Making
lesson 10:
seasons of a friendship Overview
Lesson Summary
In this lesson, students understand the different seasons of a friendship as a whole concept, before they learn about each individual season in later lessons. They practice identifying which situations match each “friendship season” (Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter) and then have the opportunity to create a role play to deepen their understanding.
Purpose & Process
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is for students to understand the different seasons they may experience in their friendships, learning that it is normal for friendships to grow and change.
Process
Time Needed: 25-30 minutes.
Activity: Mini Whiteboard Thoughts (5 mins)
Intro: Seasons of a Friendship (5 mins)
Activity: Which Season? (10 mins)
Activity: Seasons of a Friendship Role play (10 mins)
Debrief and Reflection (5 mins)
Materials & downloads
For this lesson, you will need the following:
Mini Whiteboards and pens
Optional: Student workbook / notebook
Activity: Mini-whiteboard thoughts (5 mins)
This activity gets students thinking about the four seasons and how they are different.
How it works:
Students will need mini-whiteboards or a notepad for this activity.
Write each season on the board or show them a picture for each season.
Ask the students to think of words or feelings to represent the season or to write down what happens in nature for the season.
Students then have 30 seconds to write down the words or feelings that represent each season.
E.g: Students might write “Cold, dark, gloomy, hibernate, trees have no leaves” for winter.
After 30 seconds, students hold up their mini-whiteboards to share their ideas. If the students are writing their ideas on a notepad, ask for 4-5 answers from the class.
Repeat this for each season.
Debrief:
Every year, we experience the 4 different seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. These seasons are natural and are needed to keep the Earth in balance - plants and animals need time to grow, mature, harvest and rest.
intro (10 mins)
Just like nature experiences these cycles, our friendships can also experience seasons. Experiencing each season is natural and helps us to appreciate the different stages of our lives and friendships. Each season has a purpose, and by showing kindness, respect, and understanding our friendships can stay healthy no matter what season you’re in.
Explain the concept of friendship seasons:
Spring: This is where we put the work in to grow the friendship and get to know the other person. It can feel like our friendship is getting stronger.
Summer: This is where we have a strong connection with our friend. We want to spend lots of time with them and have fun and enjoy the good times.
Autumn: This is when we start to notice small changes in our friendship. The friendship is still there but it might start to look different. You might notice our differences, such as having different interests and you might have small disagreements. It can start to feel like there is tension.
Winter: This is when the friendship starts to feel quieter. Sometimes you might grow apart from your friend, they may need a break, or move away. It doesn’t mean the friendship is gone forever, it may just be paused - a bit like how plants wait for spring to come around again.
Activity: Which season? (5-10 mins)
Assign each wall in the classroom to a different season.
The teacher will read out a variety of different statements and the students need to walk to the season they think best matches the statement.
Encourage students to explain their reasoning, based on what they have learned so far about the different seasons of a friendship.
Example Scenarios:
You and a classmate discover you both love mystery books and decide to visit the school library together every week.
Your friend plans a secret card and cupcake for your birthday and you feel really special.
Your friend starts hanging out with a different group of people at lunch, and you only see each other after school.
Your best friend’s family moves to another suburb, so you now chat by video call instead of meeting after school.
In PE, you and a friend both want to be the team captain and have an argument, but later you apologise and share the role.
Your friend is away at a sports tournament for two weeks and you don’t talk much during that time.
You and a friend sign up for a painting class and can’t wait to show each other your art.
A friend from your old neighbourhood visits and you pick up the friendship like no time has passed.
You realise you don’t talk as much with a friend from last year and mostly just say “Hi” if you pass each other in the corridor.
Teacher Answers
Spring: 1, 7 (new beginnings)
Summer: 2, 7, 8 (fun and closeness)
Autumn: 3, 5 (changes, small disagreements)
Winter: 4, 6, 9 (distance or pause)
Remind students there can be more than one “right” season as long as they can explain their choice. Encourage students to share their reasoning if two (or more) different seasons are chosen.
Debrief:
Friendships, just like plants and animals in nature, go through different seasons and that’s completely normal.
Sometimes we’re in Spring with a new friend, enjoying Summer joy and fun with another, or noticing Autumn changes with someone else. We can even be in Winter with one friend while still sharing Summer moments with another.
If a friendship is experiencing winter and feels quiet or distant, it doesn’t mean the friendship is over or that anyone in the friendship is “bad.” It simply means the friendship is having a break or feels different for a while. During Winter (or any season!), we can still be kind to the person by saying hello, smiling and respecting each other’s space.
Activity: Friendship Season Roleplay (10 mins)
Now we have a good understanding of the different friendship seasons, it’s time to bring these seasons to life!
Split the students into small groups (4-5) and assign each group a different friendship season.
Students will have 5 minutes to come up with a short 30 second role play to represent their season.
Encourage them to include feelings, dialogue, and a quick resolution if relevant.
After the 5 minutes is up, each group can perform their role play to the class.
If the students are not sure what to do for their role play, see some season prompts below:
Examples:
Spring: Two students are in the playground and discover they both love drawing.
Summer: At lunch time, two friends plan a weekend bike ride whilst sharing jokes and snacks.
Autumn: After school, two friends who usually hang out to play games disagree on which game to play.
Winter: One friend has moved away to a new town and school. They chat on a video call once a month.
Debrief:
All friendships experience different seasons and that is completely normal. There is something we can learn about how to be a good friend from each season. Experiencing the difficult or tricky times in our friendships, such as autumn and winter can help us to appreciate the great times with our friends, in spring and summer.
Lesson Debrief:
Every season has a purpose and being caring and respectful in all seasons helps friendships stay healthy. We grow and change as people as we learn more about ourselves and the world and it is important to know our friendships are also going to grow and change. No matter what season we are in with each of our friends we remember to be kind and respectful.
