About this resource
Friendships change as children grow, or when they move or change classes. This can feel like a big loss. This activity normalises those changes, gives a place for sad feelings, and helps children remember good times and think about new friends.
Purpose
A kind activity about how friendships change: friends move, change classes or make new friends, and it's okay to feel sad and to make new ones.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Educators and school support staff. Also relevant for counsellors and therapists, youth workers, social workers.
Client or participant group: Children aged about 6 to 12, with a teacher, counsellor or parent.
Practice setting: Classrooms, counselling and home.
Suggested uses
- Individual play-based sessions
- Building a relationship with a child
- Talking about feelings without pressure
- Sharing ideas with parents or carers, with the child's agreement
Instructions for practitioners
- Talk about what has changed.
- Name the feelings and accept them.
- Remember good times together.
- Think about ways to stay in touch, if it's possible.
- Plan a small step towards a new friend.
Accessibility considerations
Big pictures and few words. Read it aloud, let the child draw or point, and use their own words for feelings. Print in colour if you can, or let the child colour it in.
Scope and limitations
A play-based activity that supports therapy. It is not a stand-alone treatment, a clinical assessment or a validated tool. Follow the child's lead, stop if they become distressed, and follow your child safety procedures if the child discloses harm.
Research basis
School-based social and emotional learning programs improve students' social skills, behaviour and academic results. Programs that teach adults to notice, name and accept children's emotions improve emotion coaching and can reduce children's behaviour difficulties.
- Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
- Havighurst, S. S., Wilson, K. R., Harley, A. E., Prior, M. R., & Kehoe, C. (2010). Tuning in to Kids: improving emotion socialization practices in parents of preschool children – findings from a community trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51(12), 1342–1350. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02303.x
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced. Illustrations and activities were created for Practitioner Plus; no third-party worksheet or image was used.
