Is it difficult for your kid to make friends? With these ideas and activities for establishing friends at school, you can help him feel more self-assured.
Not only is it enjoyable, but having friends is crucial for a child. Children's communication, sharing, empathy, problem-solving, and creativity all benefit greatly from friendships. "Friends teach kids how to get along with people and interact in the outside world.
Shyness can prevent some kids from making friends, even though some youngsters are inherently outgoing. However, shyness is "one of the things we can truly assist children overcome," according to Gail Gross, Ph.D., a psychologist and expert on child development in Houston, Texas. There's no need to make your kid a social butterfly, but how about making him feel more at ease in social situations? Absolutely conceivable, according to Dr. Gross. Teach your kid the social skills that will make him more at ease and confident in meeting friends.
Developing Social Skills
Learn to say hi. Encourage your child to introduce himself and ask a stranger for his name. Alternatively, propose a game your kid can play with a friend. According to Dr. Gross, teaching your child social cues and age-appropriate social skills through practice and rehearsal in a secure and loving environment will encourage him. Until he feels more at ease with the conventions of meeting someone new, your child can practise greeting manners with family members and family friends.
Take baby steps at first. "Start by gradually introducing your youngster to social situations in little doses every day. Your youngster will learn how to feel secure and confident via the protection of your parental participation "says Dr. Gross. So pass on that drop-off birthday party with twenty kids and choose instead to take a little stroll with the neighbour next door and her daughter to the frozen yoghurt shop.
Set up a playdate at your house. Dr. Thiese advises hosting a playdate at your house and providing an activity that requires less conversation and more participation because shy kids feel more at ease there. By doing this, your child can work on her shyness without feeling overwhelmed by a new situation.
keep your presence. According to Dr. Gross, it's crucial to be there for your child early on when she interacts with other kids. "Stay around if you set up a playdate so your child is supported by her home team."
Develop trust. Make sure that playtimes you schedule have a beginning and an end that can be observed clearly. "Make sure you say goodbye and depart after 30 minutes if you tell your child he will visit his friend for 30 minutes," advises Dr. Gross. Tell your youngster if you're going to the other room to use the bathroom or to make a phone call so that he doesn't look up and discover you gone. "Boost your social skills and confidence. The basis for trust is experience. Your kid will learn to trust himself and thus others if he can trust you."
Tips for Maintaining Friendships
Kids are typically able to establish their own relationships, but they can need assistance interacting in these social settings.
If her best friend decides they no longer want to be friends, Bonnie Toth, a preschool teacher in Las Vegas, advises helping your child practise the appropriate words to use when unhappy. She could say, "I don't see why you don't want to be friends."
If he has to apologize, teach your children to be explicit about what they are sorry about, advises Rancho Cucamonga, California, mother of two and second-grade teacher Janet Nasir. Then have them ask, "How can I make you feel better?" as a follow-up.
If she feels she hasn't broken any laws: How Full Is Your Bucket? by Mary Reckmeyer and Tom Rath is cited by Red Bluff, California, first-grade teacher Lauren Tingley. "Are you filling or emptying your buckets? I'll ask. That occasionally enables my daughter to recognise when she is being catty."
If he claims to have no one to play with during recess, suggest that he initiate play rather than waiting to be invited to participate. That's frequently all it takes, claims Nasir!
