. You can ask questions, such as, “Who would you like to invite over?”, “Do you know anything that your friend likes to do?”, How do you think you and your friend can share toys, take turns, and remember how to be safe during their visit? ,“What kinds of toys and games do you like?”, or “How can we help make your friend feel special when they are visiting?”

On a piece of paper, brainstorm a list of things that your child and their friend can do together. It can include activities, games, snacks, and places they may want to visit. Make sure there are at least two options per category so their friend can choose what they like. Remember when you are brainstorming snack ideas to keep in mind any food allergies that your guest might have. Also, when talking with your child about places they may want to visit, explain how you will need to speak with their friend’s parent or caregiver about plans for visiting places in your neighborhood. Explain to your child that you probably won’t get to do all of the things on the list, but there are always opportunities for more visits together!

Coach your child on how to welcome their friend and how to ask them what they would like to do. Practicing how to ask together is a great way to show your child how to help make their friend feel comfortable in your home.

A craft is a great activity to do with a friend. Feeling inspired by the funDaniel and Juan Carlos had playing in the snow? Try this easy snowflake craft!. Start with a square piece of paper. If you have a regular 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, you can fold the corner down to match the other side to create a triangle. Cut off the remaining strip of paper to create your square.

Once you have your square, fold it in half.

Fold it in half again.

Fold it into a triangle.

Draw a design on your triangle. Think about big and little shapes (rectangles, squares, triangles) when creating your design.

Using kid safety scissors, encourage your child to cut out their design.

Open up your snowflake!