Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Friendship Advice for Kids (K-8)

Not invited to the sleepover! (Jim, Age 12) | Ep. 153

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Friendship Advice for Kids (K-8)

Show Notes

Ep. 153 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Don't give up a good friendship because it's not perfect | Friendship advice for kids FREE guide for parents: 12 ways to help your child make friends https://drfriendtastic.com/gift/ Parents, check out my online workshops for kids at workshops.eileenkennedymoore.com. Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.) For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/ Like the podcast? Check out my books at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com. Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents. *** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: - What is the difference between not invited versus excluded? Why does that difference matter? (Hint: Think about the intention of the host.) - What are some non-mean reasons why you might do something with one friend but not another? - Why is it not a good idea to yell at someone for not inviting you? - All-or-nothing thinking means believing something has to be perfect or it’s worthless. Why is this not a useful way to think about friendship? - Dr. Friendtastic said, “What your friends do when you’re not around is not your concern.” What does that mean? Do you agree? Why or why not? *** You might also like these podcast episodes: Ep. 4 - One friend feels left out (Thomas, Age 13) https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/kids-ask-dr-friendtastic-episode-71f Ep. 51 - Mean comment said behind her back (Saoirse, Age 8) https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/saoirse-age-8-mean-comment-said-behind Ep. 26 - Friendship doesn’t have to be all or nothing (Abigail, Age 10) https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/kids-ask-dr-friendtastic-ep-26-abigail

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More from Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Friendship Advice for Kids (K-8)

Oct 17, 2026

Re-release of Ep. 125 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Adding to the fun | Friendship advice for kids FREE guide for parents: 12 ways to help your child make friends https://drfriendtastic.com/gift/ Parents, check out my online workshops for kids at learn.eileenkennedymoore.com. Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.) For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/ Like the podcast? Check out my books at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com. Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents. *** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: – What are some ways to pick teams that are fair and kind to everyone? – Why is it sometimes hard for kids to be a good sport? – How do you decide who to play with at recess? (Hint: What might make you choose to try to join one group of kids but not another?) – Have you ever "started the fun" at recess? If so, what did you do? If not, what fun game or activity could you try to start with other kids?

Oct 10, 2026

Ep. 165 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Smoothing over friction in friendship | Friendship advice for kids FREE guide for parents: 12 ways to help your child make friends https://drfriendtastic.com/gift/ Parents, check out my online workshops for kids at workshops.eileenkennedymoore.com. Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.) For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/ Like the podcast? Check out my books at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com. Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents. *** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: - What does friction mean? Why is it always part of friendship? - What do you expect from a close friend (versus a stranger)? What could you do if a friend doesn’t meet those expectations? - When (not if) a friend does something you don’t like, why is it NOT helpful to assume that means they are a mean and terrible friend? - Why is it not a good idea to insist that a friend always has to play only with you? (Hint: How might that make the friend feel?) = How could caring about a friend help smooth out friction between the two of you?

Oct 3, 2026

Ep. 164 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Avoiding empathy blindspots | Friendship advice for kids FREE guide for parents: 12 ways to help your child make friends https://drfriendtastic.com/gift/ Parents, check out my online workshops for kids at workshops.eileenkennedymoore.com. Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.) For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/ Like the podcast? Check out my books at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com. Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents. *** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: - Sometimes kids think they only have to be kind to people they know and like. What could you say to argue against that idea? - What do you expect from a close friend? What do you expect from someone who is not your friend? How and why are these expectations different? - Why would it be unkind to have a party and invite everyone in a group except one person? What could you do instead? - What is an empathy blindspot? - How might being mean to someone end up hurting you?

Sep 26, 2026

Ep. 163 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Why friends lie and what to do about it | Friendship advice for kids FREE guide for parents: 12 ways to help your child make friends https://drfriendtastic.com/gift/ Parents, check out my online workshops for kids at workshops.eileenkennedymoore.com. Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.) For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/ Like the podcast? Check out my books at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com. Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents. *** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: - Why is it sometimes hard for kids to tell the truth? (Hint: What might they be afraid could happen if they tell the truth?) - What’s the difference between lying and saying something that’s not true? (Hint: What are some examples of statements that are not true but also not a lie?) - How might telling lies hurt a friendship? - Do you think telling a lie can ever be a kind thing to do? Why or why not? - Why is it not a good idea to accuse a friend of being a liar?

Sep 19, 2026

Ep. 162 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Prevent conflict from exploding into drama | Friendship advice for kids FREE guide for parents: 12 ways to help your child make friends https://drfriendtastic.com/gift/ Parents, check out my online workshops for kids at workshops.eileenkennedymoore.com. Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast? SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.) For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/ Like the podcast? Check out my books at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com. Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents. *** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: - What’s the difference between friendship drama versus conflict? - Why do you think some people get involved in more friendship drama than others? - What are some ways to prevent conflict from turning into drama? - Dr. Friendtastic suggests avoiding saying “You always…”, or “You never…” or “You think…” or “You’re just trying to…” Why are these comments unhelpful? (Hint: How would your friend be likely to respond if you said them?)

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