Introduction

Friendships are an essential part of a student’s social-emotional development. As educators, it’s important to teach students how to make friends, maintain healthy relationships, and recognize the qualities of a good friend. This blog post will discuss an engaging no-prep activity that helps students learn about building friendships, followed by discussion questions and related skills. By participating in this activity, students will learn the importance of getting to know others, asking questions, and sharing about themselves to develop strong and positive friendships.

No-Prep Activity: The Friendship Web

This activity requires no preparation or materials from the educator and can be easily adapted for different age groups. Here’s how it works:

1. Have the students sit in a circle on the floor or at their desks.
2. Ask one student to start by sharing something about themselves, such as a hobby, interest, or favorite food.
3. The student then tosses an imaginary ball of yarn to another student in the circle.
4. The second student shares something about themselves and then tosses the imaginary ball of yarn to another student, while still holding onto their “piece” of the yarn.
5. Continue this process until all students have shared and are holding onto a piece of the imaginary yarn.
6. Once everyone has participated, explain that the yarn represents the connections and friendships they are building by learning about each other and sharing their interests.

This activity encourages students to open up to their peers and learn more about each other, which is essential for building strong friendships. It also provides a visual representation of the connections that are made when we take the time to get to know others.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is it important to ask questions and learn about others when trying to make friends?
2. What are some qualities of a good friend? How can we demonstrate these qualities in our own friendships?
3. How can spending time with friends help us grow as individuals?
4. What are some challenges you might face when trying to make new friends? How can you overcome these challenges?
5. How can we maintain and strengthen the friendships we have built over time?

Related Skills

Building friendships is just one aspect of a student’s social-emotional development. Here are some other relevant skills that students can benefit from:

• Active listening: Paying close attention to what others are saying and responding appropriately.
• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
• Conflict resolution: Addressing disagreements and finding solutions that work for everyone involved.
• Cooperation: Working together with others to achieve a common goal.
• Respecting boundaries: Recognizing and respecting the personal space, feelings, and needs of others.

Next Steps

Now that you’ve learned about this engaging no-prep activity for building friendships, we encourage you to explore more resources and sample materials to help your students develop essential social-emotional skills. Visit https://everydayspeech.com/sample-materials/ to sign up for free samples and discover more activities, videos, and games to support your students’ growth.