Friendships and other healthy relationships give children a sense of belonging, build self-esteem, and develop social skills. Here are some recommended sites with advice and tips on how to support children to manage these.

Fill my Te Whare Tapa Whā

Te Whare Tapa Whā, a well known visual model of hauora and overall wellbeing, provides a great way to think about the many things we can do to contribute to our wellbeing. This video from All Right? demonstrates how to create a personal Te Whare Tapa Whā with wellbeing ideas and activities that support our own hauora, including those that relate to the relationships in our lives. [video, 3:30 minutes]

Being a first rate mate

We all need people that care about us, and friendships are very important, especially for children. Sparklers has great ideas to help family/whānau talk with their children about friendships and get them thinking about being a good friend.

There for me

Everyone needs friends who look out for them and help them feel valued and safe. When we have problems it can help to think about our "circle of friends" and who might be the best person to go to. Sparklers has used a model of a car to help family/whānau to talk with tamariki about friends, and to illustrate how different friends can support us in different ways.

Soothing sibling squabbles

Managing sibling squabbles can be tricky, and often parents end up feeling like referees. The Parenting Place suggests that rather than blaming, solving, or fixing the squabble, a helpful approach is to just acknowledge what’s happened and how each sibling is feeling.

How to support school-age friendships

Friendships give kids a sense of belonging, build self-esteem, and develop social skills. Raising Children Network has tips for family/whānau on how to support friendships and what to do when friendship troubles arise.

Friends and friendships: 10 frequently asked questions (suitable for 5 to 8 years)

Learning how to make and keep friends is an important part of growing up for children. Having friends is good for building confidence, wellbeing, and social skills. Raising Children Network has answers to 10 frequently asked questions about children’s friendships.