Small Fry Friendship Groups

I think it starts in 2nd grade. The friendship drama. Sometimes I see younger kids that have drama but it seems to resolve itself after each occurrence. Like when a kid in my daughter's three year old class said that wearing two braids makes you Ana and not Elsa. Upset one day, over it the next. But in second grade, the drama episodes turn into a series and really weigh on some kids, especially girls. You may have read about The Girls group I do with upper elementary, today I'm here to share what I do with our small friends.

This is a 5 session mini-group designed for 1st-3rd grades. We meet for about 30 minutes and sometimes will add a 6th session for a closure activity like lunch together. I typically have girls in these groups but the activities are not gender-specific.

Session I: Getting Started: First Group Sessions
Explain Group Purpose: Friendship Skills
Icebreaker/Energizer: Feelings Bingo or Helping Sharing Caring Game: I use a prepackaged game as an icebreaker for the group that includes some skill based learning but is mostly fun. You can even use a game hack like Chutes and Ladders.

 
Session 2: Friendship Puzzles
Review: group rules
Icebreaker/Energizer: brainstorm qualities of friendships
Skill Building Activity: friendship puzzle- on a 5x8 index card draw a self portrait and write your top 5 friendship qualities around it. Counselor cuts the card with wavy lines to make a puzzle. Take turns completing each other's puzzles for fun and talking about one another's friendship qualities. Model this for students "I see that Michaela wrote 'caring' on her card, I see her caring when she opens the door for me in the mornings."

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Session 3: Connecting with Others
Review: Friendship Qualities
Icebreaker/Energizer: paper clips are like people: pass thru or connect
Skill Building Activity: Body language roleplay- act out friendly body language and unfriendly body language. Talk about the perceptions of others in response to each type of body language. 

Session 4: Friendship Blockers
Review: Body Language
Icebreaker/Energizer: If/Then game with happy/sad sticks. Read each of the If/Then statements and ask students to think about the perception of others in response. They can flip their happy/sad sticks and describe how someone might feel in response.

• If you brag about yourself then
• If you bully and push others around then
• If you share then
• If you tattle on others then
• If you play well with others and include them then
• If you give others compliments and say nice things to others then
• If you are grumpy and in a bad mood a lot then
• If you are a sore loser when playing a game then
• If you boss others around then
• If you smile at people then

Skill Building Activity: Path to Friendship worksheet- students reflect on their own behaviors that build friendships (footsteps) and block friendships (wall). This is a very intense activity and not all students care to share their responses. I will sometimes keep students after group to reflect on their paper with them if they need to.

Session 5: Handling Rejection
Review: Friendship Blockers
Icebreaker/Energizer: role play with puppets how you feel when you are rejected
Skill Building Activity: did I do something wrong that wasn’t helpful in making friends? If Yes, fix it OR No, then Role Play with Statements:

• I’ll find something else to do
• They don’t want to play with me but I’ll keep looking and I’ll find someone else to play
• They may still like me but they may have other reasons why they don’t want to play with me
• They may have other things on their mind and may be in a bad mood so I’ll just give them some space
• I’ll keep using my good manners even if others don’t

I like this group because it combines fun activities with real moments for reflection. Most kids know what it means to be a good friend but don't take the time to reflect on how their actions are impacting others and their friendships.

I have created everything you need including role play card sorts, smiley sticks, everything! Check it out on my Teachers Pay Teachers store!