Talking to children about the meaning of friendship
As sensible and responsible (ahem) parents, we can sometimes forget how strange friendships can be when you’re small. Many a volcano-sized meltdown between friends has been triggered by the seemingly tiniest of things, only for them to be BFFs again an instant later. Making, choosing and being a good friend is a skill we learn over time – but it’s never too early to start the conversation about friendship with your child. To help, here are five fun (and important) lessons from our new book, The Little Boy or Girl Who Found Their Friends.
Friends listen to each other
As your child sets off down a rainbow road, they meet a cast of curious characters who have got themselves in a pickle. Like the very vexed Viking who’s forgotten a vital ingredient for his cake. But by talking to him calmly, your child helps him figure it out. A great lesson in listening to others when they’re upset.
Friends are honest
The friends we trust the most are the ones who always tell it like it is. When your little explorer meets an Aardvark in the story, they must give them some truthful advice to help them out – teaching them that honesty is an important part of being a good friend.
There are different friends for different things
As we get older, we learnt that having one best friend is a rather unrealistic idea. And that having lots of friends for lots of different things is much better! The friend who you can always talk to, the friend who helps with your homework, the friend who always cheers you up when you’re down. Like the sad Robot your little one must cheer up in our story!
Friends don’t judge
Friends don’t care if you like princesses and they love superheroes, or if they’re tall and you’re teeny – they love you all the same. The important lesson is to accept them for the wonderful person they are inside. Even if they’re an artistic Yeti who loves to paint in crazy colours…
Friends share
By the time your child has reached the end of the rainbow road, they’ve given out all the letters of their name to help each character they met. But by sharing, they’ve gained a whole heap of wonderful new friends. The magical moral? What you’re called matters far less than all the things you do.
Turn your child’s name into a unique story about friendship
Check out our blog post all about friendship day for the chance to win two books for you and your friend!
