As we welcomed many new preschoolers into our classroom this September, we began our new school year by getting to know one another, becoming familiar with our environment, and building a sense of belonging together. Throughout the first week, we noticed many small but meaningful moments as the children reached out to new friends, joined play, helped one another, and developed connections with their educators and peers.
Ruth engaged in pretend play with Christine (RECE) using the baby dolls. They shared a conversation while playing. Felix has been inviting the educators into his pretend play as he makes coffee, cake, lemonade, and other creations. Through these interactions, the children were building connections and confidence with their educators. Evelyn began trying many different activities, such as colouring, riding bikes, playing with sand, and participating in group activities, showing her growing comfort and confidence in the environment. We played the Friendship Circle game in the classroom, where the children sat in a circle and listened for their peers’ names to be called before rolling the ball to them. The game continued as more children joined, listened for their friends’ names, and took turns passing the ball to one another. At the art table, the children colored petals to contribute to our Friendship Flowers, creating a shared classroom display. One morning, Levi was interested in playing with the train tracks. When he noticed Celine and Cecelia were playing on a ramp they had built with a castle and wooden blocks, he asked, “Can I play with you?” Celine nodded, indicating yes to Levi. It was wonderful to see him respectfully ask to join their play and become part of their shared experience. Robbie invited Levi to join him in pretend play with food toys. Then, they sat down at the table and played together. These moments showed how the children began to form positive interactions and connections with one another. During outdoor play, Sebastian pretended to be a dinosaur and chased Finley. Soon, many children joined the game and ran together, laughing and pretending to escape the dinosaur. What began as play between two children quickly grew into a joyful shared experience for the group. In the sandbox, Soulene and Rory played together, taking turns giving each other opportunities to break the sand creations they made with sand molds, giggling throughout their play.
These moments showed that belonging develops through everyday experiences—a simple invitation to play, a helping hand, a shared laugh, or recognizing a friend’s name. As the children become more familiar with one another and their educators, they are building positive relationships, developing trust, and growing their sense of belonging within our classroom community.
We are curious and excited to see where the preschoolers' Ideas, friendships, and experiences will take us as we continue to grow together.
