The Making Friends Program (Supporting Acceptance in Your K-2 Classroom)

Bullying prevention starts with helping young children understand and accept diversity—the earlier the better. That's why your school team needs this ready-to-use resource, a simple, fun, and effective way to promote social acceptance in the critical early years of attitude development.

Perfect for K–2 classrooms, this book presents the field-tested, research-based Making Friends program, a toolbox of adaptable, practical strategies that fit right into your regular school day. You'll help students respect and accept each other's differences through three methods: 1) reading diversity-themed stories and conducting brief whole-class discussions; 2) forming small learning groups that encourage children from diverse backgrounds to play and interact; and 3) sharing the storybooks you read with families so they can continue discussions at home. Aligned with DEC/NAEYC recommended practices and the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, this proven program will boost students' social and academic skills as you create a welcoming, inclusive, and culturally responsive classroom.

USE THIS PROGRAM TO

• enrich your existing classroom activities—circle time, class discussion, cooperative play—with important lessons on social acceptance
• strengthen students' literacy skills while they learn to accept and celebrate differences
• support friendships among children of diverse abilities, backgrounds, and family structures
• lay the groundwork for bully-free school environments
• choose books, toys, and other materials that reflect our diverse world and give young children a sense of belonging
• implement a universal design for learning (UDL) approach to address the needs of diverse learners
• "think on your feet" to work lessons on acceptance into small teachable moments and everyday conversations
• increase the home-school connection with strategies parents can use with their children
• strengthen understanding of how acceptance is developed through reflective activities for teachers and school-wide teams

PRACTICAL MATERIALS: The book includes a complete package of reproducible, adaptable materials for implementing the Making Friends program, including a sample activity schedule, discussion guides, and forms to send home with families. You'll also get step-by-step directions on working the activities into your school day, extensive lists of diversity resources, vignettes that model positive interactions, and more.