Essential Friendship Skills You Should Teach Your Children

The average working parent will painstakingly research the various daycare centers in their area before deciding which one to enroll their child in. Selecting a great daycare helps to set a parent’s mind at ease when having to leave their little one to earn a living. Ideally, you want to provide your child with the tools they need to thrive in their new environment.

One of the main things you need to teach your children when they start attending daycare is the importance of friendship. Studies have shown that friendships provide children with a sense of security and belonging. Children who can easily make friends are also less stressed and have a happier disposition.

Below are some important friendship skills you need to teach your children.

The Importance of Smiling

Teaching your child about the importance of making a great first impression is vital. When being approached by a potential friend, you need to ensure your child realizes the importance of putting their best foot forward. The first element in making a good impression on new people is smiling. Making sure your child knows to stand up straight, smile, and make eye contact when speaking with new people is important.

With these elements in place, your child will be more approachable. Projecting a positive demeanor will allow your child to make friends in just about any environment. Role-playing a bit with your child is a great way to get them more comfortable with smiling and greeting new people.

Sharing is an Essential Social Skill

When attending daycare for the first time, a child will be exposed to a new world. One of the main things a child will have to learn in the daycare setting is how to share with the people around them. This can be very difficult for a child that has grown up in a home with no siblings. Instead of setting your child up for failure, you need to teach them about the importance of sharing from an early age.

A child that is comfortable with sharing tends to have a much easier time making friends. You also need to encourage your child to share about themselves with new people. Not only is this type of sharing a great tool for starting conversations, but it can also help shy children come out of their shells.

Help Your Child Develop Coping Strategies

There will come a time when your child is confronted with emotions involving sadness and anger. Feeling rejected by a group of children at the daycare is something that is bound to happen. Instead of sending your child into this setting unprepared, you need to provide them with coping strategies to use when these situations arise.

Letting your child know that lashing out and overacting in these situations will only make them worse is crucial. If a child knows how to regulate their emotions in the daycare setting, they can get over these hardships in a relatively short amount of time.

By implementing these great tips, you can help your child make new friends in daycare.