Friends, Sharing & Taking Turns (EYFS) — EYFS Friendship & Sharing Activity Book

Inside Friends, Sharing & Taking Turns (EYFS)

what makes a kind friend, sharing toys fairly, taking turns in games and waiting for your go, kind words and unkind words, saying sorry and making up, and simple rules at home and school. About 15 gentle minutes with a grown-up.

Learning objectives

• notice what kind friends do — helping, including others and speaking gently;
• share toys fairly and find words for "you first, then me";
• take turns and wait in games, managing that tricky waiting feeling;
• choose kind words over unkind words, and practise saying sorry and making up;
• talk about simple rules at home and school and why they keep everyone safe and happy.

Activities in this book

1. Play 1 — What Makes a Kind Friend?

   chat about each one first — 'would that make you feel happy or sad?' — then choose together. Talking is the real game here!

2. Play 2 — Sharing & Waiting for a Turn

   there are no tricks here — just chat about each little story and pick what would keep everyone feeling happy. Waiting is hard, so praise it!

3. Play 3 — Kind Words & Making Up

   use your teddies for the role-play — it is easier to practise sorry-saying when a teddy does the talking first!

4. Play 4 — The Taking-Turns Game

   keep the game tiny and quick — rolling a ball or stacking bricks one each. Say 'my turn, your turn' out loud every single swap.

5. Play 5 — Our Kind Rules at Home

   let your child suggest the rules — children follow rules they helped make. Keep them tiny, kind and easy to remember.

Suggestions for teaching

• Chat first, click second. Every scenario is a conversation starter — talk about how each choice would make someone feel before choosing.
• Use teddies for role-play. Practising sorry-saying and sharing through a teddy feels safe; children rehearse words they can use for real later.
• Make waiting visible. A sand timer, counting to 20 or "my turn, your turn" said aloud turns waiting into a game rather than a battle.
• Name feelings gently. "You really wanted that digger — waiting is hard, isn't it?" Naming the feeling helps children manage it.
• Build rules together. Children follow rules they helped invent — keep them few, positive and phrased as what we do ("we use kind hands").