Understanding

• Talk to preschool children about feelings to help them express their own needs and consider the needs of others. An exercise to explore friendships might include asking a child to list friends and talk about why she likes each one, things they have in common and what things she shares and talks about with the friend, suggests the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Request that each child list at least one thing that another child enjoys. Children with the ability to understand the needs of others develop the ability to make friends, according to Mize and Abell.
  
  

Conflicts

• Children often face issues with making friends, including shyness, bullying and social skills. Ask children to imagine different situations, such as moving to a new place with no friends, dealing with a bully or differences including physical or medical problems. Encourage the children to express ideas about handling such issues and expressing emotions about how they would feel. The lesson helps children develop empathy for others and consider ways to deal with their own situations.
  
  

Rules

• Developing social skills and controlling impulses, anger and desires to meet their own needs results in preschoolers requiring lessons in rules for appropriate behaviors, according to the University of Illinois Extension. Ask the children to help make a list of rules for friendships, including such concepts as sharing and expressing feelings without physical confrontations. Encourage ideas by requesting they list some ways they do not want others to treat them, such as yelling, taking their belongings without asking or not sharing.
  
  

Drama

• Children often enjoy role-playing. Request that children act out different situations and practice acting in a way they want their friends to treat them. Use drama to allow children think about forming friendships by pretending to do things such as meeting a new child and making friends, including another child into a group of friends and helping a sad or lonely child.
  
  

Media

• Using media helps preschoolers learn about challenges they may face, such as angry or hostile children, that might cause stress in a real setting. Read stories and poems or sing songs about friendship. Play videos, including cartoons, which focus on situations where a child appears angry or aggressive to help preschoolers understand and develop empathy.
  
  

Play

• Select games and activities, such as a group or team art project, to promote sharing and appropriate play behavior. Child interactions provide a major way for children to learn social interactions and form relationships, according to Mize and Abell. Teach the children cooperation lessons by scheduling simple activities, such as tossing a ball to each other, building with blocks and playing card or board games.