Play & Pretend: PP: 6. Can I Play? - Story

Some children play alone because they aren’t sure how to join in or approach others to play.  They may feel anxious or may not know what to do or say.  They may be inappropriate in how they approach their peers, trying ineffective strategies that set them up to fail.  By giving them a starting script for joining in, we can reduce some of that anxiety and scaffold the initial approach, to set them up for success.

The goal of this story is for children to have a way of joining in with their peers.  They learn a script to ask to join in so that they are more likely to be well received by their peer.  They also learn a script in how to respond should the child refuse their request.  This story normalizes being refused, teaches them that it’s OK if that happens, and encourages them to try another friend rather than giving up.