Friendship Recipe for Social Emotional Learning Writing

Inside: Use this Friendship Recipe for Social Emotional Learning Writing to help kids focus on what is a good friend and what they’re looking for in a friend.

There are a million ways to be a good friend, but when you’re a kid, you often pick someone who is playing right next to you.

But as kids get older, they need to question:

What do they really want in a friend?

What do they value in friendships?

What kind of qualities do they want their friends to have?

Since we are the sum of the five people we spend the most time with, who our kids spend their time with matters. Their friends matter.

This Friendship Recipe is a sweet way to slow down and think about what kind of a friend they are looking for when they seek out new friends. And it’s a great way to sneak in a little creative writing with social emotional learning.

Add some actual baking or cooking with this activity and it’ll be a sure hit.

Other Friendship Resources for Kids

What is a Good, True, Kind Friend Checklist

Have the kids decide for themselves if their friend is a good, true, real friend or a fair weather/fake friend/”friend” with this Friendship Checklist.

Friendship Flower Craft

It’s a Friendship Flower Craft, but it’s so much more when kids are spreading compliments and sharing positive attributes of friends.

I am a Good Friend Emergent Reader (for beginning readers)

This I am a Good Friend Emergent Reader is perfect for beginning readers to read all the ways a good friend acts towards others.

I am a Good Friend Early Reader (for more proficient readers)

This I am a Good Friend Early Reader is the same content but more in-depth with harder vocabulary and sight words for more proficient readers.

Friendship Bullseye

This Friendship Bullseye is perfect to help kids understand there are different kinds of friends in their life and not every friend is a best friend you tell all your private information to.

How to Make New Friends Role Playing

It’s important to be able to make new friends but it can feel intimidating. These Meet New Friends Role Playing Cards can help kids make friends in six different ways, depending on their age, their situation, or their comfort level.

The Friendship Farm

This Friendship Farm is a great bundle of activities that focuses on all the different ways to be a good friend through animal friends; it includes an emergent reader, a sorting game, and writing.

Friend Wanted Poster Writing

This Friend Wanted poster is an opportunity to write about all the different characters the student is looking for in a friend.

And we also use this Friendship Recipe.

How to Use the Friendship Recipe

1. Download and print the version you wish to use on colorful cardstock paper (or on white and kids can color in the recipe card). You can download it below.

2. Cut cards apart so each kid has one.

3. Brainstorm with kids what makes a good friend and why. If they’re having a hard time coming up with ideas, have them think of their friends and why they like them.

funny
fun
joyful
easy going
kind
patient
loving
loves what you love
saves you a seat
includes you
cheers you up
takes care of you
helps you
compassionate
empathetic
friendly
generous
playful
good sportsmanship
respectful
stands up for you
shares
turn takes
give compliments
cheers you on

4. Encourage students to choose “ingredients” they would want in a friend.

5. To connect to math, you can go over different measurements. You can bring in a measurement cup and teaspoons and tablespoons so they can visualize the amounts.

6. Show them a recipe card so they can see examples of baking terminology they can use when writing the directions: “stir in, fold in, mix in, combine,” etc.