Friends Forever: A Guide to Making & Keeping Friends for Kids: 20 Fun Exercises for Talking, Listening, Understanding, & Developing Social Skills

Friends Forever by Grace Manning is a rather engaging approach to friendship, with an exercise in each chapter to reinforce the action. The author has discovered ways to address some of the problems or interactions children have with one another and established resolutions. These problems include behaviors that impede the formation of solid friendships, such as being unkind, engaging in bullying, failing to listen, failing to understand others' feelings, failing to handle conflicts, being unloyal, not understanding social media, and not being resilient. The author guides them to become experts in kindness, communication, empathy, resolving disputes or disagreements, cultivating trust through loyalty, and mastering social media. She has provided numerous additional ideas and activities to enhance children's social skills and safeguard their emotions. Grace Manning's familiarity with children's behavior is evident in the language, which offers timeless advice on how to make and maintain friends. It's a simple book with clear illustrations for children.

This is a book that should be read aloud with the entire family. Or if you can get just one of your children to read it, it's worth it. Really, what’s more important than being and having a good friend? I think the fact that this book is a voice coming from other than a parent or a teacher is really valuable. I can say to my kids, “Be Nice,” until I’m blue in the face, but when they hear it from the voice of this book it seems to make a real impact. (And it is said MUCH better.) This book also teaches the values of communication, active listening (called laser beam listening) practicing empathy, the art of compromising, and many other life skills. I want to give sincere thanks to the author for caring enough to help my kids build friendships forever.