BE A GOOD FRIEND

Friendship and children go hand and hand, but teaching a child to be a good friend early-on is a lifetime gift. Learning to be a good friend takes lots of lessons and important conversations. Here are some FRIENDSHIP TIPS:

Remember important things (birthdays, accomplishments, etc.)
Are reliable and loyal.
Do kind things for one another and use kind language.
Help out when a friend is sad or has a problem.
Like to spend time together.
Have fun with one another.

Begin the lesson by picking a book from our MISFIT MANNERS Bookshelf. Click each book and decide which book you are interested in reading. You can get these books at your local or school library or purchase online. Many of these books are also read by the authors on YouTube. These book selections are GREAT conversation starters. You might consider reading several of these books over a period of time, because the messages are so important and have the potential to move the conversation in different directions, in a powerful way.

Sometimes the best way to teach a child how to be a good friend is to teach them what not to do. Such is the case with this next activity.

SAD SAM

Sam is a kid who just moved to a new school and his classmates decided that they didn't like him. They said lots of mean things that hurt Sam's feelings. What do you think they said to him? How do you think that made him feel? Each time a child says something bad about Sam, crinkle the paper. Continue this until Sam is a crumpled up mess. Ask the kids how they would feel and what they would do to make Sam feel better. As they volunteer kind words and actions, uncrinkle the paper. They soon realize that no matter how many nice things you say to Sam you can't erase the hurt and the pain of those words. Being a good friend is always thinking about your friend's feelings and being KIND.

JOURNAL DRAWING PROMPTS

DRAW a picture of you and a friend.

What does being a good friend look like to you?

What was the nicest thing a friend did for you? Can you DRAW it or write about it?

MAKE A FRIENDSHIP SOCK BRACELET/BAND