What is a friendship group?
Small groups are developed based on need. An example might be that a student feels that s/he doesnt have any friends. This causes anxiety and the student may be unable to concentrate on schoolwork. By developing a group for the student, a sense of belonging begins to exist, less time is spent worrying about having no friends, and s/he can attend to schoolwork. Typically, a friendship group will have four members and meet for one half hour a week for four weeks. The classroom teacher and counselor will work together to choose a time that fits into both schedules. The students work on skills in how to meet new friends, cooperation, communication, and problem solving. Some students ask to be in a friendship group because they want to improve their communication skills and cooperative behavior and the group is a nice place to practice. Friendship groups are taken from kindergarten to grade 3. For the students in fourth and fifth grade, time is provided during lunch and recess for informal
