Helping Your Kids Make Friends: How Parents Can Encourage Their Children To Be Social

Parenting is made up of so many different components. It’s the kind of job you never get a break from, even when your child is fully grown and doing their best to be independent! Mainly, you’re never going to get a break from teaching your child new things, from the moment they're born and rely on you for everything, to the moment they’re 18, at college, and call you to ask for laundry tips. 

One of the things every parent has to teach their children is how to make new friends. It’s something that can be tricky in a variety of ways, and not all kids get along when they first meet each other. The more you encourage your child to be open, outgoing, and friendly, the more likely they are to forge firm relationships that could even last a lifetime. 

So what can you do, as a parent, to help your child be sociable in a way that suits them? The ideas below could be great for getting them talking with other kids, and learning how to understand, support, and have fun with friends. 

Encourage Their Sense of Friendliness
Encouraging friendliness can be a very effective way to help your child make friends. After all, a simple smile and a hello is usually all that’s required when you’re younger! 

So encourage them to be friendly to other kids around them, and show them how easy and simple that can be. For example, if they notice a child in their class sitting alone at break time, encourage them to go over and say hi, and then ask if they want to play something together. 

Or if you go to the playpark together, let them know they can ask to play on the same equipment with another child. Whether this is the swing set or the carousel, encourage them to ask before they take a seat, as this could lead to the two having fun together.  

Ask if They’d Like Friends to Come Over
Arranging a playdate or a sleepover is a lovely way to encourage long term friendships. Make sure you ask your child if they’d like to have anyone come over this week, and if they say yes, try to get in touch with the other parent. 

Not only does this make being social a part of normal home life as well, it ensures your child has a rounder social life than just spending time at school with the kids they like. This can teach them that friends have a more stable place in their life than just being people they see occasionally. 

However, it’s important to double check with your child that a playdate will be OK before arranging one. When encouraging children to be social, it’s always preferable to include them in the process. They’re less likely to feel pressured, and at the very least, you’ll make sure they’re happy to spend time with a friend while they’re at home! 

See if They’d Like to Join a Club
Joining a club gives a child more opportunities to meet new kids and make new friends. Most children only have their school schedule to depend on for this, so providing another consistent source of socialization can be very healthy. And there’s a club out there for everyone, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find something your child will be interested in. 

Of course, if they really don’t want to go to a club, be sure to listen. Making them go anyway could make it much harder for them to see these situations as a good thing. They may get bored, frustrated, and feel totally negative about attending a club; none of these feelings are conducive to making some new friends!

But if your child loves the idea of a club, or wouldn’t mind attending one to see how it is, go through a list of the local clubs with them and see what they like the look of. 

If your child loves physical activity, attending a nearby gymnastics class or signing up for a soccer league could be great for them. If your child prefers to draw and paint, they could join a kids’ art class. And if your child has multiple interests, let them try out as many different clubs as they like to find one or two they’d really like to attend long term. 

Talk About What to Do When a Friend Upsets You
All kids run into trouble with their friends. Whether they feel left out, or their friend refuses to share with them, or someone they thought was a friend does something mean, your child is likely to have a friendship issue to deal with. ​