Changing and ending friendships
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why friendships might change, describe how to end them kindly and how to manage the feelings that endings may bring.
Key learning points
- Friendships can naturally change or end over time and this is a normal part of life.
- Ending a friendship kindly involves clear, respectful communication – avoiding gossip or hurtful behaviour.
- Friendship endings can bring strong emotions, but these feelings are temporary and can be managed in healthy ways.
- Resolution is important – resolving disagreements calmly or agreeing to move on can help prevent long-term conflict.
- Support networks matter – talking to trusted adults can help manage feelings when friendships change.
Keywords
Disagreement - when two or more people have different ideas or opinions about something
Resolve - to find a way to fix a problem
Support network - the group of people you can trust and go to when you need help, advice or encouragement
Common misconception
If a friendship ends, it means someone has always done something wrong or is a bad friend.
Not all friendship endings happen because someone has done something wrong. Friendships can change naturally as people grow and develop new interests. Ending a friendship kindly can be a healthy decision for both people.
Teacher tip
Ensure you take time to establish the ground rules for this lesson. It is important pupils do not refer to other people in their class. This prevents discomfort or real-life conflict being brought into the classroom.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the word to the definition.
an agreement where all people are happy
a relationship between friends, built on trust and care
to fix something
Q2.What traits might a strong friendship have?
Q3.How might a friendship get damaged?
Q4.How can we repair a damaged friendship?
Q5.Sometimes we need to walk away from friendships.
Q6.Which of the following can make maintaining friendships hard?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the word to the definition.
when two or more people have different ideas or opinions
to find a way to fix a problem
the group of people you can trust and go to when you need help
Q2.Which statements are true?
Q3.How can we end a friendship kindly?
Q4.Disagreements don’t always mean a friendship has to ...
Q5.How might someone feel when a friendship ends?
Q6.What strategies can we use to help us manage our feelings when a friendship ends?
To help you plan your 5 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Changing and ending friendships, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Changing and ending friendships, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 RSHE (PSHE) lessons from the Healthy relationships: How can I be a great friend? unit, dive into the full primary RSHE (PSHE) curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.