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MaiStoryBook: Meesha Makes Friends + *How to Make Friends* Toy Craft

by MaiStoryBook

Introducing an empowering new story about expressing feelings and forming new relationships~ featured in the MaiStoryBook Library Collection: 

“Meesha Makes Friends” by Tom Percival

*~Click here to purchase your own copy of “Meesha Makes Friends” to start on your own reading adventure! (This is an affiliate link~ 5% of your purchase will go to MaiStoryBook to help create Reading Resources for your littles)

Book Synopsis and Review

Meesha loves to make things~ crayons, papers, colors, boxes, recycled materials: these are her tools of creation from which she fashions all sorts of toys and creatures. Meesha can make anything! However, there is one thing she has a hard time making… Friends. Always a little unsure of what to say and what to do, and when to say it and when to do it, Meesha struggles connecting with her peers. So instead of making friends with her peers, Meesha uses her creativity to *make* her own group of friends from her craft supplies! They can’t quite do all the thins a real friend can do…like play tennis or catch, but they make her feel comfortable and that is most important! But one day, when Meesha’s family takes her to a party, overwhelmed by the noise and chaos of kids running around, Meesha finds her own spot to sit and create, and is approached by a young boy~ a potential new friend who wants to join Meesha and her crafting. Will Meesha connect with this boy and make a new friend?

This sweet read of friendship is the newest edition to the Big Bright Feelings series ( Check out Ravi’s Roar, Ruby Finds a Worry, and Perfectly Norman on MaiStoryBook ). Just like in his other books, author Tom Percival is able to weave a relatable and meaningful story into a simple and sweet narrative that helps children learn how to express their emotions and understand their relationships with others. In this book, Meesha represents a child who is brimming with ideas and curiosity and wants to connect with others, but struggles with identifying and recognizing social cues~ thus leading to difficulty making friends. She doesn’t know the right thing to say, or plays the game but at the wrong time, or is overwhelmed by loud noises and boisterous peers. However, when an opportunity arises to make a friend, Meesha *takes a deep breath* and finds the courage to welcome a new peer and connect with them over something they both have in common and like to do. Through Meesha, little learners realize that one part of making friends is to share something you both like to do and find out what you both have in common. It’s also about taking a chance and being vulnerable, inviting someone to share your space and being willing to share a part of you. This is an excellent read aloud for empowering children who may also struggle with making friends, and for encouraging all little learners to reach out and include all friends in their play.

Vocabulary

  • difficult (p. 8) very hard
  • admittedly (p. 13) to tell the truth about something
  • chaotic (p. 17) out of control, very confusing
  • unpredictable (p. 17) don’t know what is going to happen next
  • ruin (p. 22) to mess up, destroy something

Themes/ Main Ideas

  • Making Friends: A great place to start is to speak to children who like the same things as you do.
  • Including others: If you ever see someone who is one their own, try to include them and invite them to play. Ask what they like to do.
  • Remember: Be open, be honest, be You!

YouTube Video: Guided Shared-Reading Read Aloud Example

Example of a shared-reading, interactive Read Aloud of “Meesha Makes Friends” – how to subtly introduce the vocabulary list words within the text, ask guided questions, and spark conversation!

*~Check it Out~*

Subscribe: MaiStoryBook Youtube Channel for additional read aloud videos!

*How to Make Friends* Toy Craftivity

Making friends can be hard ~ even I struggle with it! Meeting new people and knowing what to say or do can be uncomfortable, and daunting. For little ones especially, making a friend isn’t something that is actively taught; sometimes it’s just assumed that children will know how to be friendly, make friends, and connect with their peers. However, these social skills don’t always come naturally, and it’s important to support little learners as they navigate the field of friendship. We should model for little ones how to introduce yourself, how to start a conversation or start to play together, and how to connect and get to know each other. Especially for the little ones who may need more support understanding and recognizing social cues, social skills lessons help them discover and form new relationships. In *Meesha Makes a Friend,* children see how Meesha learns to connect with her peers by sharing something she loves, and by being open and taking a risk to share something about herself, to share something special to her, with someone new. This week’s craft inspired by the story helps support little ones as they make new friends~ reminding them of simple steps they can take to start a new friendship. Check it out below!

Materials

Directions

  • Choose your pieces for the Toy-Friend template. There are colored and black and white versions. 
  • Head: Square bear or Circle Mouse 
  • Arms and Legs for Bear or Mouse Toy
  • Front Body Prompts (square for bear, curved for mouse): “_____ Makes Friends” or “How to Make Friends”
  • Inside Body Templates: Writing Prompts for how to make friends with lines / Writing Prompts for how to make friend with picture spaces / How to Make Friends  Fill-In-Your –Own Steps with Lines/ How to Make Friends Fill-In-Your-Own-Steps with picture space / Blank-Print out your choices.
  • PRINT THE BODY DOUBLE SIDED: Choose your front template and inside body template and print them double sided. OR Print separate and glue back to back. 
  • If you chose black and white versions, color them in.
  • Write your name on the blank on the front template.
  • Cut them out. 
  • For the body, fold the two flaps in, so that the prompt is facing the front, and when you open the flaps the writing/drawing on the inside is revealed. 
  • Fill in the inside to answer the prompts about how to make friends or write your own steps.
  • Note: For “Good Friends Are:” write adjectives that describe good friends in the hearts
  • Next, attach the head by taping/gluing the bottom of the neck to the back of the body.
  • Glue the arms and legs to the back of the body as well. 
  • Display your Toy Friends to share Friendship and share them to help you make some new friends!

Enjoy Your *How to Make Friends* Toy Craftivity

  • Share your craft with peers and use the steps to make a new friend!
  • Share your craft with peers to share a little about yourself and learn a little about someone new, or learn something new about a friend you already have
  • Display the crafts to share unique facts about each other and to remind each other to include others
  • Use your craft as a reminder of how to be a kind and inclusive friend

*~Overall, as always, I hope you all are staying safe and healthy, and are enjoying plenty of reading adventures! Tag me on Instagram @MaiStoryBookLibrary or FaceBook , find me on TikTokor contact me via email to share your own *How to Make Friends* Toy Crafts and your own reading adventures! I’d love to hear from you and learn more about your amazing ideas!~*

*~Until next time, Happy Reading~*