Not all children are born as social butterflies and not all kids have charismatic and extrovert personalities. For some, it’s not easy to make friends and socialize with their peers, especially those who grew up without siblings or have introvert personalities.
As parents, you play a big role to help your child develop these very important skills. Nothing hurts more than seeing your child getting hurt, alone or rejected by others.
It can be challenging but here are 4 strategies that you can follow to help you in this situation.
1. Talk to your child every day.
Whenever he/she comes home from school, make it a daily ritual to sit and talk to him/her about how the day went. Do this while giving full attention, not when you are multitasking. How can your child learn how to open up and socialize with his/her teachers and friends at school when he/she can’t even talk to you at home? By doing this daily ritual, you are letting your child to become comfortable in making conversations and a chance to encourage your child to open up and socialize with other others.
2. Encourage your child to join school activities.
Getting your child active in school activities that showcase their talents like dancing, singing, band, etc. will boost their self-confidence and interact with their peers. This will also provide many opportunities for socialization.
3. …or join a sports team.
If your kid isn’t into music, dancing or arts, encourage him/her to engage in sports. Being in a sports team won’t just be a good exercise for your child but is also the perfect opportunity to learn about communication, cooperation and team work.
4. Keep an eye out for teasing or bullying.
Sometimes, your child doesn’t say or show certain behaviors at home. So talk to your child’s teacher and see if he/she has observed anything different with your child or if he/she is experiencing difficulties dealing with other children. Sometimes, a child becomes socially withdrawn because of bullying and this certainly needs immediate attention. Children who are bullied rarely shares this with anyone so as parents, you need to be attentive and keen to watch out if your child is going through this problem.
