Building Strong Friendships

Lesson Overview

Subject: PSHE
Year Group: Year 3
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 26 students
Curriculum Area: Relationships Education – Caring Friendships (UK PSHE curriculum)

This lesson will help children understand the key qualities of a good friend and develop social skills that promote kindness, respect, and inclusivity. Students will engage in interactive discussions, role-playing, and a creative group activity to reinforce their learning.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Identify key characteristics of a good friend (e.g. kindness, listening, honesty, respect).
• Understand how to resolve minor disagreements with friends in a positive way.
• Practise friendship skills through role-playing and interactive discussion.
• Reflect on their own friendship behaviours and set goals for improvement.

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Lesson Structure

Starter Activity (10 minutes) – The Friendship Puzzle

Objective: Engage students in discussing what makes a good friend.

1. Prepare a large puzzle with six pieces, each displaying one friendship quality: kindness, honesty, sharing, listening, respect, support.
2. Hand out the pieces randomly to six students and ask:
   • “What do you think this word has to do with being a good friend?”
   • Encourage class input and brief discussion.
3. As students contribute their thoughts, piece together the puzzle on the board, reinforcing the idea that friendships thrive when all these qualities come together.

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Main Activity (20 minutes) – Friendship Role-Play & Reflection

Objective: Practise friendship skills and explore different perspectives.

Step 1: Scenario Cards (10 minutes)

• Prepare six scenario cards, each describing a common friendship challenge, e.g.:
  • “Your friend forgets to include you in a game at break time. What do you do?”
  • “Your friend tells a secret you asked them to keep. How do you handle it?”
• In small groups, students select a scenario, discuss possible responses, and decide on a positive resolution.
• Each group performs a short role-play of their scenario for the class. The audience offers feedback on the best ways to handle each situation.

Step 2: Friendship Reflection (10 minutes)

• Give each student a small “Friendship Reflection Card” with prompts like:
  • “One quality I have that makes me a good friend is…”
  • “One thing I want to get better at is…”
• Students reflect quietly and write their responses.

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Plenary (15 minutes) – Secret Friendship Compliments

Objective: Reinforce positive friendship traits through peer recognition.

1. Each student receives a blank “Friendship Token” (a small paper star).
2. Students write a compliment about a friend in the class, focusing on a quality from the lesson.
3. The teacher randomly distributes tokens, ensuring each student receives one.
4. Invite volunteers to share their compliments (if comfortable).
5. Close by emphasising how small, kind acts can strengthen friendships.

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Assessment & Differentiation

Assessment:

• Teacher observation during discussions and role-plays.
• Informal questioning to check understanding.
• Reflection cards as evidence of learning.

Differentiation:

• Support: Pair EAL or less confident students with a buddy during the role-play. Provide sentence starters for reflection.
• Challenge: Ask students to suggest additional ways to resolve conflict and encourage them to act out multiple outcomes in role-plays.

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Resources Required

✅ Large puzzle pieces with friendship qualities
✅ Scenario cards for discussion
✅ Pre-cut paper stars for compliments
✅ Reflection cards for self-assessment

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Teacher's Notes & Adaptations

• Ensure all students feel included in activities.
• Adjust discussion length based on class engagement levels.
• Use positive reinforcement to highlight excellent friendship skills.

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This lesson will help Year 3 students build meaningful, healthy friendships while fostering a positive classroom environment! 😊