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No more school fears

Are you moving up a grade in school this fall?

Meet Emily and Matthew. They want to talk about taking charge of four going-back-to-school fears.

"Hi, I'm Emily. I'm in fifth grade this fall. I'll start off. I'm really worried about not having friends."

I won't have any friends

"I don't know how to talk to strange kids. And I'll die if they ignore me," Emily adds.

Practice in front of a mirror.

Emily's Mom has helped Emily come up with a plan. Emily's going to pretend that other kids are people she's invited to her house. She'll:

How to Develop Friendships

Once you've learned to smile and find out something about someone else, Emily has a few tips for developing friendships:

• Don't brag just to impress people. Emily asks, "Why would they want to hear me brag? It just makes them feel bad or they think they have to brag, too."

• When you get together, make sure you take turns and share. Emily says, "I give out my phone number and e-mail and ask for my new friend's numbers. I try to do things after school with my new friends."

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• Smile and say hello.
• Ask them questions about themselves.

Emily says, "I practice things to say, in front of a mirror. I smile at the mirror and say, 'Hi, I'm Emily, what's your name?'"

Friendships outside of school.
Friendships Outside of School

There are things you can do to make friends outside of school too.

Emily says you can "join after-school clubs or groups. Try things like scouts, karate class, gymnastics, or a computer club."

She makes an extra effort to get to know new kids at school. Maybe a kid just moved into town and doesn't know anyone.

Emily says, "Think about how you would you feel if this happened to you."

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"Then, I ask questions to show I want to get to know them," Emily adds.

Here are some things Emily will ask:

• What's it like where you live?
• What do you like to play?
• What do you like to read?
• What do you know about the teacher?