Help a new class begin to feel like a team. 💗

The beginning of a new school year can bring lots of different feelings for young children. There are new routines to learn, new friendships to make and, for some children, the uncertainty of finding their place within a new class.

The Friendship Heart is a gentle, imaginative mindfulness activity designed to help KS1 children explore friendship, kindness, belonging and what it means to be part of a class team.

The session begins with a magical story about a Friendship Heart that has lost all of its colours. The heart soon discovers that it cannot get its colours back by itself — it needs the children to help.

Sitting together in a circle, each child chooses a small coloured heart and is invited to think of something that can help make their classroom a kind and happy place.

It might be:

“Helping someone.”
“Sharing.”
“Listening.”
“Asking someone to play.”
“Using kind words.”

The teacher can write each child's idea onto their heart before the child adds it to the large class Friendship Heart.

Slowly, something lovely happens.

What began as one empty heart becomes filled with the individual hearts, colours and ideas of the whole class — giving children a simple visual representation of an important message:

We are all different. We all have something to contribute. And when we work together, we become a team.

The activity also includes a short mindful breathing and reflection exercise, encouraging children to slow down, listen to one another and notice that every little heart is part of something bigger.

The finished Friendship Heart can then become a meaningful classroom display and a visual reminder of the children's own ideas about how they want to treat one another.

What's included?

The resource includes a teacher lesson plan, a ready-to-read magical Friendship Heart story, guidance for the interactive mindfulness activity, printable coloured heart cut-outs, a large-heart activity and a Friendship Heart colouring page for children to complete afterwards.

It is designed for KS1 and can easily be adapted to suit the age, confidence and needs of an individual class.

Particularly useful for:

Beginning of the academic year • New classes • Transition • PSHE • Mindfulness • Friendship and kindness • Belonging • Class expectations • Emotional wellbeing • Circle time

Rather than simply telling children to “be kind” or “work as a team,” The Friendship Heart gives them an opportunity to experience and create that message together.

And once the finished heart is displayed in the classroom, teachers can return to it throughout the year:

“What did we say would help our Friendship Heart shine?”

“What could we do if somebody is feeling left out?”

“How can we be a good team today?”

A simple activity with a lasting message:

Different hearts. One class. Together we shine.