Being social is important for people of all ages. That’s how we can learn about the world, build self-image and get support. Usually, children develop their social skills intuitively, but not all kids can easily make friends in kindergarten or school. Sometimes they can’t get accepted, sometimes they can’t stop getting shy around new people, or they feel too attached to their parents. Difficulty making friends can lead to low self-esteem. If you see that your kids have this problem, help them to overcome it.
First of all, teach your children the basics. Your kid should understand that everyone has personal space that should be respected. Explain the importance of asking permission before taking someone’s stuff, entering the room etc.. In this case, you should be an example for your kid. For instance, if you want them to knock the door before coming to your bedroom, do the same; let your kids feel important.
Secondly, teach your kids empathy, so that they will understand why people behave in certain ways. Show them this in practice. For example, your son doesn’t want to invite a girl from class to his birthday party. Ask the reasons and then explain why that girl might feel left out.
Let your kids spend time with others. Of course, you want your kid to clean the room, do their homework, read books and play a musical instrument in the first place. If you want your kids to learn how to interact with people and make friends, let them go outside and play!
Teach your kids classic playground games. Children don’t start the conversation asking ‘what do you do for a living?’. They play! There are a lot of games where your kid doesn’t need to have a phone: kickball, hide and seek, red rover, Simon says or duck-duck-goose.
Check out fun games your kids can play outdoors, according to PDPlay:
