Friendship Activities & Games For Children

Having friends is an enjoyable experience and friendship is a skill kids naturally learn. At nursery, they are learning what a friend is and by primary school, they are learning how to get along with others and strengthen their friendship bonds. For International Friendship Day we’ve picked out our favourite friendship activities and games for kids.

Why Is Having Friends Important?

A 2015 study found that kids who enjoy close friendships are more likely to be happier, have higher self-esteem and be more satisfied with life. There are so many benefits to having friends but some of the most important are…

• Boosts happiness
• Reduces stress
• Develops a sense of belonging
• Provides endless support

Friendship Activities & Games For Kids

1. Make Friendship Necklaces

Forever friends can think of each other every time they wear their special necklaces. A kids jewellery set is an easy way for aspiring little jewellery lovers to make their own unique designs with all the tools and materials in one place - we love our Tiger Tribe Super Clay Jewellery Design Kit for this.

2. The Compliment Game

Get kids to sit in a circle and throw a beanbag to each other. Whoever has the beanbag needs to compliment the person they’re throwing the beanbag to. It teaches children how to praise others and say kind things, helping to develop friendships.

3. Host a Pretend Afternoon Tea

Who would like a cup of tea and some delicious desserts? Youngsters can have a natter over their afternoon tea and have lots of imaginative conversations with our Sweet Treats Set. Toy tea sets are a fantastic way to encourage creative roleplay and develop friendships and turn-taking skills.

4. Chinese Whispers (Telephone Game)

Playing Chinese Whispers is easy. Players stand in a line and whisper a message from one person to the other until it gets to the end of the line. The last person in the line repeats the message. If the last player announces the word, phrase or sentence correctly it’s considered a win. If they don’t get it right, it’s a loss and a cause for lots of laughter and making friends.

5. Play Snakes and Ladders

A popular board game loved by many children, Snakes and Ladders will bring out a bit of healthy competition between friends as they race up the ladders and slide down the snakes to make it to the final square. This classic game promotes social skills between friends and teaches kids about taking turns.

6. The Crazy Olympics

The Olympics aren’t just for athletes! It’s a chance for friends to join together to take part in a series of silly games including:

• Frisbee throwing
• Egg and spoon races
• Balloon volleyball
• Sack races
• Make an Olympic torch

Sort the little “athletes” into two teams and give out three points for gold medals, two for silver, and one for bronze. The winning team is the ones with the most points.

7. Build a Tower

Teamwork activities are ideal for developing kids’ friendship and interpersonal skills so building a tower is just the thing to build bonds and bricks at the same time! The great thing about stacking towers is that they develop fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination and critical thinking as mini minds work together to figure out how to grow their tower.

8. Face Time

Don’t worry, this doesn’t require any iPhones or iPads. With a game of Face Time, kiddies try to identify moods based on facial expressions. Get them to cut out faces from newspapers, magazines or off the internet and put the children into groups. Each group needs to work out what a person is feeling and put the faces into different emotion piles. The most neutral and subtle expressions will generate curious conversations between kids.

What activities will you be trying?