Friendships are essential in childhood and adolescence as they shape emotional development and social skills. Learning how to be a good friend does not always come naturally — it requires empathy, trust, and kindness. Learning these qualities early can lead to deeper connections and a more fulfilling social life.
The Being a Good Friend handout explains what makes a strong friendship by defining key qualities like kindness, honesty, and respect. It also lists the qualities of a “bad” friend and mentions positive behaviors clients can practice, such as accepting differences, forgiving, and telling the truth.
Developing the qualities of a good friend through this handout can help kids and teens build stronger connections. Caring adults can further support this lesson by facilitating reflective conversations where children share personal friendship experiences.
Activities that emphasize teamwork (such as group art projects or cooperative games) can also provide hands-on practice in building these essential social skills.
Our Friendship Worksheets pair nicely with this handout for additional application.
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Want more resources like this? Check out our full catalog of social skills worksheets and handouts.
References:
- Alsarrani, A., Hunter, R. F., Dunne, L., & Garcia, L. (2022). Association between friendship quality and subjective wellbeing among adolescents: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14776-4
- Kuttler, A. F., La Greca, A. M., & Prinstein, M. J. (1999). Friendship qualities and social-emotional functioning of adolescents with close, cross-sex friendships. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 9(3), 339-366. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327795jra0903_5
- Roberts-Griffin, C. P. (2011). What is a good friend: A qualitative analysis of desired friendship qualities. Penn McNair Research Journal, 3(1).
- Simpkins, S. D., Parke, R. D., Flyr, M. L., & Wild, M. N. (2006). Similarities in children’s and early adolescents’ perceptions of friendship qualities across development, gender, and friendship qualities. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 26(4), 491-508. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431606291941
