Key Takeaways – Help Child Make New Friends
- Encourage your child to engage in activities with potential new friends, making it less intimidating to initiate contact.
- Create opportunities for your child to interact with other children, like outings to the park, to help them overcome shyness.
- Build connections with the parents of new neighbors and arrange playdates to ease your child’s transition into new friendships.
- Arrange playdates with cousins or familiar children to develop social skills and learn to get along with others in a more comfortable setting.
- Teaching your child how to make new friends is crucial for their confidence, social development, and adaptability in various life situations.
There are times when your child will need to learn how to make new friends. These times include when they starting school or changing to a new school, if you move, or if people have moved into your neighborhood. This can be scary for some kids. Here are some ways to help your child make new friends.
Give them something to do with the new friend. Asking another child to play in the sprinklers is less intimidating than just asking them to play. Your child will not have to worry about thinking of something to do when the friend comes over.
Find instances when your child can talk to other children. When you go to the park, help your child say hi and be friendly to other kids. This will help them get over the shyness that can come when talking to someone they don’t know.
Make friends with the parents of new neighbors, and invite them and their children over. This can be less stressful for your kids and give them the confidence they need. You are close by, and they can watch you make new friends as well. Your example can teach them.
Start out by having cousins come play if possible. If your child hasn’t played with a lot of children, this can be an easy way to learn the social skills to get along with others. Family members are easier because you already know them, and they are less forgiving if your child decides to bite their child.
Helping your child learn to make new friends is a great way to give them the confidence they need in school and throughout life. Using these tips and others can help make finding new friends easier.
