Friendships are one of the most important and valuable parts of childhood

Here are a few ways to help support your child’s friendships…

1. Model that you care.

• Let your child know that you feel friendships are important and worth the effort.
• Get to know your child’s friends – remaining involved in your child’s social life is important regardless of their age.

2. Give them opportunities to make new friends.

• Help your child to make friends by inviting classmates over, setting up playgroups, or signing them up for extracurricular activities. Children need practice at friendships!
• Have your child play with others who are of different ages and backgrounds.

3. Practice with them.

• Try role playing friendship situations. For example, “what would you do if you wanted to introduce yourself to a new child in your class?”

4. Understand your child’s social style.

• Note that some children enjoy having a lot of friends, while others prefer a few close friends; some make friends quickly, others warm up to friends slowly.

Here are some book suggestions (for grownups) that deal with encouraging friendships in children:

• Good Friends are Hard To Find by Fred Frankel
• Cap it Off With a Smile: A Guide for Making and Keeping Friends by Robin Inwald
• Nobody Likes Me: Helping Your Child Make Friends by Elaine McEwan

For information on how to help children deal with getting in a fight with a friend,

click here.

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Photo courtesy of youth.biola.edu

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