Friendship Skills Activity: Qualities of a Good Friend

What makes someone a good friend?

This friendship skills activity gives children the opportunity to think about the qualities and behaviours that help to build positive friendships.

Print the Qualities of a Friend worksheet on A4 for individual work or A3 when using it with a group. Children can think about what they believe makes a good friend and write their ideas in each of the clouds. A useful list of friendship qualities is included to help get them started, but children can also create their own list of the qualities they feel are most important in a friendship.

This activity provides a great opportunity for discussion. Encourage children to talk about what different qualities look like in real-life situations. For example, what does being kind actually look like? How might a good friend show that they care? What does it mean to listen to someone or respect their feelings?

It can help children to:

• recognise the qualities that contribute to positive friendships
• think about what they value in a friend
• identify positive friendship behaviours
• develop their understanding of kindness, respect, trust and listening
• reflect on the qualities they already have themselves
• think about how they can use these qualities in their own friendships.

The activity can be used with an individual pupil or as part of a small-group friendship skills session, making it a useful starting point for exploring relationships, social skills and positive interactions with others.

A simple but effective free resource for helping children understand what makes a positive friendship and the qualities they can bring to their own relationships.

Download: Friendship qualities