There for me

Kōrero about our friends and who these people are - talk about how friends don’t always have to be classmates, they may be cool family members or people you know outside school, through sports team, church or your neighbourhood.

What sorts of things make a good friend?

Friends look out for us and make us feel good. They are safe. And they’re there for us.

When we have problems it can help to think about our ‘circle of friends’ and who might be the best person to go to.

Usingthis car template, or draw your own car (because that can be way cooler!) and work through the following steps and kōrero.

Use the car to kōrero about different types of friendships as a car metaphor e.g: Friends can be like... headlights because they're bright and illuminating and can help us find out way!

Continue to think about some of the ways our car is like our friends - they will have creative and imaginative ideas too. Here's some we thought of:

  • Engine or motor – maybe someone that’s motivating, or who you couldn’t do without.
  • Headlights – Someone bright and illuminating, who helps us find our way.
  • Boot – holds everything you throw at them and help you carry the load.
  • Petrol – gives you energy, fills you up, makes you feel good.
  • Glove Box – Someone you can tell anything, because they keep your personal stuff secret
  • Stereo – great entertainment and make you laugh.
  • Seat warmer (dream car!) – great occasionally and really comforting.
  • Spare tyre – handy in tricky situations, there to call on when you need them.
  • Seat belt – help us stay safe and bring us peace of mind.

If your child is enjoying this, you might continue the conversation with:

Does one friend need to cover every role? - Different people can be there for us in different ways.

Talk who they might go to if they:

  • needed to talk to someone about a worry
  • felt low and just need a good laugh
  • needed a training buddy to help them get fit for a new sport
  • wanted to go on a great adventure and needed to convince others to come along
  • needed help with something everyone else seemed to understand
  • felt unsure about how to manage a tricky situation.

Different friendships have different strengths.

We also love:

Discover Your Strenths

Being a First-Rate Mate