When I was a child, my grandma always told me that half the fun of doing anything is sharing it with others. It is so 1.Friends allow us to 2 our success and our joys as well as comfort us when faced with 3 . Most importantly, they provide a 4 for us to learn more about ourselves. I've always 5 friends as the family we choose. They 6our lives. As an old saying goes, a friend is a 7 which you give yourself.
It's 8 to be a good listener so as to be a good friend. Hear what your friend has to say first rather than 9 to conclusions or interrupting. Sometimes it is useful to be their mirror- 10 when they hear their words 11back to them, it can help them to realize what they said was not12what they meant to say.
Besides, patience and13are also important qualities to be a good friend. You know the old golden 14 , "treat others the way you would like them to treat you. The support of a friend during a tough time could 15the difference between success and failure.
Last but not least, encouragement and confidence are 16 gifts that can help change a person's life. Take care, 17 ,when you choose to have close relationship with someone, for they can have a tremendous（巨大的）impact 18your self-respect and life path. As someone once put it, the 19of your friends are like the buttons on an elevator. They will either 20you up or down.
It's time to teach kids how to play. Play can teach them important life skills. Their imagination will also be inspired.
Play a game. Dig out your board games. Checkers, chess and Monopoly are all great games.
Hands-on fun. Bring out playdough (橡皮泥). Your children may roll their eyes at this one, but you would be surprised at how they will sit down and keep themselves entertained with it.
Build something. Lego, Lincoln Logs and K'NEX. How many of our kids still have these in the back of their closets? Try building something using toothpicks and connecting them together with glue. As the things you build dry, they become stronger and you can keep them around for a while.
Go outdoors. Outdoor games like marbles and hopscotch not only interest your kids, they will also improve coordination (协调) skills. Too hot or cold out? The garage, basement or kitchen floors will be OK, too.
Become an outdoor artist. Buy a box of colored chalk from the local store and let your kids create their own works on your front or back sidewalks. Take pictures of them for your family album.
Are these new ideas? Of course not. But when our kids are given a choice of any of these “offline” activities or the chance to watch TV or play computer games, what are they going to choose? When you unplug your kids, they will learn how to play again simply because they have nothing else to do. They will find other activities to keep themselves entertained.
