56 Activity Ideas To Do With Friends

If asked, we all could list many benefits of having good friends. Cicero put it this way, “Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by doubling our joys, and dividing our grief.” Having a good friend is a dream parents have for their children. When kids with disabilities frequently have limited access to their peers due to the structure of special education within school systems, opportunities to develop friendships decrease. People with disabilities and learning differences (and their parents) tend to have a “dream” of a true friendship, when it shouldn’t be a dream at all – just a part of life.

Aristotle said, “wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.” So how can parents support and teach the art of friendship? How does one actually initiate a friendship? How does a friendship grow?

Friends Spend Time Together

Two of the biggest things that give friendship “a leg up” are sharing things in common and shared experiences. So let’s talk shared experiences. Here are 50+ ideas for activities to invite a friend to do.

Need help planning a get-together with a potential friend?

It can be difficult to juggle all the moving parts for planning a hang out with someone. From idea planning to suggestion conversation scripts, this worksheet walks through the process of planning a get-together and includes the 50+ activity ideas from this article in a handy bonus sheet.