Making Friends At School
Some of the most important relationships that children have are those with their friends at school. Navigating these friendships helps children learn about themselves and feel safe knowing that they ‘belong’ in a group. In here, you’ll find some tips to help your kids on how to make friends at school.Tips On How To Make Friends At School
Standing back and watching as children develop their social skills can be tricky when all you want to do is step in and help them out! I’m sure we’ve all felt our hearts break a little when we’ve seen one of our children left out of a game in the playground. While this can be a tricky question to answer, these tips on how to make friends at school might just be the thing you’re looking for.
1. Get to know your child’s friends
Your children’s friends are important to them, acknowledge this by asking questions, and taking an interest in their social circle. We like to have a playdate at least once each holiday as a chance to get to know our daughters’ friends – we’ve met some lovely families doing this!
2. Help shy children practice making new friends
Roleplay at home with some simple icebreakers to help your child feel more at ease with approaching their peers in the playground and striking up a conversation. Sometimes, children feel self-conscious trying to make a new friend, so having a few questions to get them started will make them feel more confident.3. Encourage conflict resolution skills like compromise and sharing
Teaching a child to retaliate is not a good strategy to use at school. It’s also against school rules so it will most likely end them in trouble. Instead, help them practice saying no and standing up for themselves in a respectful way.4. Speak to your child about their feelings when friendship troubles arise
Help them to identify exactly what caused them to feel upset. Talk about a strategy to solve the problem if ever it happens again.
5. Encourage children to have a wide variety of friends in their circle
This will help them to further develop their social skills and sense of belongingness. Plus, having more friends means having more playmates.6. Don’t force a friendship onto your child
Being social with another parent at school doesn’t automatically mean that your kids will get along! You can still chat with your friends at the school gate, even if your children don’t hang out in the playground.7. Stop the urge to solve playground problems
I know this can be hard – I’ve been there myself! Meet with the teacher to share your concerns and allow them to work with the children at school.Some Things About The Author
Lauren is a teacher, wife, and mom of three children, aged 9, 6, and 1. She started her blog Love, Laughter, and Learning in Prep in 2012 to share ideas and support other teachers wanting to make learning hands-on and engaging. Now with children herself, she combines her teaching and parenting experience to create resources that are developmentally appropriate and fun. When not busy in the classroom or at home, Lauren enjoys traveling, the beach, and reading a good book.Have more tips on how to make friends at school?
We would love to know more about your tips! Share them with us on Facebook or Instagram and who knows, we might just feature them in one of our future blogs.Educational Resources And More
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