Fun Ideas to Cheer Up a Friend

How many of your friend's favorite things can you do in one day? Plan a day full of enjoyable activities, and your friend will probably start to have fun in spite of the just-present gloom. Fill the itinerary with your friend's favorite restaurant, sport -- you two could play a pick-up game -- and music. You get the idea. Your thoughtfulness will be appreciated and will contribute to your friend's lifted spirits.

Whether or not you’re actually a poet, words can do wonders to cheer people up. Write a goofy little song or poem to make your friend feel better. You can leave the poem on your friend's desk at school or play the song when it is least expected. If you can make your friend laugh, problems will be forgotten, at least for a while, and your comrade's mood will lighten. If you don’t know how to begin, here’s a tip: take a well-known, repetitive song and replace the lyrics with some of your own.

Sometimes “out of sight, out of mind” is the best medicine for your friend's problems. Plan a weekend road trip to do something that gets your friend out of the rut. Go fishing or camping, or travel to a nearby city for a concert. Perhaps you could visit a theme park. Include a few other friends to make it a fun-filled, easy-going time.

There’s always that old stand by: bringing over a carton of ice cream and a couple of your friend's favorite movies. It might not be a new idea, but it’s tried and true. Lending a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear will help your friend air out problems and get over them faster. Plus, a friend who does not feel up to going out will still prefer having your company on the couch to being all alone.