Age Group: 3-5

# of Students: Minimum of 8 students, but more are welcome

Overview
Students will practice friendship by helping to un-tag their friends with a hug!

Materials
Open space

Duration: 10 minutes (or longer if they’re having fun!)

Instructions
1. Gather students in an open space.
2. Explain the game. Instructor: “We are going to play friendship tag. I will choose someone to be ‘it.’ When I say go, ‘it’ will try and tag as many people as possible. Once you are tagged, you are frozen and must stand still. To get untagged, someone who is still playing will have to come and hug you for 5 seconds! You must count to 5, out loud, together. Then you are both back in the game until you are tagged again. The game stops once everyone is tagged and only ‘it’ is left, or when everyone needs a break. The game can go as long as you like and you can switch out ‘its’ in between rounds.”
3. Questions?
4. Begin game.

Reflection Questions:
1. Did you make a new friend while playing this game?
2. Why is it important that you unfroze everyone and not just certain people?
3. How did you feel when you were frozen and your friend unfroze you?

Age Group: PreK-5

# of Students: Min- 5, Max- the more the merrier!

Overview
Students will learn the value of friendship, connection, and support by forming a web of yarn.

Materials
Open space, ball of yarn or string

Duration
5-10 minutes 

Instructions
1. Gather students to sit in a large circle.
2. Explain the game.

• Instructor: “We are going to discuss the value of friendship and find a way we are all connected. I will begin. While I hold onto part of the yarn, I will throw the rest of the ball of yarn to a person across from me and say how that person is a good friend. They will then hold onto their piece of yarn and pass the ball to someone across from them and say how that student is a good friend. This will continue until everyone has had a turn and the yarn comes back to me. We will have made a web of connections.
• For example, Dominic is a good friend because he hugs me when I am sad. Now Dominic will hold his piece and throw it to another classmate.”

3.Questions?
4. Begin game.

Note: Each person should only be chosen once.

Optional Variation: See if you can untangle yourselves after you finish one web.

Reflection Questions:
1. Was it hard to decide on a friend to send your yarn?
2. Why is it important to remind your friends why they are a good friend?
3. How did you feel when your friend told you why they consider you a good friend?

Age Group: Pre-K-5

# of Students: Minimum of 6, but more are welcome

Overview
Students will learn the values of friendship and cooperation in this playful variation on an old childhood game.

Materials
Open space

Duration
10-15 minutes (or longer with repeated games)

Instructions
1. Gather students in an open space and split them into teams.
2. Teams line up in straight lines, facing each other, on opposite sides of the room. The teams need to hold hands.
3. Explain the game.
Instructor: “We are going to play a safe and fun version of ‘Red Rover’- the friendship edition. The goal is to switch teams and make new friends! One team (team A) will begin and chant together while holding and swinging hands, ‘Red Rover, Red Rover, send (child’s name on the opposite team) on over.’ The chosen student will let go of their team (B) and run across to the other side, (team A).”
“Instead of trying to break through linked arms, the chosen student will choose someone on Team A to replace. The student they choose to replace on Team A, will run across and join the other team, team B.”
“Then the game begins again starting with Team B chanting, ‘Red Rover, Red Rover, send (child’s name from Team A) on over.’ The chosen student will let go of their team (A) and run across to the other side (to team B). Repeat until everyone has switched sides and has a new team!”
4. Play one practice round.
5. Check for questions.
6. Begin game!

Reflection Questions:
1. How did you decide on which name to call?
2. Why is it important to call on different people rather than the same person each time?
3. How well did your team work together?
4. Was there any challenge on deciding which name to call? If so, how was this solved?

Age Group: PreK-5

TEKS: Health 1.9(A); 2.10(A); 3.9(D)

Physical Education K.7(A); 4.7(A); 5.7(A)

# of Students: Min- 2, Max- the more the merrier!

Overview
Blindfold Maze is a game of communication and trust between partners where students must “blindly” trust the instructions that their partners give. Being a good friend means being honest and trustworthy, skills we will practice in this game.

Materials 
Blindfolds (enough for each pair of students); pre-arranged obstacle course (using what is available in the room)

Duration
30 minutes 

Instructions
1. Place participants in pairs. If you have more than 16 students, split the group in two and switch halfway through the activity. The group that is not playing the game should remain quiet.
2. Blindfold one student in each pair. The other student will be the leader who will give instructions to their blindfolded partner.
3. When ready, the leader will guide their partner through the obstacle course. The leader must quietly provide instructions to their partner such as, “Turn left, walk two steps forward,” etc.*
4. The round is complete when the last person has made their way through the course.
5. The groups can switch leaders and blindfolded participants once they have made it through the course successfully.
6. If you have a group of more than 16 students, have the first group watch and allow the second group to go.

Note: In Round 1, the leader can both talk and lead their blindfolded partner by the hand. In Round 2 (Grades 3-5), the leader can only provide verbal instructions and may not touch their blindfolded partner.

Reflection Questions
1. How did it feel when you were unable to see where you were headed?
2. Was the voice that was guiding you through the obstacle comforting or scary?
3. As the leader what worked best? What about as an observer?
4. How is this game like a friendship?

Age Group: Pre-K-5 (Note: The original version is appropriate for Pre-K - 2; use a challenging variation for 3-5.)

# of Students: Minimum of 6 students, but more are welcome

Overview
Students will learn about the value of friendship and the power and kindness behind a compliment. There is a variation for more high energy and challenge.

Materials
Open space

Duration
10 minutes (or longer with repeated games)

Instructions (Original Version)
1. Gather students to sit in a large circle.
2. Discuss what a genuine compliment sounds and feels like. “I like your shoes,” is a compliment, but “You tell really funny stories and it makes me laugh and feel good” is more meaningful.
3. Explain the game.
Instructor: “We are going to learn about the value of friendship and the power of compliments. We will start sitting in a circle and I will begin. I will turn to the person to my left and give them a genuine compliment. They will say ‘thank you,’ and turn to the next person on their left and give them a compliment. They will say ‘thank you,’ and this will continue all the way around the circle until it comes back to me.”
4. Check for questions.
5. Begin game.

Instructions (Variation)
For older students and higher energy, play a relay race version.
1. Split students into two teams. They will all start at one side of the room at the starting line.
2. One student from each team will run at one time. The first student from each team will run to the other side of the room, the finish line.
3. Once student #1 is in place, student #2 from each team will run to meet student #1.
4. Student #2 must give a genuine compliment to student #1 from their team. An instructor must be at that side of the room to make sure that the compliment is meaningful. If it is surface-level or not specific, the student should run back to their team and then try again.
5. If the compliment is thoughtful, then student #3 will run across the room and compliment student #2.
6. This will continue until the last student runs across the room to the finish line.
7. To win and end the game, the original student (student #1) must run back to the start of the relay, touch the “starting line,” and run back to the finish line to compliment the last student.
8. Once the last compliment has been given, they must all sit down. The first team to sit down wins.

Reflection Questions:
1. How did it feel to receive a compliment?
2. How did you feel when it was your turn to give a compliment?
3. Was it harder to give a compliment than an observation? Why?
4. If you had to recreate your compliment, what did you change?

Age Group: Pre-K-5 

# of Students: Minimum of 8 students, but more are welcome. An even-numbered group of students is recommended.

Overview
Students will learn the value of friendship as they work closely in pairs to find ways they are alike.

Materials
Open space

Duration
10 minutes (or longer with repeated games)

Instructions 
1. Gather students in an open space. Ask them to find a partner who they don’t know well. (If numbers are not even, there may be one group of three.)
2. Explain the game.
Instructor: “We are going to make new friends. As you start in pairs, I will give you one minute to find four things that you and your partner have in common.”
“Once the time is up, one pair will join another pair. The four of you will get another minute to decide what is similar between all of you. After time is up, the group of four will join with another group of four and will have one minute to decide what is similar about all eight of you. After time is up, the group of eight will join with another group of eight and we’ll repeat again! This will continue until everyone becomes one group.”
3. Check for questions.
4. Begin game.

Reflection Questions:
1. Did it become easier or harder to find similarities as the groups became bigger? Why?
2. How did it feel to finally find all four things with your partner? Your group?
3. How does it feel to know that this entire group all shares something similar?