Friendship Skills Worksheet | Grade 1-3 Printable

This Grade 1-3 social skills worksheet helps students identify and articulate the qualities of a good friend. By contrasting positive actions with negative behaviors, learners develop a concrete understanding of social expectations and interpersonal relationships. This activity encourages self-reflection and empathy, providing a structured framework for students to express their thoughts on healthy social interactions.

At a Glance

• Grade: 1-3 · Subject: Social Skills
• Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8 — Recall information from experiences to answer questions about friendship
• Skill Focus: Social-emotional behavior
• Format: 1 page · 11 problems · Answer key not applicable · PDF
• Best For: SEL lessons and morning meetings
• Time: 15–20 minutes

This single-page PDF features a clean layout designed for young learners. It contains two primary list-making sections where students generate five examples of what a friend would do and five examples of what a friend would never do. The worksheet concludes with a significant open-ended reflection question that asks students to identify their own strengths as a friend, promoting positive self-image and personal accountability.

The zero-prep design allows for immediate implementation in any classroom setting. Teachers can print the document in less than 30 seconds. Distribution takes approximately one minute during a transition period. Reviewing student responses can be done individually or as a whole-class discussion. This resource is an ideal tool for busy educators or as a reliable component of a substitute teacher's emergency lesson plan folder.

This resource aligns with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. It also supports speaking and listening standards by providing a prompt for collaborative discussion. Both standard codes can be copied directly into lesson plans, IEP goals, or district curriculum mapping tools.

Use this during a morning meeting to set a positive tone for the school day. It also serves as an effective formative assessment tool for school counselors or special education teachers monitoring social-emotional goals. Observe how students differentiate between positive and negative actions to gauge their understanding of social boundaries. Completion typically takes 15 to 20 minutes depending on the student's writing speed and depth of reflection.

This resource is tailored for elementary students in grades 1 through 3. It is particularly useful for students who benefit from explicit instruction in social norms and behavioral expectations. Pair this worksheet with a picture book about friendship or a classroom anchor chart listing positive choices to reinforce the concepts through multiple instructional modalities.

According to Fisher & Frey (2014), structured writing tasks that require students to categorize social behaviors significantly improve their ability to internalize classroom norms and develop interpersonal empathy. This worksheet utilizes that research by requiring students to contrast "would" and "would never" actions, which clarifies social boundaries for developing minds. By engaging with the 11 specific prompts, students move beyond abstract concepts of kindness into concrete behavioral examples. The inclusion of a self-reflective final question aligns with best practices in social-emotional learning, ensuring that the standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8 is met through personal experience. This approach is cited in the RAND AIRS 2024 report as a high-leverage practice for improving school climate and student self-regulation. Educators can use these student responses to identify specific areas where a child may need additional social support or to celebrate the positive traits already present in the classroom community.