minding

lesson 12:

friendship compass

Lesson Summary

We have learnt so far about how we can make and build friendships. Now it is important for us to understand the different directions these friendships can go in. In this lesson, the “friendship compass” helps students to understand that safe and healthy friendships which are growing and developing - moving “North” - is the direction we want our friendships to be heading in. Students also understand that friendships can become unhealthy - or “South”, particularly if they frequently experience stressful or challenging situations. This lesson gives students an understanding of the different directions and actions they can take to keep their friendships healthy. 

Purpose

Purpose: This lesson helps students to understand the different directions their friendship can head in. “North” represents friendships that are growing and developing and feel healthy and safe. “South” represents friendships that are challenging and stressful and may become unhealthy and unsafe.

ProcesS

Time Needed: 30 - 35 minutes.

  1. Activity: Which direction? (5 mins)

  2. Intro (2 mins)

  3. Activity: Where am I heading? Part 1 (10-15mins)

  4. Activity: Where am I heading? Part 2 (10-15 mins)

  5. Optional Activity: Back to North (10-15 mins)

  6. Debrief and Reflection (5 mins)

Materials & downloads

For this lesson, you will need the following: 

Activity: which direction? - (5 mins)

  1. Tell students that there are four different directions they will move in.  forwards is “North”, backwards is “South”, left is “West” and right is “East”.

  2. Have students stand in the middle of the classroom space. 

  3. Explain to the students that when you call out a direction, they will move (jump or step) in that direction as quickly and as safely as they can.

  4. For the first rounds, call out the directions slowly so students get the hang of each direction. 

  • “North!” — students step or jump to North (forwards).

  • “South!” — move to South (backwards).

  • “East!” — move to East (left).

  • “West!” — move to West (right)

5. As students get the hang of it, add in different actions. Examples of actions that could be added include:

  • Jump to North

  • Skip to East

  • Tiptoe to South

  • Walk backwards to West

Debrief: 
Great job everyone! You now know how to find North, East, South, and West. Just like how we can move in different directions in that activity, our friendships can also move in different directions too! We’ll use these directions (North, East, South, and West) to help us explore something called our Friendship Compass.

intro (5 mins)

Teacher Tip: Please use the Friendship Compass Poster to support your explanation of the different directions a friendship can go in. 

A regular compass shows us which way is north and which direction we are heading in, so we don’t get lost! A friendship compass helps us figure out the direction a friendship is heading.

There are 4 different directions a Friendship Compass can show us:

  • North stands for happy, healthy relationships. This is where being around our friends feels fun and happy. We experience kindness and respect and our friendships are growing and developing.

  • If our compass is pointing south, this means that friendships are stressful and challenging and if nothing changes they may become unhealthy or even unsafe. The behaviour we experience in this friendship may feel unfriendly, unkind, or even hurtful.

  • Between North and South we have East and West. These friendships are in between growing and developing and stressful and challenging. We may experience short term disagreements which may point our compass away from the North.

Just like we use a compass to stay on course when we are trying to follow a path, we can use a friendship compass to notice what’s going well and what needs attention in our friendships.

Activity: Where am I heading? Part 1 (10 mins)

  1. Give each student a blank compass (or Compass Rose) template and a pointer arrow. They can shade the area with a colour (e.g. green for North, yellow for East/West, red for South).

  2. Help them attach the pointer with a split pin so it spins.

  3. Give students time to colour in their compass. Encourage students to draw pictures or write key words that represent each direction. 

Activity: Where am I heading? Part 2 (10-15 mins)

  1. Read out the different scenarios below.

    Teacher Tip: Add or adjust the scenarios to best suit your students.

  2. Ask the students to move their pointer arrow to the direction they think the friendship is heading, based on the scenario. 

  3. Once all students have moved their pointers, ask the students to either hold up their compasses to show you, or ask for students to share the direction they chose and why. 

Scenarios:

  1. You save your friend a seat at lunch so you can sit together.

  2. Your friend promises to keep your secrets but often tells their other friends anyway.

  3. Two friends argue about a game but listen to each other and compromise.

  4. You are playing with a friend at lunch time and they accidentally push you over. They don’t check if you’re okay.

  5. Someone new invites you to join their group at recess.

  6. A friend only wants to play their favourite sport and never wants to play yours. 

  7. You and a friend haven’t talked all week because you were both busy, but you’re happy to see each other again.

  8. You tease your friend and say, “Can’t you take a joke?” when they get annoyed and ask you to stop.

  9. You accidentally hurt a friend’s feelings. You apologise and they forgive you.

  10. A friend sometimes shares their toys but also sometimes grabs yours to play with without asking.

Debrief:

It is important to understand that our friendships can change over time but we have choices. By noticing the direction our friendship is heading in, we can take positive steps to steer our friendships back to North.

Optional extra activity: bACK TO NORTH (10-15 mins):

Write the “South” scenarios from the handout onto the board.

As a class, discuss and decide what actions can be taken to allow the friendship to head north (growing, developing, healthy and safe).

Examples of appropriate actions include:

  • Being aware of our words and action and how they make our friends feel

  • Apologising if we have hurt our friends 

  • Choosing words and actions that are kind

  • Keeping the promises we make to our friends

Lesson Debrief:

It is important for us to understand that our friendships can move in different directions. Friendships can point North, where we experience happy, healthy connections or drift South toward challenges. By noticing how people treat each other and how the friendship feels we can use the friendship compass to identify the direction of a friendship. Positive actions, like listening, apologising, and including others, can help guide friendships experiencing challenges back towards the North. We cannot control the other person in the friendship but we understand that our own choices and behaviours play an important role in building and maintaining kind, respectful relationships.

Thank you!!

for spending time building fitter friendships