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Description

What does it mean to be a good friend? Sort your ideas with an active game, then make a friendship tree.

Source: https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/you-ve-got-a-friend/

Resources

You will need

Coloured pens or pencils
Scrap paper
Scissors
String
Hole punch

Instructions

Play a game.

1 The person leading the game should put two signs at either end of the meeting space. One sign should say ‘good
friend’ and the other should say ‘not good friend’.
You could also use smiley and sad face emojis, or different colours.

2 The person leading the game should help everyone think about what it means to be a good friend. They may have ideas like sharing, helping people who are struggling, and being kind and helpful.

3 Everyone should stand in a line in the middle of the space.

4 The person leading the game should read a sentence from the 'Friendship scenarios' below.

5 Everyone should take a moment to decide whether the sentence is about being a good friend or a not so good friend.

6 The person leading the game should count to three. When they reach three, everyone should move to the sign
that matches the sentence (the good friend sign if the sentence is about being a good friend, or the not good
friend sign if the sentence is about not being a good friend).

Everyone should move at the same time—encourage people to make up their own minds, and not just copy their friends.

7 The person leading the game should help people explain why they decided to move to that sign. They may think
about what’s likely to happen next in the situation or how the friend made other people feel.

It’s OK if people have different opinions. Being a good friend involves listening and respecting differences, and friendship can be complicated.

Make helpful hands for the friendship tree

1 Everyone should draw around one of their hands on a piece of coloured paper.

2 Everyone should write their name on their paper hand.

3 While everyone follows steps four and five, the person leading the activity should make the tree trunk. They could
cut a tree shape from brown cardboard or paper, or even get creative with paint or wood.

If you don’t want to (or aren’t able to) make a tree, you could create hands in the same way and string them up like bunting.

4 Everyone should draw or write some examples of what makes them a good friend on their paper hand. People
could give each other some ideas too—sometimes it’s easier for our friends to notice how we’re a good friend to
them.
The sentences from the game may help people think of ideas, but people should try and be specific if they can. They may be able to think of a time they shared something with someone, when they asked an adult to help someone, or when they helped someone else.

5 Everyone should decorate their paper hand, and then cut it out.

6 The person leading the activity should help everyone to attach their paper hands to the tree. They could do this
by making a hole with the hole punch, then using the string to tie it on to the tree like the stem of a leaf.

7 Everyone should feel free to admire their friendship tree.



Friendship scenarios
Starter sentences: Are the other people being good friends?

Someone lends you their colouring pencils when you forget yours.

Someone pushes in front of you in a queue.

Someone says ‘excuse me’ when they need to reach past you.

Someone helps you tidy up.

Someone teases you about your new haircut.



Someone helps you cut out a tricky shape.

Everyone listens politely when you answer a question.

Someone offers to help you set up a game.

Someone laughs at you when you ask them to help you spell a word.

When you’re talking, someone carries on whispering to their friend.

You accidentally drop a piece of litter and someone else puts it in the bin for you.

You’re a bit lonely because your friends are away, and someone comes to sit with you.

Someone sees you crying and ignores you.

Someone says ‘thank you’ because you helped them.

You lend someone a toy and they won’t give it back.

Someone teases you about your name.


Challenge sentences: Are the other people being good friends?

Someone teases you but you tell them you don’t like it and they stop.

You want to join a game with a group of people but they won’t let you in.

You’re stuck with your writing and someone offers to help you.

Someone asks you to help them tidy up but then they walk off.

You don’t want to play a game but everyone says you have to or they won’t be your friend.

You lend someone a toy and they give it back and offer to lend you one of theirs.

You lend someone a book. When they give it back it has a page missing, but they don’t tell you.

You’re doing something dangerous, and someone else tells an adult because they’re worried about you.

You lend someone a book. When they give it back it has a page missing, but they tell you and say they’re really sorry.

You’re playing a game. You tell your friend you want to stop, and they call you a mean word.

You ask to borrow someone’s favourite toy and even though they’re worried they let you play with it for a bit.

You spill your drink and someone gets some towels to wipe it up without being asked.

You’ve been left out of a game and someone stops playing to look after you.

You can’t tell the time yet. You ask someone what the time is and they laugh at you.

You’re tidying up after a game and someone offers to help you without being asked.

You’re playing a game with someone but someone else is starting a better game so they stop playing with you and go over.


Reflection

This activity was a chance for you to think about what makes a good friend. Does knowing what makes a good friend help you to be a better friend? Everyone should think about their friends—they could be at school, at Beavers, or at another club. Why are you friends with those people? How are they good friends to you? Sometimes it can be scary to join a group where everyone else is already friends. How could you be a new friend to someone new joining your group? Everyone should take it in turns to share their ideas. People may think about making sure they’re not on their own or lonely, smiling, saying hello and introducing themselves, explaining what things mean and what to do, and using kind words.

This activity also helped you to care about other people and their feelings. How does it feel when other people aren’t good friends to you? What would you do if you saw someone not acting like a good friend (for example, at school)? People may speak to the person kindly, show them what to do, or ask a grown up for help. How does it feel when you’re not a good friend to someone else? What can we do if we don’t act like a great friend? We can say sorry to anyone we’ve hurt and think about how they feel, and then we can learn from our mistake and try to be a better friend next time.

When you made your Beaver Scout Promise, you promised to try your best to be kind and helpful. Does this help you to be a better friend to others?


Safety
All activities must be safely managed. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Do a risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Always get approval for the activity and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Active games
The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed.

Scissors
Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.


Change the level of challenge
We’ve suggested that some of the friendship scenarios may be trickier than others, but you can add your own too. If people are finding the game simple, include trickier scenarios where there may not be a clear right answer (for example, ‘you promised your friend you’d play with them at playtime but then your other friend is sad, so you play with them instead’).

People could work in pairs for the game. They could use the thinking time to whisper their thoughts, then move together when the person leading the game counts to three.

Make it accessible

People could point to signs (or you could make up actions everyone can do) rather than anyone having to move across your meeting space.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Tags

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Badge Links

• Lead - YouShape Award - Lead Activity
• Teamwork - Friend
• Teamwork - Helpful