Preschool: Should I Share My Ice Cream?
In the Preschool classroom, our Peace curriculum includes peace with self, peace with others and peace with the environment. At this point in the school year, as we focus on peace with others, the children are learning how to be kind, considerate and respectful towards others. For three and four year olds, learning to share and take turns is a big social goal. It’s not easy and takes lots of practice.
In the book, Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems, the beloved character, Gerald is very excited about his ice cream cone. Worry sets in when he thinks of his friend Piggie and her love for ice cream cones too. Gerald contemplates whether or not he should share his treat with her. As Gerald wrestles with the pros and cons, his ice cream cone begins to melt and sadly falls to his feet. Luckily, at that moment, Piggie shows up with an ice cream cone of her own and happily shares it with Gerald. The children smiled with delight as the story was read during our Peace circle and accompanied by Piggie and Gerald finger puppets.
We concluded our circle by giving the children a chance to share different ways they can practice sharing. One child shared, “I can share a book with a friend.” Another child shared, “I can share my toys with my sister.” We discussed how kind acts like sharing not only makes others feel good but it makes us feel good too!
