Best Friend Day 2026: What friendship means to young people

For Best Friend Day, we asked young people from our sessions a few simple questions about friendship: who their best friends are, why they matter, and what makes someone a “best friend”...

Their answers were honest, funny, and full of insight, and say a lot about what friendship means to young people.

“I’ve got a few best friends… and they’re really important” 

We asked Hattie (10), Skyla (10), Riley (12) and Brody (12) what friendship means to them and their answers were honest, funny and full of personality.

When it came to why best friends matter, all four young people came back to the same idea. It is about support.

As Hattie put it: “If you’re sad, they can cheer you up.”
Riley added that friends are important because they “look after me and protect me.”

They also talked about the everyday side of friendship. Not being alone in the playground, having someone to talk to, and making ordinary moments more fun just by sharing them.

What makes a best friend?

When describing the qualities of a best friend, the girls shared a clear sense of what matters most.

Their answers included:

• Kindness
• Respect
• Generosity
• Forgiveness
• Teamwork

Hattie summed it up simply: “Kindness tops it.”

Riley and Brody also described best friends as people who look out for you and notice when something is not right, someone who is there when you need them most.

What do best friends actually do together?

For Hattie and Skyla, friendship is full of imagination and energy. They talked about playing imaginary horse games and cycling around their village pretending to be in cars, chatting and laughing as they go.

For Riley and Brody, it looks a little different but still centres on spending time together:

• riding bikes
• hanging out outdoors
• lawn mowing together (not what we were expecting to hear!)

Different ages and different activities, but the same idea runs through it all: friendship is about having someone to share life with, whether that is big adventures or everyday moments.

Across all the conversations, a few themes stood out clearly: 

• Friendship, to young people, is about:
• Feeling supported when things are hard
• Having someone to laugh and play with
• Trust, kindness, and care
• Sharing time, whether that’s imaginary games or riding bikes

Simple questions brought out thoughtful, honest answers and a clear message: best friends matter because they make life better just by being there. 

Friendship matters at every age, and we’re lucky to see it growing in moments like these. If you’d like to be part of something similar, come and join us.