The greatest gift we can give our families is to be connected. Building a strong relationship between parents and children is a lifelong journey, which we have to work at every day.
Friendship cards is an innovative tool to help children develop communication skills, by helping them to express emotions (emotional literacy) and learn conflict-resolution skills. Friendship cards were created by a voluntary foundation called ‘Relationships are Forever Foundation’, founded by Joanna & Julian Sant Fournier. Together with a team of volunteers, they dedicated 2 years of their time to make this project the reality it is today.
Friendship cards help children to process arguments, disagreements and conflicts into simple stages:
– To feel comfortable in saying how they feel, to talk with each other and find out what caused the argument.
– To realise that they may have said or done something wrong.
– To focus on taking positive steps and avoid hurtful behaviour so that it is possible to make up and be good friends again.
The message on each card is presented in simple sentences and beautiful colourful drawings, making the whole idea playful and attractive to children.
This is a tool which could be shared in families, schools, youth groups, and is a practical way for children to experience new strategies and techniques. More information about the friendship cards initiative may be found on their website http://www.friendshipcards.org/ or on Facebook www.facebook.com/friendshipcards.org