Making friends
Key Messages:
A friend is someone you like to spend time with, have fun with, and feel safe with. Usually friends have similar interests.
Ways to make friends: smile; be kind and friendly; say nice things about people; be interested; ask questions.
What makes a good friend: having fun together; respecting differences; feeling safe to talk; offering help or encouragement; sharing; figuring out how to sort out problems.
Classroom preparation activities:
- Class discussion using stories, movies, tv shows:
Generate class discussion about making friends based on a story, movie or tv show that relates to this topic. Discussion questions may include: how did the characters make friends/stay friends?; how did the characters deal with differences?; what did a character feel like who didn't have any friends? - Draw and share:
Draw/paint some of the things that friends do together and the ways that they help each other. - Create a symbol:
Affirmation Web: Take a ball of string, and then ask each student to say something positive about another student and then give them the ball of string. As it unravels it creates an affirmation web. Make sure every student is included in the web. - Group activity:
Common interests: break into groups of 6 students, and ask them to find seven things that they all have in common (for example, all like the Harry Potter movies, all have the same favourite colour, all have a cat). Write down and then share with the class at the end.
Sample Questions:
Examples of questions students may want to ask the Kids Helpline Counsellor:
- What are some ways to make friends?
- What can I do if I feel annoyed or upset with a friend?
- What qualities make a good friend?