Friendship
Our Christian value this half term is Friendship. We hope you
enjoy sharing this newsletter at home with your children.
Friendship includes trust, feeling comfortable in each other’s company, sharing times of joy and sadness
and wanting the best for each other. God wants friendship with us. Every single person is precious in his
sight and he wants us to share our lives with him as our friend.
The Story of God and Abraham
Abram and his wife Sarai lived in the land of Haran, where they were farmers with many sheep and goats.
God called Abram one day and told him to leave his home and go to a new land promised to him and his
family. God would bless Abram and his family would become great and bless all the peoples of the world.
What an amazing promise! It was a scary thing to do though. Abram had to trust God as his friend and
pack everything up and encourage all his family to leave with him, including his nephew Lot. He did it
though and his family settled in Canaan, many miles away.
Years went by: Abram and God talked often and Abram always counted
on God as his friend. When Abram was 99 and Sarai was 90, God told
him that they would have a son. Abram was amazed! Surely he and
Sarai were far too old to have children! Once again, Abram trusted God
– if God said they would have a child, then it must be true. Nothing was
too much for God to give his friend!
Abram and God did not always agree on things. Because they were such good friends, Abram could talk
openly with God and speak his mind on things. And because they were such good friends, God always
listened to what Abram had to say and acted on it when he knew that Abram was right.
Because of the great friendship between Abram and God, God made a covenant with Abram. A covenant
is an extra special bond of friendship. God promised that he would love and care for Abram and his people
forever more, and Abram promised that he and his people would love and care for God. As a sign of this
new special friendship their names would be changed to Abraham and Sarah.
(Based on Genesis 11-21)
“Close friends are truly life's treasures. Sometimes they know us better than we know
ourselves. With gentle honesty, they are there to guide and support us, to share our laughter
and our tears. Their presence reminds us that we are never really alone.” - Vincent van Gogh
Dear God, thank you for my friends. Help me to be a good friend to them too. Amen
Being a good friend:
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Spending time together.
Sharing ideas and treats.
Having fun.
Respecting each other's differences.
Loyalty, sticking up for each other.
Caring for each other's safety and wellbeing.
Both of you working on the skills to keep your friendship going.
Remember: Good friends can play with other people sometimes
and still be friends
Friendship troubles?
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If you have an argument with a friend, have a think about why it happened. If it was your fault, say
sorry to them. It might help you to become friends again and if not, at least you will know that you
tried.
Always be honest with your friends, but in a nice way. If they ask you to do something that you
know is wrong, don't do it! It's okay to say no!
If you find it difficult to make friends at school, try your best not to worry. Tell a teacher and they
can help you get more involved in school activities.
If you are being bullied, it is really important that you speak to someone. Tell an adult what is
happening as soon as possible. You will feel much better and they will be able to help you too!
Make a friendship bracelet
Friendship Challenge
You and your parents could
make friends with an older
neighbour. They might need
some help with everyday
things like walking a dog or
doing some shopping or helping in the garden.
Most of all they might like to see you and have
a chat!
Friendship is one of the first things we
learn about! Babies as young as six months old
recognise that friends tend to have similar interests.
Even before they can talk, it seems that babies still
look out for friends. Animals make friends too! Studies show that animals
like chimpanzees, horses, elephants, bats and dolphins all have friendships. Are pets in your home
friends?