This friendship bingo game is a fun way to help your children make new friends. This family home evening lesson on friendship is perfect for back to school.
Friendship Bingo and FHE Lesson about Making Friends
As I tucked my kids into bed last night, my daughter mentioned that she was getting nervous about starting school in a few weeks. She is going into Jr. High and it is a big new scary step. I am secretly feeling anxious as well! Change isn’t always easy. In addition, my little buddy is starting kindergarten. This is his first adventure outside our home. My heart is complaining about all this change.
I created this friendship bingo family night lesson to help make the process of starting school and meeting new friends fun instead of scary. Change often creates opportunities for growth. A new school year or joining a sports team or club can be overwhelming for children. Teaching relationship building skills will help them feel confident instead of shy and nervous. I hope this lesson will be beneficial for your family!
Family Home Evening Lesson about Friendship from the Bible
Friendship is very important at any age. Friends make life fun and meaningful. We can learn about how to make and maintain quality friendships from lessons in the scriptures.
Be Friendly: The Bible teaches us to treat others as we would want to be treated. This concept is referred to as the Golden Rule. Read Matthew 7:12. Talk with your children about how they want to be treated. Explain that if they act friendly, they will get friendship in return. If they are kind, they will make kind friends.
Be Forgiving: Read Matthew 6: 14-15. We have been commanded to forgive. Forgiveness is so important for happiness. Bearing a grudge can make you feel sad and lonely. Forgiveness is freeing. Make sure to talk through problems and find solutions and then move on. Allow people to say sorry and be quick to apologize if you have made a mistake as well. No one is perfect. So, it is important to be a forgiving friend.
Be A Good Listener: Showing an interest in another person builds friendships. Ask questions about what your friend is doing. Find out about their favorite songs and foods. Ask about what they did over the weekend. Find out how they are feeling and offer encouragement. Getting to know someone takes listening to them.
Be Honest: Gossip is a killer of friendships. It is easy to get sucked into conversations about people when they are not around. Gossip and spreading rumors is hurtful. Read James 1:26. We are taught to bridle our tongues. Before you speak gossip, take a moment to think about how that comment will make your friend feel. Would you say it if they were standing next to you? Being honest is an important part of friendship. Keep your conversations positive and true.
Finding friends starts with being a friend! This next section of the lesson will help you children see how their own actions will bring new friends into their lives. When children discover that they are in control it helps calm nerves and gives confidence.
Friendship Bingo Activity
This fun bingo board is ready for you to download and print. Each square of the board has a friendship building action. Some of the actives include:
- Learn someone’s name and then use it later in the day.
- Compliment someone’s backpack.
- Invite a new person to play at recess.
- Give a high five to someone.
- Smile at 10 people while walking to class.
- Let someone cut ahead of you in line at lunch or at the drinking fountain.
- Find out what the person next to you in class did over the weekend.
- Say, “Good job!” when a person does well on an assignment.
- Share a treat with a friend.
- Leave a random kind note in a person’s desk or on their locker.
- Say something nice about a friend out loud to a group.
- Say, “Thank you!” to a teacher.
- Share your pen or pencil with another student.
- Ask someone where they got their clothes or shoes.
- Attend an after school activity.
Print out the friendship bingo board. Read through each square and talk about how doing the activities helps build friendships. Set a goal to get BINGO in a certain amount of time. It could be a week or it could be a day or two. Each member of the family has their own board and their own friendship goals. Each day, mark off the squares that were completed that day.
Take a minute to talk about how acting like a friend makes them feel. Have they felt more connected in class? Do they feel more comfortable at lunchtime or recess? Does being a friend feel good? Have they made any new friendships because of the activities?
You an also set rewards for completing BINGO and even blackout! Treats, outings, and other privileges can be used at motivation.
I hope that your children can feel prepared to make and meet new friends! Having a plan set ahead of time, makes the process less overwhelming and even exciting! Jesus was the perfect example of friendship. He loved, he served, and he took care of his friends. We can do the same.
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