HOW YOUNG CHILDREN MAKE FRIENDS
The world we live in has a beautiful experience to offer and we enjoy life in a different way when we are surrounded by amazing people, we can call our friends.
As we journey in life, we definitely can’t do without associating ourselves with people and this helps us to meet new people who end up becoming dear to our hearts.
It is not a surprise to parents when their children get back from school and all they want to talk about are the new friends they have.
Friendship is very important to children. It is crucial for their development.
Making friends is a major part of children’s social and emotional development.
Children make friends on the playground, at the park, at parties, at sporting events, in the library, and during camp but school is one place they certainly make friends from.
Most children definitely tend to get close to particular pupils in their classes and become friends with them.
The presence of good friends in the lives of our children makes a huge difference.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF MAKING FRIENDS
- Friendship increases the children’s wisdom; it builds their confidence and self-esteem.
- Friendship helps children learn and practice social skills, such as problem-solving, managing disagreements, cooperation, communication, sharing, following directions, empathy, listening, patience, and taking turns.
- Friendship helps children learn how to respond to the emotions of others and how to control their own emotions.
- Friendship can affect children’s performance in school. Some children have better attitudes about school and learning when they have friends within the same environment.
- Children understand the true meaning of friendship.
- Children learn leadership skills.
It is important that parents teach their children how to build intentional and productive friendships.
One of the things parents can do for their children is to have a loving, acceptable, and courteous relationship with them.
This relationship is the beginning of all the future relationships they will have and this includes friendships.
In order to make friendship a beautiful experience for our children, there are certain things parents can do to help them.
HOW CAN PARENTS HELP THEIR CHILDREN MAKE FRIENDS?
- Parents can teach their children how to be kind, nice, and friendly to others.
- Encourage the children to practice sharing and taking turns.
- Encourage them to learn to listen to others.
- Talk to your children frequently without distraction. This helps them learn how to hold conversations.
- Teach them how to handle
- Show them how to be cheerful and put a smile on their faces when meeting with other children.
- You can teach them different greeting techniques they can use with new friends and allow them to practice these greetings at home with their parents and siblings till they feel comfortable enough to greet potential friends.
- Parents need to be good to their own friends, and let the children learn how to be good friends from you.
- Teach them how to follow rules by playing games with them and ensure they follow the rules of the games.
- Show them how to be caring and show empathy towards others.
- Organize places where your children can meet up with other children. A good example will be supervised play dates, the beach, the park, and the pool. You can also plan picnics, movies, games, or sports.
Ensure you keep an eye on your children when playing with their friends especially if they are very young, so you can step in if they begin to have squabbles.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THE RIGHT ASSOCIATION.
Parents will always remain the first teacher of their children, and as a result, we have the responsibility of ensuring that our children are properly aware of good and bad associations. Our children will end up meeting different people in life, but in order for them to keep good friends we are to guide them on what to look out for before making friends.
PRAY FOR TRUE FRIENDSHIP IN OUR CHILDREN’S LIVES
It is important that we pray to God concerning our children’s friendship.
Having true friendship in their lives is a great plus.
It is good for our children to form friendships that will impact them positively at the end of the day.
We cannot be there to pick friends for our children but we can pray for them.
CONCLUSION
Your children must be happy and comfortable with their friends.
If they have no friends, it is advisable that you have a discussion with their teachers, and the school counselor, for additional advice.
Friendship is very important and beneficial to children.
Friendships have an incredible impact on the lives of our children. Some impacts are positive, and some are negative. Friendships can also motivate or distract children.
We should know that making and keeping friends doesn’t always come easily.
It is critical that as parents, we should guide our children and pray along to ensure they make wise choices when choosing friends.
