Friendship is Magic: Share your tips for helping children build lasting friendships with the My Little Pony: The Movie - chance to win £300 NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

To help celebrate the brand new My Little Pony movie, the team behind the film would love to champion the beauty of friendship - and learn about the tips you have for helping children build lasting friendships with their school mates, neighbours and pals from clubs etc.

Do you gently suggest ways of making and keeping friends, encourage play dates to deepen friendships, or have other ways to guide them through the sometimes tricky path of childhood friends?

Here’s the movie synopsis

“A dark force threatens Ponyville, and the Mane 6 - Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity - embark on an unforgettable journey beyond Equestria where they meet new friends and exciting challenges on a quest to use the magic of friendship to save their home.

The film has an all-star voice cast including Emily Blunt, Kristin Chenoweth, Liev Schreiber, Michael Peña, Sia, Taye Diggs, Uzo Aduba and Zoe Saldana. The movie features original music and songs performed by Sia, Diggs, Saldana, Chenoweth and Blunt."

Rated U

Add your comment to this thread and you will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will get a £300 John Lewis voucher.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight Terms and Conditions Apply

I have always tried to teach them skills to enable them to interact with other children well such as listening and being kind. It helps that they are hopefully going to go through their entire school life with the same children which I hope means that they will be close up until adult hood.

I have always tried to teach them skills to enable them to interact with other children well such as listening and being kind. It helps that they are hopefully going to go through their entire school life with the same children which I hope means that they will be close up until adult hood.

I always had my childrens freinds over to tea and often went with other mums and our kids to soft play areas, outings etc. It gave them all a sense of solid freindships. Now my oldest daughter is 21 she still keeps om contact with these freinds.

i have always taught my children to be kind and to treat people how they want to be treated. I think it helps them to understand how others would feel and if they would like that or not. My older two are still really good friends with their pals from nursery and they are 17 and 18 now. My youngest is 4 and just starting to make friendships.

I have taught them to be kind and thoughtful to friends and siblings, always treat your friends how you would like to be treated. Sharing with and listening with them to.

I have always had difficulty making friends, and I know that my children found it hard but I tried to help and now they are teenagers they have better long term friends

Learning to lose with grace is a skill I'm actively trying to teach my child. Kindness and thinking of others, and that not all of life should be lived as a quest to be the fastest.

Playdates! Also just hanging around after school, taking other kids to the park if you are going. Model by your own behaviour-show them that you also have friends, do favours for others, be kind. Try not to talk negatively about other people.

Definitely regular play dates and helps if the parents get on okay, also being very local to each other as that makes it much easier for the impromptu play dates

Help to build their confidence so they get to enjoy birthday parties, and play dates, and dare I say sleep overs :D

Play dates are a good idea also play groups are a place to meet friends

I do encourage play dates and attending birthday parties.

I also talk about the qualities of a good friend and find that discussing the actions of characters in her bedtime stories helpful for this (both positive and negative behaviours). It's more neutral to discuss negative behaviours when a character in a book makes them rather than herself.

Sleep overs. Plenty of trips to cinema, bowling, things they enjoy doing together. I'm still best friends with my childhood friend. We played games together growing up in the street and went horse riding together. We were always given opportunities to spend time together by our parents!

I think children learn by example.

Play dates and activities outside of school help cement friendships within school I have found. It does help if the parents get on too, as you are more likely to want to spend time together!

By being kind and letting your friends talk. My DD had a friend who would tell her to shut up when she talked about her latest obsession. But this friend expected DD to listen to hers. They are no longer friends.

By encouraging her to be herself and not bend to anybody else's will just to impress them. True, lasting friends will love her exactly how she is.

I haven't actually deliberately taken any action to get my child to develop good friendships, he has just been lucky in that he has a really good solid group of friends that are loyal to him and to whom he is loyal. They all walk home from school together, one lives directly opposite our house, and they all stick together and play online on their gaming devices which also keeps the lines of communication open when they are not in school.

My daughter was so shy and afraid of everything and everyone. I was fortunate to get her into sure start and was encourage to arrange playdates for her. She was 2 at this time and now she is 8 and has a better social life than me and her best friend from school who's cultural is different from ours had a sleep over last night 😍 to hear them chatter and play and giggle makes me think thank goodness I helped her out of her awkward phase

I'm letting the kids lead on this one, they are still very young and no one knows what the future brings. I know the friends I made in primary were not the same as secondary/ 6th form or work so I'm not overly concerned.

Inviting them round to your house from time to time or going out with their oarents and doing something with them and the children, and constantly encouring them to treat everyone nicely

Don't argue over girls or boys(once puberty kicks in) and you can stay friends into late adulthood rather than have it all blow up in the teenage years.

Our eldest has Aspergers and making friends has never been easy. I always try and encourage him to think about how others may be feeling, and to treat friends how he would want to be treated.

A good friendship is a gift, and essential as part of the growing up process. I have helped my DC to share, take turns, be kind and be a good friend. When my DC has a birthday, invite friends around, and play games, get to know the mums and dads, (this friendship is as important as your child's friendship). I ask my DC if he wants to invite his best friend to tea, and I pick up and drop off, and this has lead to a lovely friendship, and I love to hear their conversations and play ideas, and how they each take turn with toys, and their imagination together makes building their brio world into a a lovely days play. Being a good friend means they will always have someone on their side.

Explain to them that friends are like close relations and be fair and be nice