Making friends isn’t always easy, but it’s something most kids want to do. Learning how to connect with others, start conversations, and build trust takes more than just being around people. Sometimes, the hardest part is knowing how to begin, especially for those who feel unsure about themselves or worry about being left out.
The Making Friends Worksheets offer three pages of activities designed to help clients understand, build, and maintain positive relationships. Understanding And Meeting Friends focuses on identifying good friendship traits, choosing what to improve on, and identifying places to meet new friends. Building & Maintaining Friendships encourages positive behaviors like saying sorry and supporting a friend’s goals, and invites clients to create an action plan. Friendship Conversation Starters offers prompts to ease nerves and keep conversations going naturally.
Completing these worksheets encourages kids and teens to practice their social skills and build strong connections. For example, they can pick one conversation starter to try during lunch or recess.
Parents and teachers can support this learning by creating a “Friendship Wall” in the home or classroom. Kids can post kind notes, stories, or fun facts about their friends. This can make friendship feel like something that’s celebrated and practiced every day.
Our How To Make Friends handout can be used as a complementary resource alongside these worksheets.
*This item is an instant digital download. A link to download your files will be emailed to you once payment is confirmed.
Want more resources like this? Check out our full catalog of social skills worksheets.
References:
- Apostolou, M., Keramari, D., Kagialis, A., & Sullman, M. (2020). Why people make friends: The nature of friendship. Personal Relationships, 28(1), 4-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12352
- Apostolou, M., & Keramari, D. (2020). What prevents people from making friends: A taxonomy of reasons. Personality and Individual Differences, 163, 110043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110043
- Brooks, R. (2002). Transitional friends? Young people's strategies to manage and maintain their friendships during a period of repositioning. Journal of Youth Studies, 5(4), 449-467. https://doi.org/10.1080/1367626022000030985
- Cleaver, F., & Cockburn, T. (2009). How children and young people win friends and influence people: Children and young people’s association, their opportunities, strategies and obstacles. Carnegie Trust UK.
