The Friendship Circle — Friendship Skills Activity Kit (K–2)

About this resource

Circle time is one of the oldest classroom structures for good reason. In The Friendship Circle, a friendship skills activity kit for kindergarten and Grades K–2, students pass a ball and take turns speaking and listening, and they start to see each other as real people with things worth hearing. It practices habits that build Relationship Skills.

What students practice

• Sharing one way to be a good friend
• Taking turns and listening
• Including others in play
• Showing everyday kindness
• Making a promise to keep going

What’s inside

• A teacher guide with a detailed script and a flexible outline: three steps, about 25 minutes
• A Friendship Skills Poster on sharing, taking turns and being kind
• 24 Sharing Game Prompts, “I can… by…” sentence-starter cards for the circle
• A four-question Reflection Questions Sheet and an Acts of Kindness Chart with five entries
• A Friendship Pledge Certificate, one with three promises filled in and one blank; 16 pages in all

A look inside

• From the teacher script: “Friendship is kind of like a circle. The more kindness we put in, the more it comes back to us.”
• Sharing Game Prompts: “I can ask to join a game by saying…” and “I can share the swing by…”
• Reflection Questions: “What is one new way you can show kindness to a friend?”

How to use this friendship circle skills kit

• Ask what makes someone a good friend, then explain the ball or beanbag game
• Whoever holds the ball shares one thing they can do to be a good friend, then passes it on while everyone else listens
• Use the prompt cards so no one is stuck for an idea
• Follow up with the reflection questions, the kindness chart and the pledge certificate

Grade fit

The pass-the-ball format and sentence starters suit the youngest grades, kindergarten through Grade 2. It works as one of the SEL activities you can repeat as a regular class circle.

Pairs well with

Try Friendship Flower, or for Grades 2–4 move to The Friend Circle.