Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Friendship Fix Comic Strip: Free Printable Planner for Year 4
- ForYear 4
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Friendship Fix Comic Strip is a free printable story planner for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9). Children draw four panels, add speech bubbles, then write one panel as a story. It is a screen free English activity that needs only paper and a pencil. Page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help ideas, a stretch idea and answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children plan a short comic in four panels. In panel 1 they meet the friends and decide where they are and what they want to do. Panel 2 shows a problem, where one friend feels upset or left out. Panel 3 is the fix, when someone says or does something kind. Panel 4 shows how the friends feel at the end. Children add speech bubbles, then write one panel as a story using inverted commas.
- Panel 1: Meet the friends. Where are they? What do they want to do?
- Panel 2: The problem. One friend feels upset or left out.
- Panel 3: The fix. Someone says or does something kind.
- Panel 4: The ending. How do the friends feel now?
Worked example: from speech bubble to sentence
A comic panel shows Priya asking Leo, "Do you want to join our game?" How do we write this as a sentence?
This example uses a different comic from the sheet. It shows two ways to set out direct speech.
Method 1: say who spoke first- Write who is speaking and a speech verb: Priya asked.
- Add a comma, then open the inverted commas.
- Write the exact spoken words, starting with a capital letter: Do you want to join our game?
- Put the question mark before the closing inverted commas.
- Open the inverted commas and write the spoken words: Do you want to join our game?
- Keep the question mark inside the inverted commas, then close them.
- Add who spoke after the speech: Priya asked.
How the four panels build a story
Panel 1: meet the friends
Set the scene. Children decide who the friends are, where they are and what they want to do. A clear start makes the rest of the story easier to plan.
Panel 2: the problem
One friend feels upset or left out. This is the moment that makes the story worth reading. Children think about what caused the feeling.
Panel 3: the fix
Someone says or does something kind. Children choose words or actions that would really help, and show them in a speech bubble.
Panel 4: the ending
The story closes by showing how the friends feel now. Children look back at the problem and check that the ending matches it.
Why plan a story as a comic?
A comic strip tells a story in a row of small pictures called panels. Readers follow the panels in order, so each one moves the story on. Speech bubbles show what characters say, so a comic can tell a lot with very few words. That makes it a friendly way to plan a story before writing it out in full.
Friendship is a topic every child knows from home and school. Falling out, feeling left out and making up are all part of growing up. Writing from a character's point of view lets children think about feelings and kind choices without writing about anyone they know. A problem followed by a fix also gives a clear shape to plan.
Skills and curriculum link
- Planning a story
- Problem and resolution
- Writing speech
- Using inverted commas
- Showing feelings
Ideas for helping your child
- Plan in pictures firstStick figures are fine. The drawing is there to plan ideas, so praise the thinking rather than the artwork.
- Say it before writing itAsk your child to say each character's words aloud. Spoken words are easier to write down once they have been heard.
- Check the inverted commasLook together at the written sentence. Do the inverted commas sit around the exact words the character says, and only those words?
- Talk about the fixAsk what would really help a friend who feels left out. Real kind words make better speech bubbles than quick ones.
Key words
- PanelOne box in a comic. Each panel shows one moment in the story.
- Speech bubbleA shape in a comic that holds the words a character says.
- Inverted commasMarks that go around the exact words someone says. They are also called speech marks.
- Direct speechThe exact words a character says, written inside inverted commas.
- ProblemThe part of a story where something goes wrong or someone is upset.
- ResolutionThe part of a story where the problem is fixed or settled.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Work through the activity together the first time. Talk about each choice the child makes.
- Let your child plan in pictures first. Then they add speech bubbles and write one panel as a story.
- Check against the notes on page 2 and the answers. Ask your child to read their story aloud.
- Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Give a sentence starter such as Sam said, and let your child tell you the speech aloud first. Then they write down what they have said. Stick figures are fine in the panels. Start with panel 1 and come back to the others later.
To stretch confident children
Ask your child to use a speech verb other than said, such as whispered or explained, and to give a reason why the friend felt upset. Then they can write a second panel as a story, so the problem and the fix both appear in words.
Make it a game
Swap comics with a partner and act them out like a radio play. Give each character a different voice and add expression. Listeners say which feelings they heard. Then check together that inverted commas sit around the spoken words.
Talk about it
- How can you tell that a friend feels left out?
- What is the kindest thing someone could say in panel 3?
- Why did you choose that place for your friends in panel 1?
- How is the ending different from the start of the story?
- Which character has the best voice when you read it aloud?
- What could a friend do instead of saying nothing?
Take it off the page
Paper bag puppets
Draw two characters on paper bags and act out the fix. Use a different voice for each puppet and make up the speech as you go.
Feelings faces
Draw faces on paper for upset, left out, kind and happy. Match each face to a moment in a story you know.
Speech hunt
Find a favourite book and look for inverted commas. Read the spoken words aloud in the character's voice, then say who is speaking.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go and let them lead. Ask about each choice they make. Let them tell you the speech aloud before they write it. Praise effort and thinking, not only correct answers.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups. It also works well as a planning step before a longer piece of narrative writing.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider English plan. It pairs well with reading comics and picture books, and with everyday talk about feelings. You can print it again for brothers and sisters, or to revisit direct speech a few weeks later.
Where this skill fits
Before this sheet, children will have told and drawn simple stories and written sentences with a clear beginning, middle and end. They may have met inverted commas in books and used them in short pieces of writing.
After this sheet, children can plan longer stories with more than one event and use direct speech in their own writing. They can also try different speech verbs and add detail about how characters feel and why.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Friendship Fix Comic Strip for?
It is written for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9), in Key Stage 2. Younger children can tell the story aloud and draw it, and older children can write more detail.
- What will children practise?
They plan a short narrative with a problem and a resolution. They also punctuate direct speech with inverted commas when they write one panel as a story sentence.
- Is it free to print?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or a later revisit of direct speech.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children can add colour with pencils if they want to, but it is not needed.
- What if my child does not like drawing?
Stick figures and simple shapes are enough. The pictures are there to plan the story. If drawing is a struggle, let your child tell you each panel aloud first, then sketch quickly.
- What is on page 2?
Page 2 is for the grown-up. It has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard, a stretch idea and answers. Each comic is your child's own, so use the answers as a guide.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. Writing by hand also gives children practice with punctuation.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.