When is Friendship Day, you ask? Well, we will celebrate Friendship Day on July 30. Friendship Day, also known as Friends Day or National Friends Day, began back in 1935 shortly after the end of World War I. Congress noticed the tension and grief that the war had left behind and they felt it was necessary to honor and promote friendly relationships both in the United States and abroad.
This holiday was set aside to remind people about the value of camaraderie and true friendship. After seeing the interesting events and the positive atmosphere that National Friendship Day had on the American people, other countries decided to join the movement making the event international. In 1997, the United Nations even went so far as to name Winnie the Pooh the International Friendship Day mascot deeming the character the “Ambassador of Friendship.” While this international day of friendship doesn’t quite get the attention that Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and other holidays get, it is still a big deal in some cities and rightfully so. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate having awesome friends anyway?
Here at Red Cat Reading, we believe that having happy friends makes for happy children and we want to support that. Below are a couple of ideas for how you can celebrate Friendship Day with your child and the awesome friends in their life.
Sing “Make New Friends“
Lyrics
Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver and the other is gold.
A circle is round, it has no end.
That’s how long I want to be your friend.
A fire burns bright, it warms the heart.
We’ve been friends, from the very start.
You have one hand, I have the other.
Put them together, We have each other.
Silver is precious, Gold is too.
I am precious, and so are you.
You help me, and I’ll help you
and together we will see it through.
The sky is blue, The Earth is green
I can help to keep it clean
Across the land, Across the sea
Friends forever, we will always be
Make a Gift or Card
Encourage your child to make a small gift or card for one or two of their friends. A nice gift idea for children to make is a friendship bracelet. There are tutorials available online for both easy and more complex friendship bracelets. You can also help him or her to write little friendship messages or cut out images of friendship from online or magazines. Let your child be creative and have a good time with it.
Have a Friends Day Celebration!
Have your child invite some friends over and do something special just like you might do for a birthday party or to celebrate another special occasion. Take the children to a local ice cream shop or bake cookies together. Remember, mom and dad should celebrate with their friends as well! Enjoy the day and don’t forget that it’s all about appreciating the amazing friends in your life and the lives of your children. Happy Friendship Day!
By Gabrielle Fisher
Let us know in the comments how you’ll be spending Friendship Day!