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The importance of friendship

The Importance of Friendship

Children choose friends who enjoy the same kind of activities as they do.

Friendships fluctuate and change as children grow older and they begin to understand themselves more.

Friendships are an important part of school life; some students may have a couple of very close friends, whilst others are part of a larger group who all enjoy the same thing. Other children may move to different friendship groups based on what they want to play that day.

Conflicts are an important part of friendships, they are normal and though they may make the child feel sad and rejected, developing the coping skills and managing these situations is an important part of a child’s social and emotional development.

“Friends cooperate and communicate more with each other than with other children. They also have conflicts more often, but usually manage to settle them without upsetting the friendship.”

It is important to note that a friendship conflict is not bullying, it is a conflict situation that is important in developing children’s resilience and coping skills. Bullying is defined as

“Bullying is describing a person that is demonstrating intent and purposely aiming to hurt another. It is not when children argue, verbally or physically, when they get angry at each other, being bossy or even when they don’t like each other.”

Learning to be a friend is an important part of growing up, children often require someone to help them understand the situation and develop empathy for the other person involved.

Being able to talk about it with a significant adult who can offer ideas to help the child fix the situation is essential. As is allowing the child to solve the problem themselves if they are able to. Whilst friendship may seem to be something that simply ‘occurs’, being a good friend and having the confidence involved in being a good friend is something that is nurtured, role modelled and guided.

Mrs Olivia Stephen - Co-coordinator of Pastoral Care K-6

Captains Corner

“Some people arrive and make such a beautiful impact on your life, you can barely remember what life was like without them.” - Anna Taylor

The presence of friends makes our life worthwhile. Friendship is one of the most important and valuable things in our life.

True friends aren’t the ones who make your problems disappear. They are the ones who won’t disappear when you’re facing problems. They should always offer a shoulder to cry on in case something wrong happens. A true friend always listens to your problems, gives you good advice and never talks behind your back. Your real friend would overlook your fails and celebrate your victories.

A recent Harvard study has proven that having substantial friendships in our life helps brain health. Friends help us deal with stress, make better choices that keep us strong and allow us to bounce back from health issues and disease more quickly. Friendship is equally important to our mental health.

Making friends is as straightforward as a simple smile. The only difference between a smile and a friend is that a smile will last a minute but a friend will last your whole life. Friends are with you during the hardest times of your life and you’ll never forget them!

“Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know that they’re there.”

Always make sure you are being a ‘good friend’ to everyone, even if they aren’t your closest friends.

A good friend is willing to share without hesitating. True friends keep your secrets secret and cheer you on when you feel confident about doing something, but especially when you feel timid.

They should love and accept you the way you are because no one is perfect. A real friend would be patient and wait for you and would never break their promises.

Sophia McLoughlin & Priyannika Kumrai - Year 5 Students