Friends make all the difference to your child’s growth as individuals. It gives your child the tools to be themselves, as well as learning how to be confident, clear and rounded communicators. All of what a child can learn may well be found in the friends they make, and some friends can easily last a lifetime.
However, making friends in the first place can be a difficult process, especially when your child is in nursery. This can make your child feel nervous and stressed when nursery is meant to be a wonderful place for them to learn.
Here are some top tips to help your child find new friends at their nursery, courtesy of this private nursery in London.
Observe how your child behaves socially
One of the first steps is learning how your child already socialises with others. There are some areas where your child just genuinely struggles, which is not a major issue if it can be looked into over time. Remember, your child is only a toddler after all and they’re going to develop their skills immensely as they age.
Give them room to breathe at first, and assess how they do in the nursery for the first few weeks. Teachers can help your child learn how to socialise with others by exploring activities and playing games together. From here, you can work out how best to support your child in making lifelong friends.
Role play conversations at home
Part of learning how to socialise is in the art of making conversations and interactions with your child freely. It’ll give your child the chance to practice how they should talk to others when they’re being given the freedom to test their skills on you.
Make a welcoming environment for them to talk to you within and advise them on how best to talk to others. There could be a range of things to talk about with your child, which is why your child should be talking to you as much as they can about all sorts of things. It can feel like rambling at times – but let your child explore the many different things that make them curious every day.
Don’t forget play dates
These are very popular with children as they get to hang out with a range of different children and get to play for a few hours. Parents also like this idea to give their own children the chance to talk to others and get the most out of socialising. It’s a fun and exciting way to test how your child gets on in different scenarios.
*Collaborative post
About Debz Louise
Debz Louise is a UK-based lifestyle expert and the founder of several lifestyle blogs, including Wannabe Princess and Under 5s. Specializing in everything from interior design and home renovation to body-positive fashion and early years development,