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Friendship Foundations

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Jaci Hilmer

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Friendship Foundations

Students will identify key qualities of a good friend, practice empathetic communication, and learn strategies for resolving minor conflicts respectfully.

Understanding healthy friendships is crucial for students' social-emotional development, helping them build supportive relationships and navigate social challenges with confidence.

Audience

Elementary School Students (K-5)

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, role-playing, and creative expression.

Materials

Whiteboard or projector, Friendship Foundations Slide Deck, Markers or pens, Construction paper, Crayons or colored pencils, Friendship Qualities Worksheet, and Friendship Scenario Cards Activity

Prep

Preparation

15 minutes

  • Review the Friendship Foundations Slide Deck and familiarize yourself with the content.
  • Print out copies of the Friendship Qualities Worksheet for each student.
  • Prepare the Friendship Scenario Cards Activity by printing and cutting out the scenario cards.
  • Gather construction paper, crayons, or colored pencils for the Friendship Portrait activity.
  • Ensure whiteboard or projector is ready for display.

Step 1

Introduction: What is a Friend?

5 minutes

  • Greet students and introduce the lesson topic: friendship.
  • Ask students: "What does it mean to be a friend?" and "What makes someone a good friend?" (Facilitate a brief class discussion, noting key ideas on the board).

Step 2

Exploring Friendship Qualities

10 minutes

  • Present the Friendship Foundations Slide Deck focusing on slides that highlight positive friendship qualities like kindness, honesty, sharing, and listening.
  • Distribute the Friendship Qualities Worksheet.
  • Instruct students to draw or write about qualities they look for in a friend or how they show these qualities to others.
  • Discuss some examples as a class after they complete the worksheet.

Step 3

Activity: Friendship Scenario Cards

15 minutes

  • Introduce the Friendship Scenario Cards Activity.
  • Divide students into small groups.
  • Give each group a few scenario cards.
  • Instruct groups to discuss the scenarios and role-play how they would solve the problem or respond to the situation in a friendly way.
  • Circulate among groups to offer guidance and facilitate discussion.

Step 4

Creative Expression: Friendship Portraits

10 minutes

  • Bring the class back together.
  • Provide each student with a piece of construction paper and art supplies.
  • Ask students to draw a
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Slide Deck

Friendship Foundations

Building Blocks of Positive Relationships

Let's learn how to be awesome friends!

Welcome students and introduce the topic of friendship. Ask them what comes to mind when they hear the word 'friendship.'

What is Friendship?

• Someone you care about
• Someone who cares about you
• Someone you like to spend time with
• It's a special connection!

Prompt students to share their initial thoughts on what friendship means to them. Encourage a few volunteers to share.

Qualities of a Good Friend: Kindness

• Being nice to others
• Using gentle words and actions
• Helping when someone needs it

Introduce the first key quality: Kindness. Ask students how they can show kindness to their friends.

Qualities of a Good Friend: Sharing

• Sharing toys and games
• Sharing your feelings
• Taking turns

Discuss sharing. Ask students what they can share with friends (toys, ideas, feelings).

Qualities of a Good Friend: Listening

• Looking at your friend when they talk
• Hearing what they are saying
• Not interrupting

Emphasize the importance of listening. Ask what it means to be a good listener.

Qualities of a Good Friend: Honesty

• Telling the truth
• Being fair
• Keeping promises

Explain honesty and why it's important for trust in friendships.

Communication in Friendship

• Using your words to say how you feel
• Listening when your friend talks
• Using 'I feel...' statements

Talk about communicating feelings and active listening. Ask students how they can tell a friend how they feel.

Solving Friendship Problems

• Talk it out calmly
• Listen to each other
• Compromise (find a way to both be happy)
• Say 'I'm sorry' if you need to

Discuss simple conflict resolution. Ask students what they can do if they have a small problem with a friend.

Being a Good Friend Recap

• Be kind and share
• Listen and be honest
• Talk about your feelings
• Work together to solve problems

Summarize the main points of being a good friend.

Friendship Reflection

What is one thing you will do this week to be an even better friend?

Encourage students to think about how they will use what they learned today in their own friendships.

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Activity

Friendship Scenario Cards Activity

Instructions: In your groups, read each scenario card. Discuss how the friends in the story could solve their problem or show good friendship qualities. Then, role-play the situation, showing how you would handle it in a friendly way.

Scenario Card 1: Sharing Toys

Sarah brought her new toy car to school. Her friend, Leo, really wants to play with it, but Sarah wants to play with it by herself right now. What should they do?












Scenario Card 2: Playing Together

Maya and Ben are building a tall tower with blocks. Another friend, Chloe, comes over and tries to add a block to the tower, but Maya says, "No! Go away!" How can Maya, Ben, and Chloe be good friends and play together?












Scenario Card 3: Hurt Feelings

During recess, Alex accidentally bumps into Sam, and Sam drops their snack. Sam feels sad and a little angry. What can Alex do or say to be a good friend? What can Sam do?












Scenario Card 4: Making Plans

Lily and Noah usually play tag at recess. Today, Noah wants to draw, but Lily still wants to play tag. How can they figure out what to do so both friends are happy?












Scenario Card 5: Telling the Truth

Someone broke a crayon in art class, but nobody saw who did it. Your friend was playing near the crayons, and you think they might know. What should you do if your friend asks you to keep it a secret? What should your friend do?












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Worksheet

My Friendship Qualities Worksheet

Name: ____________________________

Part 1: What makes a good friend?

Draw or write about one quality you think is important for a good friend to have. Why is it important?












Part 2: How do you show you are a good friend?

Draw or write about one way you can be a good friend to someone else. What did you do or say?












Part 3: Share a time a friend was kind to you.

Draw or write about a time when a friend showed kindness to you. How did it make you feel?












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