Just like adults, every child has a desire to make friends. It's a natural instinct, but they may need a little help. Children develop friendships differently from adults, they must first learn social skills. These skills include learning how to communicate, solve problems, cooperate, and negotiate. Here are a few tips to help your child develop friendships:

Create opportunities for your child to meet others:

• Set up play dates.
• Host family gatherings like backyard BQs, Christmas dinner etc., so your child can interact with family members and friends.
• Involve your child in activities such as ballet, sports etc. where they can meet other children and interact.
• Alternate with other parents driving the children to and from various activities. (I was a carpool mom for years and thoroughly enjoyed it).

Show Support:

• Listen to your child when they talk. They will tell you what they're thinking in their own way and words.
• Ask questions so they will talk to you.
• Take the time to get to know your child's friends. Have sleep overs with pizza parties or bake cookies. (I learned alot about my daughter's friends by having sleep overs).
• Get to know the parent's of your child's friends.

Be An Example for Your Child:

• Show your child how you interact with your friends. They will learn from you.
• Give your friends lots of compliments. This will boost your friend's self-esteem, but also teach your child to give compliments to their friends.
• Laugh! Your child will learn to have a sense of humor.
• Avoid arguments with your friends in front of your children. If it's unavoidable explain to your child that it's okay to have a disagreement and work out your issues.

Lead the way and your children will follow. They will develop meaningful friendships that will last a lifetime.

mother-2-mother.blogspot.com

Comments

Rhonda Gales Owner, Mother-2-Mohther

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The owner of Mother Love Baby has stolen this article from my site Mother-2-Mother, http://www.mother-2-mother.blogspot.com. She has approximately 50 articles that she has stolen from my blog and has placed them on this site without my permission. She actually had the nerve to change some of the pictures from my blog and added her own.

Be careful who you follow.

Thursday 25 February 2010, 12:07

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