Making Friends As A Pre-Schooler

Now that your child is a pre-schooler, making friends is an important part of her development. Some kids make friends easily, while some are a bit slower to warm up to new people. Just like adults, some kids get energy while around other people, and other kids find it draining and overwhelming. Friendships help children feel like they belong, but each has his or her own rhythm.

The main way that your pre-schooler makes friends is during play. Through play, she builds the skills that will help her make, build and maintain friendships. These skills include sharing, cooperating, listening, taking turns, and surviving disagreements.

At home if your child has a sibling, a lot of these skills can come by more easily, since a lot of negotiation takes place between brothers and sisters. Regardless, when your child plays games with you at home, she is learning the skills that will help her make friends outside the home.

Here are some small things you can do to help her become a good friend:

• Talk with her about who she likes to play with and what they like to play. This can help you set up playdates with people she appreciates.
• Set up playtime dates in your home or in a park, and invite the children she seems to get along with the most.
• Hide her favorite toys during playdates. This will avoid major arguments.
• Stick around and watch them play. Your child will feel reassured, especially if she doesn’t know her playdates well.
• Set a time limit for the playdate, to make sure that the children are not tired by the end of it. When children get tired, they find it hard to cooperate.

Reference: http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/preschool_friends.html