Read Alouds/Resources

😁 Friendship Check-in

• At dinner or bedtime, ask your child: "What is one kind thing you did for a friend today?" or "Who made you smile today?"

• Encourages children to reflect on positive relationships and kindness. 

💌 Kindness Challenge 

• Together, choose one small act of kindness to do each day this week (invite someone to play, write a kind note, give a compliment, or help a classmate).

• Shows that friendships grow through thoughtful actions. 

🎭 Role-Play Friendship Skills 

• Practice situations your child might encounter, such as introducing themselves to someone new, inviting another student to join a game, or handling a disagreement respectfully.

• Builds confidence before real-life situations happen. 

💬 Friendship Conversation Starters 

     Ask questions like:

• What makes someone a good friend?

• How can you help someone feel included?

• What would you do if you noticed someone sitting alone?

• How do you show respect to your classmates?
  These conversations help children develop empathy and perspective-taking.

🌟 Friendship Spotlight 

• Share a story from your own childhood or your day about a meaningful friendship or a time someone showed you kindness.

• Helps children see that friendships continue to matter throughout life. 

📖 Friendship Book Talk 

    After reading a story together, ask:

• What made this character a good friend?

• Was there a problem between friends? How was it solved?

• What lesson about friendship did you learn?
  Connects stories to real-life social situations.

Other Read Aloud Choices: 

• Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller

• How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham

• Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry

• Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

• The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig

• The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania Al Abdullah

• Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems

• Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

Feelings Check-In

• At dinner or bedtime, ask your child: “How could you tell how someone was feeling today?” or “Did you notice anyone who seemed happy, worried, frustrated, or left out?”

• Helps children practice noticing emotions and paying attention to the people around them.

Step Into Their Shoes

• When talking about a situation from school, a show, or a book, ask: “How do you think the other person felt?” or “What might they have been thinking?”

• Encourages children to consider perspectives beyond their own.

Read the Room

• Practice noticing the “vibe” in everyday places. Is everyone being quiet and focused? Excited and energetic? Is someone trying to talk? Ask your child what clues helped them figure it out.

• Builds awareness of social cues and helps children learn how to adjust their behavior to different situations.

Listening Challenge

• Take turns telling each other about your day without interrupting. When the other person finishes, share one thing you heard them say.

• Reinforces that good listening means more than being quiet—it means paying attention and trying to understand.

Social Smarts Conversation Starters

Ask questions like:

• How can you tell when someone wants you to listen?

• What clues can tell you how someone might be feeling?

• What could you do if you noticed someone being left out?

• Can two people see the same situation differently?

• How might your words or tone change how someone feels?

• What does it mean to “read the room”?

These conversations help children strengthen empathy, perspective-taking, and social awareness.

Pause & Predict

• While watching a show or movie together, pause during a social situation and ask: “What do you think is happening here?” “How is that person feeling?” or “What could they do next?”

• Turns something families already do into an easy way to practice reading social situations.

Notice & Act

• Challenge your child to notice one thing someone else might need during the day and respond to it—offer help, include someone, give space, listen, or say something encouraging.

• Reminds children that Social Smarts aren't just about noticing others; they're also about choosing how to respond.

Other Read-Aloud Choices

For September, I’d choose books that lend themselves to empathy, perspective-taking, noticing others, listening, and understanding differences, such as:

• The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld

• Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

• We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio

• The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

• They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel

• I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoët

• The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee

• Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev