Levels of Friendship
This level in the friendship pyramid is when someone sees you in line at the grocery store with your mom, and says you have a cute outfit on!
Friendly Stranger
Lucy has been in your class for two years. You only talk to her at school. She is nice when you talk to her, but it isn't that often. What level of friendship is this?
Acquaintance
You hear someone sneeze in class, and you make a sneezing noise to try and be funny.
Unexpected
Someone in your class is being rude to your teacher. They say, "isn't Miss. Ellen so annoying?!" Should you ignore them, or should you join in?
Ignore them and focus on your work
At the Farmers Market another kid is wearing the same shirt as you. She says, "I love your shirt!" and you both laugh. You don't see her ever again but you shared a quick laugh.
Friendly Stranger
You love to go to the park after school, and sometimes you see the same people there. There is a family with a little girl named Nyla, and every week you see her and she gets excited. You help her to go on the swings, because she is only 3. You only see Nyla and her family at the park.
Acquaintances
Your teacher has you work with partners. You don't really like the person she assigned you to work with, because they get too silly. They can also be really annoying. You roll your eyes and say outloud, "UGH, I HAVE TO WORK WITH HIM?!"
A kid from another class walks over to you at recess and tells you that they have an extra lollipop from Halloween. They reach into their pocket and offer it to you. What should you do?
Say, "No thanks." I know not to take candy from anyone who isn't a trusted adult or with my mom or dads permission.
You are sitting in the waiting room waiting for your therapy appointment. The same girl and her mom are there each week when you are. You eventually talk to her, and even play Uno with her sometimes. You know her name, but nothing else about her. You see her when you are waiting for therapy, but that's it.
Acquaintance
You get invited to Katie's birthday party! You are excited, because you guys play together at recess almost everyday. Even though she's never been over to your house, you have a lot of fun together at school, and sometimes even at the park near your house.
Bonded/Regular Friend
Your classmate keeps bothering you during a silent work time. You've tried to deal with it on your own, and have told them to stop repeatedly. You have also ignored them and tried to focus on your work but it isn't working. After trying for 10 minutes, you quietly go to your teacher and let them know what is going on.
Expected
A classmate brings a food for lunch that you've never seen before. It doesn't really look like something you would like to eat, and it looks a little strange. You want to know what it is, but don't want to be rude.
You can nicely ask them about it. If you ask them about it, make sure you use words that make them feel comfortable. You will want to avoid words like "weird", "gross" or "disgusting" when you ask them.
In this level of friendship, you know a lot about each other. You know things like their favorite color or favorite sport, but you also know who they live with, and who is in their family. You even know their pets name because you've been to their house a bunch of times and met their pet!
Close friend
This is someone who you have known for a long time because she lives near your auntie. Whenever you visit your auntie, you see her. She has come to your auntie's house and your house. Sometimes on weekends you go to her house, or meet at the park. She has met your mom, dad, sister, grandma, and aunt. You know how old she is, what grade she is in, her favorite activities, and what she wants to be when she grows up. She is kind and respectful, and you love to spend time together!
Close Friend
A classmate of yours forgot to wear deodorant today, and doesn't seem to smell very good. Some girls in your class are calling them "Smelly Sarah" and say they won't sit near her at lunch. You like Sarah but you do notice she does not smell very good. You look at Sarah and see she is upset.
Stand up for Sarah and be a good role model! Speak up against bullies. Tell the other girls that if they have nothing nice to say about Sarah, they should not say anything.
While at the park another kid about your age comes over and asks you to play. While playing, they ask you where you live. When you tell them Norwich, they ask you about what your address is, and your moms phone number. What do you do?
You can say, "I don't feel comfortable sharing that." You can say, "no thanks." If they keep asking, go tell your mom or dad right away.
In this level of friendship, you've known eachother for a couple of months so far. You haven't been over to their house yet, but they meet you at other fun places like McDonalds, and the park. You also get to spend time with them at school, and really like playing with them. They are kind to you, and you often pick eachother to play with.
Bonded/Regular Friend
Possible Friend
Expected
Your classmate Shawn seems upset, so you go over to him. When you ask what's wrong he shows you a big bruise on his leg. You ask him what happened and he says he was "being bad at home." He says that when he is bad at home, his parents smack him around. He tells you that it's a secret, and asks you not to tell anyone.
Tell a trusted adult at school like your teacher or the social worker. This is a grown up problem and you need a trusted adult.