![]() ![]() If you’re concerned, talk to your child’s teacher to find out more. Or if your child said hurtful things, you could role-play saying sorry. You and your child could role-play how to join in. For example, if your child’s friend is playing with someone else, your child could play with other children in a larger group. Then you could suggest ideas for sorting things out. This will help you find out what’s happening. When your child comes to you with a friendship problem, spend some time talking and listening. How can I help my child sort it out?Īt primary school, children often have disagreements with their friends, but they usually sort them out quite quickly. My child argued with a friend at school today. For more tips, read our article on moving schools.Ħ. Ask at school about strategies for helping new children fit in – a buddy system, for example.This can help your child meet other children who share the same interests. Consider involving your child in an out-of-school activity, like sport, drama, craft or music.This could be a playdate with other children from your child’s class, at a family gathering or at a local park. ![]() Give your child plenty of opportunities to play with other children.For example, you could help your child practise saying, ‘Hello. Some children might need to practise doing this. How can I help my child make friends?Ī good first step in making friends is for your child to meet and talk with children that they don’t know. Our article on play has more information about how school-age children play together, as well as some of the games they like to play. Your child might move from one friend or group to another until they find someone who shares their interests. As they get older, school-age children tend to have one or two close friends, plus a wider group of friends that they also play with. This is because they haven’t yet narrowed down their preference for particular children. In the early years of school, children often play with different children across the week. Why does my child seem to play with different friends each day? If your child wants to make more friends, our article on supporting school-age friendships can help. Your child doesn’t need to have a large group of friends to feel happy, confident and accepted. Some children are happy with just a few close friends, or even one friend. Is it OK that my child has only a few friends? One way to do this is by focusing on your child’s strengths and efforts. You could also work on your child’s self-esteem and confidence to join in with play at school. Schools often have ways of helping children to feel included – for example, ‘buddy’ programs where an older student is the ‘buddy’ of a younger student, or a buddy bench in the playground.ĭepending on your child’s age, you might also be able to arrange some after-school playdates with a classmate to encourage friendships. If it seems to be an ongoing problem, you can talk with your child’s teacher to find out more and get help. Your child might need to learn the rules of a new game so they can join in, or your child might need some things to say so they can invite others to play with them. When your child is ready to talk, you can ask what happened and why your child thinks no-one likes them. When your child tells you something like this, they might need some help talking about their feelings or they might prefer some quiet time. No-one likes to feel this way, and no-one wants a child to feel this way – but it happens to most children at one time or another. My child came home from school and said ‘No-one likes me’. Supporting your school-age child’s friendships is a great way to get to know your child’s friends and might also help put your mind at ease.īut if you’re feeling worried or anxious and your worries are interfering with everyday life, it’s a good idea to seek professional help. These worries can be especially common as children become more independent and more interested in making their own friends – for example, when they start school. Parents often worry about whether their children have enough friends, are happy in their friendships, are getting along well with other children and so on. Is it common to worry about children’s friends and friendships? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |