Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Friendship Advice for Kids (K-8)

Episode 8 – Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: On the edge of a friendship group?

Blake’s question is about what to do when friends get together without him. This event could mean nothing at all, or it could be a sign of problems in his friendships.

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://drfriendtastic.com/submit/ 

(Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For a TRANSCRIPT go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

- Have you ever felt left out of your group of friends? What happened? How did you handle it?

- What are some unhurtful reasons why kids might get together with some of their friends in a group but not all of them?

- Excluding just one kid from a group get-together is likely to hurt that kid’s feelings. If you like that kid, what are some ways you could help that kid feel less hurt? If you don’t like that kid, what are some kinder ways to handle that?

- Why do you think it’s not a good idea to yell at your friends if they get together without you?

- What are some fun ideas of things you could invite a group of friends to do with you?

Books mentioned in the podcast:

Growing Friendships: A Kids' Guide to making and Keeping Friends https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-friendships/

Growing Feelings: A Kids' Guide to Dealing with Emotions about Friends and Other Kids https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-feelings/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com

Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus posts for parents.

Connect with me on social media for more useful and entertaining content for parents:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drfriendtastic/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EileenKennedyMoore

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drfriendtastic

Ep. 7 – Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Choosing how to respond to a frustrating friend.

Emma asks what to do when a friend is a poor sport and can’t handle being “it” in a game of tag.

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://drfriendtastic.com/submit/ 

(Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For a TRANSCRIPT go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

- Why do you think kids sometimes have trouble handling winning and losing? What have you found useful to comfort yourself when you lose a game?

- Have you ever had the experience of being the “worst” player in a game? How did you feel? What did you do?

- Do you have a friend who has a habit you find annoying? How have you handled that?

- Has anyone ever told you that something you do is annoying or frustrating? What happened? How did you respond?

- Why do you think a one-on-one conversation about a problem is likely to go better than a whole group confronting someone about what they’re doing wrong?

Books mentioned in the podcast:Growing Friendships: A Kids' Guide to making and Keeping Friends https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-friendships/Growing Feelings: A Kids' Guide to Dealing with Emotions about Friends and Other Kids https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-feelings/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com

Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus posts for parents.

Connect with me on social media for more useful and entertaining content for parents:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drfriendtastic/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EileenKennedyMooreTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drfriendtastic

Episode 6 – Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Empathy blind spots.

Jayden wonders why kids bully other kids.

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://drfriendtastic.com/submit/ 

(Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For a TRANSCRIPT go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

- Have you ever been bullied or seen someone get bullied? Has anyone ever accused you of bullying them? What happened?

- There are lots of different kinds of bullying: physical (such as hitting or kicking), verbal (such as yelling at someone or calling them mean names), relational (such as excluding someone or spreading rumors about them), and cyberbullying (putting mean comments or photos online). Which do you things is worst and why?

- Why do you think kids often don’t speak up when they see bullying? Why do they sometimes not want to tell an adult about bullying?

- Sometimes friends get mad at each other and say or do mean things. Do you think that’s bullying? How can you tell the difference between an argument and bullying?

- Does your school do anything to try to stop bullying? Do you think those efforts are helpful? Why or why not?

Books mentioned in the podcast:Growing Friendships: A Kids' Guide to making and Keeping Friends https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-friendships/Growing Feelings: A Kids' Guide to Dealing with Emotions about Friends and Other Kids https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-feelings/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com

Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus posts for parents.

Connect with me on social media for more useful and entertaining content for parents:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drfriendtastic/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EileenKennedyMooreTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drfriendtastic

Ep. 5, Kids Ask Dr Friendtastic: Watch out for shoulds.

Edith wants to know how to handle things when a friend doesn’t do what she wants.

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://drfriendtastic.com/submit/ 

(Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For a TRANSCRIPT go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

- What is the “danger of shoulds”? How can “shoulds” hurt a friendship?

- Can you think of a time when a friend did something you didn’t like, but you were able to accept it and move on? Why is that a useful thing to be able to do?

- Have you ever had a friend get mad at you because you did something they didn’t like? How did you and your friend handle it?

- Sometimes it’s important just to accept it when a friend doesn’t do what we want, and sometimes it’s important to talk to the friend about what happened and explain what you want from now on and why it matters to you. How can you tell when to accept and when to speak up?

Books mentioned in the podcast:Growing Friendships: A Kids' Guide to making and Keeping Friends https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-friendships/Growing Feelings: A Kids' Guide to Dealing with Emotions about Friends and Other Kids https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-feelings/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com

Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus posts for parents.

Connect with me on social media for more useful and entertaining content for parents:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drfriendtastic/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EileenKennedyMooreTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drfriendtastic

Ep. 4 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Dealing with a friendship threesome.

It is hard to make everyone happy in a friendship group of three, so Thomas wonders what he can do.

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://drfriendtastic.com/submit/ 

(Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For a TRANSCRIPT go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

- Why do you think it might be easier to have a group of four friends rather than three friends?

- Have you ever felt left out of a small group? How did you handle it?

- If you thought two of your friends were excluding you, you’d probably feel hurt and angry. You might be tempted to yell at your friends and call them mean. Why is that not a smart or kind thing to do? How would your friends be likely to respond if you did that?

- Which do you like best: getting together with just one friend or a group of friends? Why?

Books mentioned in the podcast:

Growing Friendships: A Kids' Guide to making and Keeping Friends https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-friendships/Growing Feelings: A Kids' Guide to Dealing with Emotions about Friends and Other Kids https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-feelings/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com

Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus posts for parents.

Connect with me on social media for more useful and entertaining content for parents:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drfriendtastic/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EileenKennedyMooreTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drfriendtastic

Ep. 3 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Be curious about what others think or want.

Noelle wonders what she should do when another kid keeps interrupting her game.

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://drfriendtastic.com/submit/ 

(Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For a TRANSCRIPT go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

- Why is it usually important to try to get along with people, even if you don’t like them?

- Some kids think it’s funny if other kids get mad and yell at them. What do you think is the best way to deal with these kids?

- Trying to annoy kids is not a good way to join a game. What’s a friendlier way to join in?

- How do you decide when to go to a teacher or other adult about a problem with another kid and when to try to handle it yourself?

Books mentioned in the podcast:Growing Friendships: A Kids' Guide to making and Keeping Friends https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-friendships/Growing Feelings: A Kids' Guide to Dealing with Emotions about Friends and Other Kids https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-feelings/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com

Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus posts for parents.

Connect with me on social media for more useful and entertaining content for parents:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drfriendtastic/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EileenKennedyMooreTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drfriendtastic

Ep. 2 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: What does it mean to be a good friend?

Brayden wants to be a best friend to his little brother and wonders how he can make that happen.

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://drfriendtastic.com/submit/ 

(Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For a TRANSCRIPT go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

- Why do you think it’s sometimes hard for brothers and sisters to get along?

- Do you think it’s easier to be an oldest, middle, or youngest sibling? (“Sibling” means brother or sister.) Why?

- If you have a brother or sister, what fun things do you like to do together?

- Do you have a close friendship with someone who isn’t a sibling but feels like a brother or sister (maybe a cousin or friend)? What makes that relationship so close?

Books mentioned in the podcast:Growing Friendships: A Kids' Guide to making and Keeping Friends https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-friendships/Growing Feelings: A Kids' Guide to Dealing with Emotions about Friends and Other Kids https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-feelings/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com

Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus posts for parents.

Connect with me on social media for more useful and entertaining content for parents:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drfriendtastic/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EileenKennedyMooreTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drfriendtastic

Ep. 1 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Different points of view.

Naomi wonders how something small could end a friendship.

Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://drfriendtastic.com/submit/ 

(Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

For a TRANSCRIPT go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

- Why do you think kids sometimes say, "I don't want to be your friend anymore!"?

- What can you do if a friend is mad at you?

- How do you handle it when you feel mad at a friend?

- Why is it sometimes hard for kids to apologize (say they're sorry)? Have you ever apologized to a friend?

- Have you ever made up with a friend after an argument? How did you do that? What are some good ways to make up with a friend?

Books mentioned in the podcast:

Growing Friendships: A Kids' Guide to making and Keeping Friends https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-friendships/

Growing Feelings: A Kids' Guide to Dealing with Emotions about Friends and Other Kids https://eileenkennedymoore.com/child-development-books/growing-feelings/

Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com

Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus posts for parents.

Connect with me on social media for more useful and entertaining content for parents:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drfriendtastic/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EileenKennedyMoore

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drfriendtastic