FHE: Choosing Good Friends

Review:
What is a good friend?  What have you done this week to be a better friend?

Scripture Story:
Why is it important to choose good friends?

Review the story of Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah.  (Gospel Art Kit 321, Mosiah 27)
Then review the story of Daniel and his friends who refused to eat the king's meat. (Gospel Art Kit 114, Daniel 1)

Compare the two stories and discuss how the friends that we choose can influence us for bad or good.

Discussion:
When we surround ourselves with good people who will set good examples for us and help us make good decisions, it is easier to choose the right.  Remember that if we want to have good friends, we have to be good friends.

What are some things you would want in a good friend?

Activity:
Coloring: what makes a good friend.  Using an outline of a person, create a good friend while talking about attributes you would want in a friend/how you can be a good friend.  (Here's the link to the outline we used.)
http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/what-i-look-like-coloring-page/

Make slips of paper with the following body parts written on them.  Draw slips out of a bowl and draw or color that part while talking about what makes a good friend.

Draw eyes: good friends look for the good in others, have a positive outlook
Draw mouth: speak kindly, don't gossip or use bad language
Draw ears: listen
Draw hair (for head): thoughts and actions are clean and pure
Color shirt (heart): show love towards others
Color arms: serve others
Color pants: quick to run from evil and temptations
Color shoes: stand for truth, stand up for what they believe in

Testimony:
-importance of choosing good friends who will help you choose the right
-you can be a good influence, set a good example for others by being a good friend

Additional Activity:
Complete the scripture code activity to reveal some of the qualities of true friends.
http://lds.org/friend/2009/05/what-kind-of-friend-are-you?lang=eng

FHE: Being Good Friends

Discussion:
What does it mean to be a good friend?  What do you like about your friends?  What makes you want to be around them?

"Friendship is a loving relationship between two people. Friends respect each other, care about each other, remain true to each other, and overlook and forgive each other’s faults."  (Family Home Evening Resource Book, p. 187)

True friends will support you even if they don't share the same beliefs.  They won't try to persuade you to do something wrong.

Discuss the secret of friendship: that if we want to have good friends, we first have to be a good friend.

Scripture Story:Use these flannel board pictures to review the story of the Good Samaritan.

http://lds.org/friend/1999/05/the-good-samaritan?lang=eng

What did he do that made him a good friend?  (compassion, willing to help someone even when it wasn't easy, cared more about others than self, etc.)

Game: Fishing for Friends
List on slips of paper ways to make and keep friends and ways not to make and keep friends.
(See #2 under Friendship, Family Home Evening Resource Book, p.188)
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=4321a41f6cc20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=198bf4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD

Attach each slip to a paper fish with a paper clip.  Make a simple fishing pole by tying a magnet to some string and attaching it to a dowel.  Take turns "fishing for friends".  With each fish caught, read the slip of paper and decide if this is a good way to make friends or not and put the fish in the correct pile.

Application:

Give everyone a copy of this quiz from the May 2009 Friend.

http://lds.org/friend/2009/05/what-kind-of-friend-are-you?lang=eng

Tally points (individually) and discuss ways to improve and be better friends. 
Set goals to work on over the next week.

Testimony:

-importance of being good friends and following the example of our Savior
-challenge to be a good friend at home, school, church, etc.