Sparkplug’s

7 Tried-and-True Tricks for Making Friends

TRICK #1: Use your manners.

Good manners are never just about being fancy. Good manners are always about being considerate or putting other people first. It shows people that we care when we do things like hold a door open or send a thank-you note. Even table manners—not smacking our food and remembering to put our napkins in our laps—show love to the people around us.

TRICK #2: Settle down. Remember, it’s going to be OK.

Starting a new school or moving to a new neighborhood can be scary. We worry that the kids won’t like us and that we’ll miss our old friends terribly. This is normal. Everyone worries about this (even the kids you think don’t!). But we can also let our imaginations get the best of us when we imagine the worst thing that could happen. What about imagining the best things? It takes time to make new friends, but we don’t have to worry. When we feel afraid, it helps to practice our settle: sit on the floor with a real pet or furry stuffed animal and breathe in and out while petting the animal. Remember, it’s all going to be OK.

TRICK #3: Be a good listener and share your heart.

Everybody needs someone to talk to. So one of the best ways to make good friends and to be a good friend is by being a good, trustworthy listener. When we want to make a good friend, we can ask questions and then listen carefully to the answers or the stories. Then we can also share things about ourselves. It can be scary! But by sharing funny or sad or embarrassing stories from our own lives, we help make new friends feel comfortable being themselves around us.

TRICK #4: Make ‘em laugh!

Todd and Mary became friends because they were able to laugh together. There’s nothing quite like sharing a joke or a funny story or giggling that brings friends together. The library is full of great joke books for those of us who need a little silly inspiration.

TRICK #5: Trust somebody.

We all worry that other people are going to hurt our feelings. And know what? It does happen to all of us! No one goes through life without getting their feelings hurt. Sometimes our feelings get hurt because we have to move. Other times, kids say or do something mean. But just like Custard had to trust Sparky, we have to trust other people once in a while. This means when someone tries to reach out to us, we can reach back.

TRICK #6: Be yourself!

It’s easy to try to make friends by changing who we are and pretending to be someone we aren’t or to like something we don’t. Be willing to be you! Be weird if you’re weird. Be funny if you’re funny. Be creative if you’re creative. Be smart if you’re smart. Be athletic if you’re athletic. Be brave if you’re brave. Be all those things and more if it means being yourself.

TRICK #7: Go on adventures and create memories together!

We don’t need to go on a safari or discover new worlds to go on adventures. Adventures are all around—even right on the playground. But one of the best ways to make friends is to have fun—play, pretend, explore, and make a million memories.