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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Summary

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
  • Teased because of his looks! (Milo, Age 9) | 147
    May 16 2026

    Ep. 147 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Friendly versus unfriendly teasing | Friendship advice for kids

    FREE guide for parents: 12 ways to help your child make friends

    https://drfriendtastic.com/gift/

    Parents, check out my online workshops for kids at workshops.eileenkennedymoore.com.

    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 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:

    - Do you have a nickname? If so, who calls you that, and how do you feel about it? If not, would you like a nickname? Why or why not?

    - Have you ever been teased in a way you found hurtful? What happened? How did you handle it?

    - What are some reasons a good friend might accidentally say something hurtful?

    - How might you handle things differently if a hurtful name or comment came from a friend versus someone who is not a friend?

    - Dr. Friendtastic says you should only criticize someone’s appearance if it’s something they can quickly fix, and you can mention it privately. Why are these important guidelines? (Hint: How are people likely to feel if they can’t easily fix whatever it is, or if other people hear your negative comments?)

    *** You might also like these podcast episodes:

    Ep. 95 - Handling embarrassing moments (Sara, Age 7)

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep95-handling-embarrassing-moments-sara-age-7

    Ep. 29 - Dealing with teasing (Abby, Age 9)

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/kids-ask-dr-friendtastic-ep-29-abby

    Ep. 25 - Moving past us-versus-them thinking (Bryson, Age 10)

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/kids-ask-dr-friendtastic-ep-25-bryson



    Get full access to Dr. Friendtastic for Parents at drfriendtastic.substack.com/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    8 mins
  • She took something that didn’t belong to her (River, Age 9) | 146
    May 9 2026

    Ep. 146 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: Moving past guilt | Friendship advice for kids

    FREE guide for parents: 12 ways to help your child make friends

    https://drfriendtastic.com/gift/

    Parents, check out my online workshops for kids at workshops.eileenkennedymoore.com.

    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 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 do you think kids sometimes take things that don’t belong to them? Why is stealing not a good idea?

    - Describe a time when you were tempted to do something you knew was wrong but didn’t. How did you resist the temptation?

    - What does “make amends” mean? Why is it a good thing to do in relationships? What could you do to make amends if you accidentally broke a friend’s toy?

    - Dr. Friendtastic says, “Situational control is always easier than self-control.” What does that mean? How could you set up your situation to make sure you get dressed quickly in the morning? How could you set up your situation to make sure you do your work instead of getting distracted at school?

    *** You might also like these podcast episodes:

    Ep. 117 - How to tell if a friend is loyal (Julian, Age 12)

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/how-to-tell-if-a-friend-is-loyal

    Ep. 111 - Friend won’t forgive her (Thea, Age 11)

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep111-friend-wont-forgive-her-thea-age11

    Ep. 1 – Naomi, Age 7: Friendship ends over small thing

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/kids-ask-dr-friendtastic-ep-1



    Get full access to Dr. Friendtastic for Parents at drfriendtastic.substack.com/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    7 mins
  • He doesn’t like one kid in the group (Joe, Age 9) | 145
    May 2 2026

    Ep. 145 - Kids Ask Dr. Friendtastic: He doesn’t like one kid in the group (Joe, Age 9) | Friendship advice for kids

    FREE guide for parents: 12 ways to help your child make friends

    https://drfriendtastic.com/gift/

    Parents, check out my online workshops for kids at workshops.eileenkennedymoore.com.

    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 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 to get along with someone you don’t particularly like? How did you handle that?

    - How can disliking someone (and telling people you don’t like that person!) hurt your friendships with other kids?

    - Dr. Friendtastic said that staying away from a group because you don’t like one person “would be giving this one kid a lot of power to influence who you play with and what you do.” What does this mean?

    - Why is trying to kick someone out of a group an unkind thing to do?

    - Why might flooding someone you don’t like with kindness be a useful strategy? (Hint: How are they likely to respond?) When would this strategy not be a good idea?

    *** You might also like these podcast episodes:

    Ep. 138 - When joking is mean, not funny (Seb, Age 11)

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/ep138-when-joking-is-mean-not-funny-seb-age11

    Ep. 12 - Kid bullies him at recess (Adrian, Age 8)

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/kids-ask-dr-friendtastic-ep-12-adrian

    Ep. 3 - Kid tries to wreck game (Noelle, Age 10)

    https://drfriendtastic.substack.com/p/kids-ask-dr-friendtastic-episode-4b8



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