Friends are important for your child's development
Importance of friendship for a child
Friendship is an important aspect for every one including children because it helps in development of personality and gain knowledge on different subjects. Friends are important in a child’s life because they are kind of his medium to look at the various points of views of outside world, which are different from his home’s atmosphere. He learns about so many things from friends, which the children who have no friends, never learn. For instance, children with no friends never know the meaning of co existence, care for each other and living in harmony. To know and stay with their friends help them keep away from depression as well because children learn so much during their games and forget about their problems.
The children remain at best of their best physical and mental status while among their friends. There is not a single point to dispute the fact that friendship helps in general development of a child without any doubt. The number of friends is not an important point but how a child behaves and accepts him therefore the deepness of friendship makes a big difference in how he manages his friends, which is one of the most important factors in his mental development. You as apparent can help him making friends and for that, you shall have to teach him three crucial points-
1- How to tackle children whom he has never met before that is to teach him the methods to tackle total strangers.
2- This is important to teach him how to stay cool and how to handle others with positive frame of mind in worst of situations.
3- In case of a difference with someone how to come out with a solution, which is agreeable to both the parties, this should help him take important decisions in worst of situations.
To make him an expert on these points, you shall have to take a deep look on his habits and personality also you shall have to see if he needs to improve some of his basics to tackle his friends whole heartedly and learns to behave well, while he is in company of his friends. You should understand his qualities try the following tips-
A- Check him minutely while he is playing with other kids in a park and see how he behaves with others, compared to other children. This is important to know about his adaptability and way to treat others.
B- This is your best opportunity to see whether he tries to interfere with others work, games, or tries to mingle with them easily. This is also the chance for you to know his other qualities like leadership, follower or on equal terms. You would also know about his other qualities whether he makes it a point to weep if his wishes not fulfilled or take them in his stride.
One must learn beginning from the very beginning
One must learn every thing in a systematic way and this is as true in case of your child learning the art of making good friends. You should tell him the importance of friends and art of having good relations with them. Describe every thing in a manner that he understands them well, one by one in a phased manner. Familiarize him with different terms like how to introduce himself with strangers. For instance if a new student admitted in his class and he finds him worth making his friend he can always take a step forward and introduce himself. A simple plane ‘hello’ should do the trick or your child can invite him for sharing his lunch with him. If there is a games’ period in between, your child can always offer him to play with him. These are small things but very effective in the end, which show your child in his true colors.
You can help him make good friends
Just teach him how to develop skill of making good friends by playing the role of a stranger wit him and teach him the finer points. I am sure he would love to see you play the role of a stranger and would grab the points easily. You can ask your child to offer you his friendship offer treating you as a stranger. That should help take some of his basic hitches while going for the real act. While playing the role of a stranger with your child it would be worth telling him the possible situations those may arise while at the action in real time like his reactions, his questions etc but this mock practice would certainly take his doubts away besides a sense of confidence would develop to make him sure.
Encourage him
The best way to encourage you child is to avoid criticizing him unnecessarily but to tell him that whatever he did was right unless he has not done some thing terribly wrong. Even if you find few minor mistakes, you can ignore them and instruct him to do better in future by telling him the right way of handling the situation. However, this is not the right way to prove him wrong at every point, because that would shatter his confidence to a level, where you may find it hard to amend it. You have to keep in mind that your child should know it beyond any doubt that you are trying to teach him the best ways even while you are playing with him the game of making friends that would make him more confident and he would learn easily. However, keep your children away from social networking sites because that is not a proper way to make friends especially for young ones.
You shall have to handle him with care
Although it sounds as easy as 1-2-3 but the fact is that it is not as easy because this is your test of patience. Do not think for a moment that teaching your child about social behavior and art of making friends is an easy task. It may take weeks or months before you finish giving him initial training and it may prove more difficult if your child has no aptitude, attitude problem or not willing besides the capabilities differ from child to child or person to person. You shall have to be willing, keep patience, sympathetic and motivating all the time to train your child for the desired results.
Photo source- wikipedia
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