Making New Friends
Hello Again, Friends, and welcome back to the counseling blog! As we begin this school year, we are focused on helping children feel comfortable and safe in their new classroom. Perhaps your child, like my son, didn't get any of their friends from last year in their class, and they might be feeling sad, lonely or alone. How can we help them identify those feelings, validate them, and still help them to be happy? Well, one solution is to help them discover that they have great things to offer and they can make new friends!
Even though not knowing any of their friends from last year may seem like small problem to you, it's a big deal to a child. During the elementary school years, children really build their identity on who their friends are, and those alliances are important! We have to help guide our children to understand that while their friendships are by no means "over" because they aren't in the same class ( there's always recess!), it is important to move forward and take steps to make new friends. How do we help them do this?
I like to use the movie Toy Story as an example of making new, and even unlikely, friends. After all, Woody really didn't like Buzz when he first got to Andy's house...but after they got to know each other they became great friends! Sometimes it's hard for children, especially if they're shy or have anxiety, to go out on a limb and strike up a conversation with a new friend. We can help them feel more comfortable doing so by role playing this situation. If you watch Toy Story, you can then have a discussion with your child about how Woody and Buzz became friends, and what choices each character made to add to the friendship (or take away from the friendship!). This discussion helps put the process of making new friends into a context that is easy for children to relate to.
Additionally, as I mentioned above, you can role play with your child. Have them be themselves, and ask them to pretend that you are another child in the classroom that they don't know. How would they talk to you? What kind of things could they ask to get to know you? Could they invite you to play when it's time for recess? You can then switch roles and model how you would do it, too.
Encouraging children to role play helps because children are naturally inclined to communicate through play and imagination, and your child feels safe practicing with you. It's a simple and effective method to assist your child in making new friends.
Don't forget, you can utilize your child's counselor as well if you are concerned that your child is feeling isolated. Most counselors run small groups, and this can be a great way for your child to meet new friends in a less intimidating and much smaller group size than the classroom. Just contact your child's school counselor to ask about what kinds of groups are provided.
As always, thank you for visiting the blog! I hope you find these tips helpful. And remember, we are all kids, at heart.
Have a blessed day!
Amber
Even though not knowing any of their friends from last year may seem like small problem to you, it's a big deal to a child. During the elementary school years, children really build their identity on who their friends are, and those alliances are important! We have to help guide our children to understand that while their friendships are by no means "over" because they aren't in the same class ( there's always recess!), it is important to move forward and take steps to make new friends. How do we help them do this?
I like to use the movie Toy Story as an example of making new, and even unlikely, friends. After all, Woody really didn't like Buzz when he first got to Andy's house...but after they got to know each other they became great friends! Sometimes it's hard for children, especially if they're shy or have anxiety, to go out on a limb and strike up a conversation with a new friend. We can help them feel more comfortable doing so by role playing this situation. If you watch Toy Story, you can then have a discussion with your child about how Woody and Buzz became friends, and what choices each character made to add to the friendship (or take away from the friendship!). This discussion helps put the process of making new friends into a context that is easy for children to relate to.
Additionally, as I mentioned above, you can role play with your child. Have them be themselves, and ask them to pretend that you are another child in the classroom that they don't know. How would they talk to you? What kind of things could they ask to get to know you? Could they invite you to play when it's time for recess? You can then switch roles and model how you would do it, too.
Encouraging children to role play helps because children are naturally inclined to communicate through play and imagination, and your child feels safe practicing with you. It's a simple and effective method to assist your child in making new friends.
Don't forget, you can utilize your child's counselor as well if you are concerned that your child is feeling isolated. Most counselors run small groups, and this can be a great way for your child to meet new friends in a less intimidating and much smaller group size than the classroom. Just contact your child's school counselor to ask about what kinds of groups are provided.
As always, thank you for visiting the blog! I hope you find these tips helpful. And remember, we are all kids, at heart.
Have a blessed day!
Amber
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