Friendship 

What is friendship?

Friendship is an unselfish concern for the good of another. 
Friendship is your relationship with someone you like. 
"A friend is someone who knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts who you've become, and still, gently invites you to grow." 
Children who are good friends:

Accept others for who they are 
Share their belongings 
Listen 
Enjoy others' company 
Support others in need 
Smile, laugh, and tell jokes 
Avoid teasing and put-downs 
Encourage others with kind words 
Avoid tattling 
Ask for help from their peers 
Solve problems peacefully 
Consider others' feelings before acting 
Proverbs and maxims

Look for the good in people and expect to find it. 
Friendship is the best present you can give. 
Love without friendship is like a shadow without sun. (Japanese proverb) 
12 ways to start and strengthen relationships

Be a person of good character. 
Be kind and caring. 
Be loving and supportive. 
Be a good listener. 
Spend time together and share experiences. 
Recognize when you have problems with others. 
Be willing to compromise. 
Talk about your feelings. 
Don't play the blame game. 
Try not to judge others. 
Expand your circle of friends. 
Be friendly. 
Fun ways to strengthen friendships

Make popcorn balls (or other treats) and bring them to someone new in your school. 
Have a water balloon toss (outside). 
Bring old baby pictures to class and share them. 
Fly kites. 
Start a club. 
Read a play together. Assign different parts to different friends (or ask which parts they'd like to read). 
Have a "read-a-thon" or "music-a-thon" and share your favorite books and music. 
Volunteer together for a worthwhile activity. 
Other pointers to make friends

Friendliness starts with a simple "hello" so practice different greetings like "hi" or "how's it going." 
Reach out to others. Join groups, organizations, and clubs. Get a pen pal. Call someone on the telephone. 
Include others. Look for people who are left out of activities and groups and invite them to join you. 
Make eye contact to show sincerity and interest in others. 
Learn and remember names. When you meet someone new, repeat their name. 
Don't focus on yourself; think of the person you are with. 
Smile to show you enjoy a person's company. 
More activities

Write a surprise letter to someone you care about and tell how much he or she means to you. 
Read about famous people of the past to learn what kinds of relationships they had with others. 
Visit a local store that sells greeting cards and see what they say to bond friendships. 
Decide what's most important to you in a friend. You might want to do a questionnaire and rank order qualities you feel are the most to least important - family income level, honesty, intelligence, education, interest, kindness, ability to have fun, is law-abiding, loyalty, physical fitness, political beliefs, popularity, cultural background, religious beliefs, so on. 
With your class, debate the most important character trait for a friend to have. 
Survey your class to find out how long friendships last when friends are the same gender or opposite genders, when friends are the same age or different ages, and so on. 
Role-play things you can do in a new school to develop friendships. 
Switch seats in your classroom once a week for 10 minutes so everyone can get better acquainted with each other. 
Create a photography bulletin board about friendships. 
Learn about relationships among animals such as whales, bears, lions, dogs, and cats.