What makes a good friend?

Evaluating and analysing friendships is an important step for students to ensure they are surrounding themselves with people who support and care about them. By thinking about how good friends make them feel and what people should do in friendships, students can critically evaluate their relationships.

Year Level

7-8

Duration

60 minutes

Type

  • In class activity
  • Online learning

SEL Competencies

  • Social awareness
  • Relationship skills

Learning Intention

Students examine healthy relationships by developing an understanding of what makes a good friend, and by learning skills to identify warning signs for negative relationships.

Key Outcomes

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

  • identify how a good friend makes them feel
  • identify warning signs of negative friendships
  • describe what makes a good friend
  • examine friendships and determine whether they are healthy or not.
Activity 01

How do you feel? 10 min

  1. Provide students with a list of feelings. These could be in a handout or may be written on the board. Check out this List of Emotions.
  2. Ask students: ‘How does a good friend make you feel?’
  3. Students write responses in their workbook or highlight them on the handout.
  4. Discuss responses as a class. Ask students:
    • Why do friends make us feel this way?
    • When can friends make us feel this way?
    • What might it mean if friends don’t make us feel good?