Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Friendship Advice for Kids (K-8) cover art

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Friendship Advice for Kids (K-8)

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Friendship Advice for Kids (K-8)

By: Eileen Kennedy-Moore PhD author psychologist focusing on children's feelings children's friendships parenting mental health.
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About this listen

Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic is a weekly, 5-min. podcast for children about making and keeping friends. Each episode features an audio recording of a question about friendship from a kid (gr. K-8) plus a practical and thought-provoking answer from Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD, (aka Dr. Friendtastic,) an author and clinical psychologist based in Princeton, NJ. For transcripts and discussion questions: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast. To submit a question: https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit. For parent resources: https://EileenKennedyMoore.com

drfriendtastic.substack.comEileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD
Episodes
  • How to Deal with an Octopus Friend (Mara, Age 9)
    May 24 2025

    Re-release of Ep. 13 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Friend doesn't want her to have other friends (Mara, Age 9)

    FREE quiz: Is Your Child a Good Friend? https://eileenkennedymoore.ck.page/e37dcc098f

    Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast?

    SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

    For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

    Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com.

    Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents.

    *** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

    - Have you ever had an Octopus friend, someone who wanted to keep you all to themselves? How did you handle it?

    - Why do you think trying to hold on tightly to a friend because you’re scared of losing them makes it more likely that you’ll lose them?

    - Have you ever had a friendship where you liked the other person more than they liked you? How did you feel? What did you do?

    - Having more than one friend can be tricky. How do you decide which friend(s) to play with and when?

    *** You might also like these podcast episodes:

    Ep. 84 - Torn between two friends who don’t like each other (Jennifer, Age 10)

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep84-jennifer-age-10-torn-between-two-friends-who-dont-like-each-other

    Ep. 4 - One friend feels left out (Thomas, Age 13)

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/kids-ask-dr-friendtastic-episode-71f

    Ep. 17 - Balancing a best friend and another friend (Sophie, Age 10)

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/kids-ask-dr-friendtastic-ep-16-sophie



    Get full access to Dr. Friendtastic for Parents at drfriendtastic.substack.com/subscribe
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    6 mins
  • How to express your feelings with friends (Aida, Age 5)
    May 17 2025

    Ep. 102 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Why both negative and positive feelings help us build strong friendships

    Aida wants to know how to express her feelings with friends. Learn tips for what is most likely to get a good response...or not!

    FREE quiz: Is Your Child a Good Friend? https://eileenkennedymoore.ck.page/e37dcc098f

    Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast?

    SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

    For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

    Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com.

    Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents.

    *** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

    - Why is expressing both positive and negative feelings important for building a strong friendship?

    - What are some unhelpful ways to express negative feelings? What should you do instead?

    - Use the “I feel…when you… because… Please…” formula to create an example of how you might express negative feelings to a friend. Why is this a useful formula? (Hint: What information does it give your friend?)

    - What are some reasons why kids sometimes have trouble expressing positive feelings to a friend? Why do they sometimes have trouble expressing negative feelings to a friend? (Hint: What are they be afraid might happen?)

    *** You might also like these podcast episodes:

    Ep. 67 - Choosing good friends (Paul, Age 12)https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/paul-age-12-choosing-friends-who

    Ep. 45 - Gets angry at classmates (Reid, Age 5)https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/reid-age-5-gets-angry-at-classmates

    Ep. 86 - How to know if you can trust a friend (Sally, Age 14) https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep86-sally-age-14-how-to-know-if-you-can-trust-a-friend



    Get full access to Dr. Friendtastic for Parents at drfriendtastic.substack.com/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    7 mins
  • How to make friends with a new classmate (Adeline, Age 7)
    May 10 2025

    Ep. 101 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Finding the "just-right" level of friendliness | Friendship advice for kids

    Adeline wants to know how to help a news classmate, but she’s also concerned about coming on too strong and overwhelming the new student.

    FREE quiz: Is Your Child a Good Friend? https://eileenkennedymoore.ck.page/e37dcc098f

    Would YOUR KID like to be featured on the podcast?

    SUBMIT A QUESTION TO DR. FRIENDTASTIC at https://DrFriendtastic.com/submit (Obviously, this is not psychotherapy, and it’s not for emergency situations.)

    For an easy-to-read TRANSCRIPT, go to: https://DrFriendtastic.com/podcast/

    Like the podcast? Check out my books and webinars at https://EileenKennedyMoore.com.

    Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER, https://DrFriendtastic.substack.com, to get podcast episodes sent to your email plus articles for parents.

    *** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

    - Why is it sometimes hard to be the new kid in a class?

    - Why is it not a good idea to go to someone’s home and try all their beds? (Hint: How is that likely to make them feel?)

    - What are some clues that you might be coming on too strong and overwhelming a friend? (Hint: What might the friend say or do to let you know this?)

    - How is a conversation like a game of catch?

    - If you’re not sure how a friend is feeling about something, what’s the quickest way to find out? Why is this a kind thing to do?

    *** You might also like these podcast episodes:

    Ep. 82: Expand friend group without hurting best friend (Paa, Age 12)https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep82-paa-age-12-expand-friend-group-without-hurting-best-friend

    Ep. 72: Making friends in a new school (Nora, Age 8) https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep72-nora-age-8-making-friends-new-schl

    Ep. 70: Knowing when and how to stop (Owen, Age 8)https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep70-owen-age-8-stop-signals



    Get full access to Dr. Friendtastic for Parents at drfriendtastic.substack.com/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    7 mins

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