Making Friends. Helping your child make social connections
When a child has good, healthy friendships, the benefits can include - increased self-esteem and appropriate emotional growth. As a parent, you have already laid a friendship foundation for your child. As your children grow, they will begin to form new social connections, and it is helpful to:
1. Know what is going on developmentally with your child so that your expectations for behaviours are in line with your child’s developmental abilities.
2. Be aware of and accept your child’s temperament so you can support your child in the way that works best for each one.
3. Take action to help your child make connections with other children:
• Set up play dates.
• Find an activity they love so they can meet children with similar interests.
• Ask your child’s teacher about their classroom interactions and connections with other students.
• Bring your children along sometimes when you spend time with your friends so you can show them what a healthy friendship looks like.
• Try not to expect too much, too soon. Relationships among young children can change often as children grow and develop.
• Be aware of signs of unhealthy relationships or bullying, such as faking illness, changes in habits, or lost belongings
Questions to ask your children as they make friends:
“Who do you know that likes to do the same things you do?”
“What makes someone a good friend? How do they make you feel?”
“What is one kind thing you did for someone today?”
When something negative happens with a friend, ask your child “What can you do differently next time? How do you think your friend is feeling?”
