Kids know what friendship is – we tell them all the time to “be a good friend”. But if we don’t explain friendship in concrete terms for them, they might not really completely understand how to be a good friend. 

Keys to Friendship is a simple activity that addresses this. Start by showing kids a picture of you and a friend. Talk about your friendship. What sorts of things do you like to do together? How do you feel when you’re with this friend? Explain that good friends make us feel good, and we enjoy spending time with our friends.

Ask the kids to describe the characteristics of a good friend. Then, print this key template and have each child write one “key” to friendship on their key. Let them decorate the key, and display them in a prominent place as a reminder that we should always try our best to be a good friend.