International Day of Friendship 2024
The United Nations proclaimed the International Day of Friendship in 2011. The idea of the Day is that friendship between people, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities. The UN was looking to involve young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for diversity.
The 2024 Day will take place on 30th July.
We will mark the Day in the Nurseries by discussing what friendship means and talking about the skills we need to be a good friend:
Take turns and share – it is very important for children to learn the importance of taking turns and sharing.
Read emotions – understanding when somebody is happy, sad, angry is essential so children can learn how to empathise. Empathising demonstrates that the child can appreciate how their friend feels – they can’t necessarily fix the situation but they can validate how their friend is feeling.
Control upset and aggression – it’s important for children to understand that it is natural to feel angry, hurt of jealous, but they need to understand how to deal with these feelings, so they do not strike out at the person who has upset them or anyone around them.
How to apologise – children need to learn that we all make mistakes and say things which we shouldn’t have. However, it is important to admit to their mistakes and apologise when they have upset someone.
