Monday, June 8 is National Best Friends Day!
We know things may be hard right now, and maybe kids are feeling sad or restless. It doesn’t help that we can’t see our friends the way we usually do in these trying times. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways that we can still celebrate our friendships and lift one another up!
Read below to find some fun and thoughtful activities that you can do with your kids to promote friendship and togetherness while we’re still staying apart!
Read a Book About Friendship
“Whether they’re next door or in outer space, true friends are never far apart.” Check out this great list of books composed by PBS Kids all about building friendships, being kind, and accepting one another. The age range for the books is for children 0 to 9, and features classics like “Rainbow Fish” and “The Giving Tree,” as well as new titles you can add to your child’s library!
Writing Letters or Making Postcards
Is there someone your kids are really missing? Is there someone they just want to send a little extra love and support to? Write them a letter and tell them so! You could even break out the craft supplies— paper, markers, glitter glue— and make some cards together! Maybe you don’t want to make your own from scratch, but you don’t want to spend money on fancy postcard? You could print out some of these “Let’s Go Luna!” Postcards, personalize them, and send them too!
Craft a Friendship Bracelet
Since you already have the craft supplies out, you may as well send something special, like a friendship bracelet, along with your letter or postcard. There are lots of fun and easy ways to make friendship bracelets with your kids, but PBS has a DIY friendship cuff that you can make out of things you probably already have in the house— like old toilet paper rolls!
Making the Same Recipe Together
Parents will have to coordinate for this one! Have your kids and their friends choose a recipe and then make it together over video chat. Spending time in the kitchen is a fun and tasty way to keep in touch. Choose from one of PBS’s Kid-Friendly recipes and get cooking!
Learn To Get Along
Watching “Arthur” with your child offers many opportunities to talk about friendship since all of his adventures tend to involve his friends. Watch with your kids, and afterwards, discuss what happened in the story. For more information on how do to this and some other great tips, read “Getting Along: How ARTHUR Can Help Your Child Manage Friendships.”
Hopefully soon we will be with our friends again, but for now, celebrate National Best Friends Day the best way you can, and keep staying safe and healthy!
For more activities and information, visit https://www.pbs.org/parents.
