Skip to content

How to parent smarter not harder.

View all articles

Thinking Parenting Blog

Books for helping children manage friendship problems

Learning how to recognise a good friend (and how to be one) is an important part of childhood. All children experience some ups and downs in friendships. Parents can play an important role in helping children manage friendship problems by helping them think about why their friends might be behaving in a particular way and discussing what qualities and actions show that someone is a good friend. (See these Tips for helping children with friendship problems)

Snuggling up with a book can be a great way to talk through friendship issues sensitively with young children and introduce new ideas. And for older children, who want to think about issues for themselves, books can be a safe space to work through thoughts, scenarios and emotions.

Any book can be used to talk about friendship (see our free video on Using Story Time to understand your child better for tips on this). But here are some specific recommendations for really good books for helping children manage friendship problems.

*This post contains affiliate links

Pip and Posy: The Super Scooter

Book jacket of Pip and Posy: The Super Scooter, one of our recommended books for helping children manage friendship problemsAxel Scheffler’s fabulous Pip and Posy series is full of great themes for toddlers and has his signature Gruffalo-style illustrations. The Super Scooter is all about that hotspot of toddler emotions: sharing. There is jealousy, snatching, saying sorry and learning to play nicely – ideal for very young children who are grappling with early social skills! (And if you still struggling, check out my Teaching children to share FAQs.) Ages 1-3yrs

Book cover of children's book Willow Finds a Way, one of our recommended books for helping children manage friendship problemsWillow Finds a Way

Willow Finds a Way by Lana Button really cleverly explores how playground friendship issues can spill over into bullying behaviour. It’s a fantastic book for reading with pre-school or early school age children to help them unpick at what point unkindness becomes unacceptable. The Speak Up message is spot on and especially so because Willow is really shy so standing up for herself is not something that comes easily. A great conversation starter. Ages 3-7yrs

The Not-So-Friendly Friend

Book jacket of The Not So Friendly Friend by Christina FurnivalThe subtitle of The Not-So-Friendly Friend (by Christina Furnival) is ‘How to set boundaries for Healthy Friendships’ and it is definitely a book with clear learning points. As a result, it reads a bit more like classroom tool than a genuinely enjoyable story. But because it is so direct, it could be a useful tool for parents who are struggling to support their child to draw boundaries around a classmate’s problematic behaviour. There are some conversation starter tips at the end too, for ideas on how to lead the discussion. Ages 4-7yrs

Book jacket for children's book Big FriendsBig Friends

If you are looking for a book exploring the conflicts that occur when a pair of good friends expands to become a trio, Big Friends by Linda Sarah is a good pick. There is jealousy, feeling left out and lots of big emotions to discuss – all in a very safe and familiar-feeling storybook. I especially like it because the main characters are boys (most of the stories on this topic involve girl trios). Ages 4-8yrs

Book jacket for children's book Growing FriendshipsGrowing Friendships

Growing Friendships by Eileen Kennedy-Moore is a non-fiction guide for children on how to make and keep friends. If your child is struggling generally with social skills and friendships, this book comes highly recommended by parents and professionals. It’s full of comic-strip examples to talk through, plus guidance and strategies for children to try out. Contains a surprising amount of humour which might help reduce worries! Ages 6-9yrs

Book jacket for children's book Make Friends Break Friends by Julia JarmanMake Friends Break Friends

The scenario behind Make Friends Break Friends (by Julia Jarman) is a typical girls’ toxic trio but the twisty plot elevates this to a jolly good read. If your child is a fairly confident reader, they could read it alone – or you can read it together. Very easy to identify with and lots of good learning without being at all preachy. Ages 7-9yrs

Billionaire Boy

Book cover of Billionaire Boy by David Walliams, one of our recommended books for helping children manage friendship problemsEven if they are able to read it themselves, I thoroughly recommend that you read Billionaire Boy out loud with your children! David Walliams has a turn of phrase and sense of humour that deserves to be shared. And reading it together means you can actually talk about the book’s important themes of loneliness and being left out and learning to recognise when would-be friends have bad intentions. It’s a book you will talk about as a family and opens up a way to discuss boys’ feelings and friendships without sledge-hammering the topic home. Ages 7-10yrs

Bad Girls

Book cover of Bad Girls by Jacqueline WilsonJacqueline Wilson’s Bad Girls is a great choice for helping children manage friendship problems in the later primary school years. What counts as bullying? How can you recognise a good friend? What about a fun friend who gets you into trouble? And should you really listen to your Mum’s opinion about your friends?! Older children are more likely to read it alone, so you might not get so many conversation-starting benefits from this book, but it’s a great story for making kids reflect on their own friendships whilst also enjoying reading. Ages 9-11yrs

The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks

Book jacket of The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie BrooksThis is a great one for the tricky tween years and the transition to secondary school. The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks is the second in Katie Kirby’s Lottie Brooks series (after The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks) and it’s a must-read! It’s got so much going on, is really funny, utterly gripping and does such a good job at making the reader laugh while simultaneously feeling understood. It covers lots of different friendship issues so something for every tween who is worried about fitting in, being liked and navigating difficult peer group scenarios. Ages 9-12yrs

Book jacket of Friendship Troubles, one of our recommended books for helping children manage friendship problemsA Smart Girl’s Guide: Friendship Troubles

A non-fiction alternative for helping children manage friendship problems is A Smart Girl’s Guide: Friendship Troubles by Patty Kelley Criswell. It’s a bit Americanised but definitely worth a shot if friendship problems are plaguing your daughter. It covers backstabbing, friendship triangles, falling out with your bestie and all the common friendship group issues but in an accessible, interactive and practical format. Ages 8-11yrs

When Girls Fall Out

Book cover of When Girls Fall Out, a book for parents on helping children manage friendship problemsWhen Girls Fall Out is a book for adults, not children. It aims to help parents and professionals understand girls’ experiences within friendships so we can say the right things and support them effectively. It contains a forensic exploration of the way girls behave and why they often struggle with friendship dynamics. There is real insight here along with practical strategies for adults. If you are working with school-aged girls or are baffled by why your daughter reacts the ways she does to friendship ups and downs, this is truly enlightening. It is written by father and daughters team Andrew, Holly and Naomi Hampton. For parents of girls 7-18yrs

This is my pick of the best books for helping children manage friendship problems. I’d love to hear you feedback and your recommendations – please do comment below! You might also want to take a look at this video: “I don’t like my daughter’s friends”.

And if you found this post useful, you might also like these:

Does your child suffer from ANXIETY? We offer specialised support for parents to help you learn how to support an anxious child/teenager and build their confidence. Details here.

 

*This is not a sponsored post, I wrote it in response to questions I am frequently asked during my parenting clinics. However, it does contain affiliate links which means that if you click through from this post and buy a book, the Positive Parenting Project will receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. This helps us keep providing free content. For more info, see  Disclosure Notice. The age ranges are those recommended by the publishers.

photo montage of 8 book covers which are all recommended books for helping children manage friendship problems

Share this article:

Books by Anita Cleare

For working parents – practical tips on how to be the parent your child needs and create happy family dynamics (but still do your job!).

For parents of teenagers – the ultimate tools and strategies for connecting with your teenager and supporting them to find their talents.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Books about sibling rivalry: photo of book cover of 'Me First'

Children’s books about sibling rivalry

Sibling conflict can really spoil family time. Constant bickering or relentless competitiveness can really wear on parents’ nerves. Yes, there are parenting strategies you can use to tackle...

Children's books that celebrate diversity - photo of book covers

Children’s books that celebrate diversity

Differences really matter to children. Young children have to make sense of the world in a very short space of time. To do that, they use a lot of categorical thinking in which they allocate people...

Top 10 starting school books: photo of 'Boris Starts School'

Top 10 starting school books (for preparing children for school)

Getting ready to start school has very little to do with the alphabet and lots to do with practical and emotional preparation (see School readiness skills for pre-schoolers). Their first day at...

bullying

Bullying: where to find help

Sadly, more than half of UK children will experience bullying – either as victim, perpetrator or witness. Most bullying is quickly dealt with and most children bounce back from it. But for...