Friendship

Good friends provide us with support from childhood through adulthood. It takes practice to learn how to be a good friend – practice at being kind, supportive, trustworthy, and a good listener. Eight-year-olds care a lot about friendship and belonging. They’ve moved past the simple “playmate” stage of friendship and may begin to confide their thoughts and feelings to a “best friend” or small group of close friends. At this age, they are very sensitive to social rejection and may become jealous when their friends play with other people.