Do your kids or students feel hurt when a best friend starts spending time with someone new, or stay in a friendship that doesn't feel good anymore? Navigating Friendships for Kids is a Building Character workbook for ages 8 to 12 that helps kids understand what makes a good friend, how to tell healthy friendships from unhealthy ones, and how to handle the changes and challenges that come with growing up.
This workbook is printed and shipped by Amazon. Order the paperback on Amazon.
The workbook was written by Tammy Roose, an upper elementary teacher and the creator of Tarheelstate Teacher, and is adapted from her Friendship SEL Unit for upper elementary classrooms.
NOTE: This 82-page paperback is written for kids to work through on their own or alongside a parent or teacher. If you are teaching friendship skills to a whole class, the Friendship SEL Unit covers the same topic with 20 days of lesson plans and Google Slides (digital download only).
Through reading passages, sorts, friendship scenarios, an advice column, and journal prompts, kids practice what to say and do when a friendship gets hard, including how to respond when they feel left out, how to spot green flags and red flags in a friendship, and how to say no to peer pressure.
WHY PARENTS LOVE THIS WORKBOOK
- A Variety of Engaging Activities in One Book: Reading passages, sorts, friendship scenarios, graphic organizers, quote reflections, and creative projects like A Recipe for Friendship, My Friendship Symbol, and A Blueprint for True Friendship.
- Kids Can Work On Their Own or With an Adult: Directions are written for kids ages 8 to 12, so they can complete the activities independently or alongside a parent, teacher, or counselor. Children can work from the first page to the last, or skip to the sections that fit what they need right now. The Friendship in Action Tracker follows a monthly calendar for kids who want to plan and check off one friendly act each day.
- Start with Understanding: The workbook opens with pages for adults, Friendship in the Growing Years and Healthy vs. Unhealthy Friendships, on why friendship struggles are a normal part of ages 8 to 12 and when adult support is needed.
- Setting Friendship Goals that Can Continue After the Workbook: A Personal Friendship Post Reflection & Action Plan, My Friendship Goal Weekly Reflection, a Friendship Choice Board, and My Commitment to Friendship help kids keep practicing the habits of a good friend.
- No Right or Wrong Answers: The activities focus on reflection, discussion, and real-world application.
WHAT'S INSIDE THE FRIENDSHIP WORKBOOK
✨ Section 1: The Foundation of Friendship: What Does Friendship Really Mean?, important vocabulary, Reflecting on My Friendships, Friendship Reflection Prompts, All About My Friends, My Circles of Friendship, My Friendship Network, Friendship Symbolism, and My Friendship Symbol
✨ Section 2: Friendship is a Two-Way Street: A Recipe for Friendship, The Friendship Mirror story, Being the Friend You Want to Have, The Power of Small Gestures, The Choice of Kindness, and the Friendship in Action Tracker
✨ Section 3: Recognizing Healthy Friendships: Friendship Pie, Outgrowing Toxic Ties, Healthy vs Unhealthy Friendships, the Friendship Scenarios: Healthy vs Unhealthy Sort, Thinking Through Unhealthy Friendships, Friendship Flags, Navigating Peer Pressure, and True Friendship in Tough Times
✨ Section 4: Friendship Challenges & Changes: Ways Friendships Can Change, Seasons of Friendship, The Bestie Buzz Friendship Advice Column, Old Friends Face Challenges, New Friends Face Challenges, Strategies for Friendship Challenges, Responding to Friendship Challenges scenarios, and Friendship Tested
✨ Section 5: Living Out Friendship: the If Not For Friendship Acrostic Poem, Counting True Friends, A Blueprint for True Friendship, a Personal Friendship Post Reflection & Action Plan, a Friendship Choice Board, and My Commitment to Friendship
✨ Appendix: Recommended picture books about friendship and reproducible templates
Making and keeping friends isn't always easy, especially when friendships change or a friend makes choices that don't feel right. Navigating Friendships for Kids helps kids treat friends with kindness and respect, work through disagreements and hurt feelings, and choose friendships that make them feel safe and valued.
THIS WORKBOOK IS PERFECT FOR
- Parents and caregivers supporting social emotional learning at home
- Teachers and school counselors leading character education lessons
- Homeschool families and after-school programs
CASEL STANDARDS ALIGNMENT
Self-Awareness
- Linking feelings, values, and thoughts
Self-Management
- Setting personal and collective goals
Social Awareness
- Taking others’ perspectives
- Showing concern for the feelings of others
Relationship Skills
- Communicating effectively
- Developing positive relationships
- Resolving conflicts constructively
- Resisting negative social pressure
Responsible Decision-Making
- Identifying solutions for personal and social problems
- Anticipating and evaluating the consequences of one’s actions
MORE BUILDING CHARACTER WORKBOOKS
Each workbook in the series follows a similar layout, so kids know what to expect from one topic to the next:
- Telling the Truth & Integrity
- Empathy & Caring About Others
- Being & Getting Motivated
- Being Yourself
- Having Courage
- Setting Goals
- Showing Responsibility & Making Good Choices
- Growing in Gratitude
- Developing a Growth Mindset
- Conflict Resolution
BOOK DETAILS
- Paperback, 82 pages, 8.5 x 11 inches
- Ages 8 to 12 (grades 3 to 6)
- Author: Tammy Roose
- Publisher: Tarheelstate Teacher Publishing
- ISBN: 978-1968882051
- Available on Amazon: order the paperback here
Copyright © Tammy Roose, Tarheelstate Teacher LLC. The purchase of this workbook gives the buyer permission to reproduce pages for single classroom, home, or small group use only.
