Author Archives: Dominique Hudson

I’m quite the friendly person, and I love surrounding myself with people and simply interact with them. I am lucky – not a lot of people find making friends that easy.

When I started school, I remembered having fun while playing with the other kids. However, I can’t help noticing one or two kids (in all the grade levels I’ve been) who are so shy that they’d rather keep to themselves.

I don’t agree with parents who meddle with their child’s life in every way possible, but I do think it’s important for parents to teach kids the ways of life such as how to make friends. Here are some tips:

Arrange playdates. If your child mentions someone from playschool or from the neighborhood, ask him if he would like that child to come over. If the answer is yes, call the parents and invite them over. A child or two should be enough, and it would be best that they’re the same age with your child or just a bit older. Older kids tend to initiate more, and playing isn’t fun when someone tells you what to do.

Get yourself involved. Just don’t overdo it. The idea is to introduce the kids to different activities (such as playing hide-and-seek or jumping on the trampoline) and to be available in case a conflict comes up. Don’t hang around too much but make the kids know that you’re available whenever you are needed.

Get a pet. New people are strangers, and strangers are scary. This might be why your child doesn’t like interacting with new kids. Consider getting a pet to help him warm up. It encourages kids to practice their social skills but in a non-threatening environment and this is a nice way to make kids feel that it’s safe to open up their feelings.

To find out more about behavioral issues in children we suggest visiting this website about better parenting.