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Friendship Ninja Headbands + Ninja Training

Bullying Prevention
Lesson Plan Glossary

Glossary of Terms

At URSTRONG, we believe it’s important to use kids’ language for kids’ problems. That’s why we have our very own, unique language of friendship. Here are some important terms that children, parents, and teachers learn in our program.

Friendship Fire®: Any situation between you and a friend that results in negative feelings.

Mean-on-Purpose: When someone is intentionally unkind to someone else.

Quick Comeback: A very short word or phrase that is used when someone is Mean-on-Purpose. Quick Comebacks are designed to let the other person know that you heard/saw what they did and you’re not okay with it.

Friend-o-meter: A visual tool that assesses the health of friendships, ranging from the healthy zone to the unhealthy zone.

Friend-o-cycle: The normal cycle in a friendship that brings the friendship back to the healthy zone after experiencing a Friendship Fire. The phases of the Friend-o-cycle are: Healthy Friendship – Fire – Confront the issue – Talk-it-Out – Forgive & Forget – Closer & Stronger – Healthy Friendship…

4 Friendship Facts: A set of four facts that help us have realistic expectations in our friendships so we understand what is normal.

  1. No friendship (relationship) is perfect.
  2. Every friendship is different.
  3. Trust & Respect are the two most important qualities of a friendship.
  4. Friendships change…and that’s okay.

Red Shirt Girl and Striped Shirt Boy: Two characters that remind us about the importance of body language.

Friendship Ninja: A Friendship Ninja is someone who surrounds themselves with friends in the healthy zone of the Friend-o-meter. A Friendship Ninja is kind and friendly to everyone. A Friendship Ninja understands the 4 Friendship Facts and puts out their Friendship Fires when they ignite. A Friendship Ninja stands up for themselves and their friends. A Friendship Ninja makes new friends and understands that friendships change…and that’s okay. Above all else, a Friendship Ninja is someone you want to be friends with because they’re true to who they are!

Every ninja needs a headband before going into training! (Warning: Your classroom will look like an episode of Ninja Warrior!)  Favorite

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Objective

At URSTRONG, we talk a lot about being a Friendship Ninja – that’s the goal! But, what on earth is a Friendship Ninja?

It’s time to rack your brain and think hard about what qualities a Friendship Ninja might have? How does someone earn that super awesome title? When you were thinking of the qualities of a Friendship Ninja, you may have imagined someone who is calm, confident, skilled, strong, and an awesome friend! A Friendship Ninja is someone who is strategic in their friendships and mindful about what they say and do.

We are all capable of being Friendship Ninjas. Like all ninjas, we need to hone our skills and work on building our mental and physical strength.  

This lesson is designed to give students opportunities to practice the skills required to deal with Mean-on-Purpose behaviour, so that they can enact their Friendship Ninja skills when faced with real life challenges.

Key Outcome

Your students will demonstrate how to say a Quick Comeback in reacting to Mean-on-Purpose behaviour.

Materials

  • Pens, pencils
  • Art and craft materials (like paper or stretchy fabric)

Instructions

  1. Review Friendology 101 Session 5 – How to be a Friendship Ninja with your students. Brainstorm all the qualities of a Friendship Ninja, being sure to focus on skills (e.g. the ability to effectively use Quick Comebacks).
  2. Invite each student to create a personalized Friendship Ninja headband with their name on it. You could use either fabric or paper to create the ninja headbands. Encourage students to make headbands that reflect their individual personalities.
  3. Now that they look the part, ask your students to work in pairs or groups to devise a ‘Friendship Ninja Training Routine’ that will enable them to practice their Friendship Ninja skills. They may like to incorporate some mindful breathing, an agility or balance exercise, and using Quick Comebacks into their training routine.
  4. Wearing their Friendship Ninja headbands, invite each group to present their ‘Friendship Ninja Training Routine’ to the class.

You could do so much with these training routines to really help your students master their Friendship Ninja skills! You could have students lead the class in their routines as a Brain Break activity or start each day with some of their training rituals! The opportunities are endless…

 

Next Steps

Get your students to create their own, personalized, step-by-step plan that details exactly how they are going to deal with future Mean-on-Purpose encounters like a Ninja! Encourage them to make their plans bright and attractive so that you can display them around your classroom.