Peer/Friendship/School Issues

Challenge

Does your child come home seemingly dejected, deflated, or defeated after school?

Does your child make friends easily,  but often has something go wrong and so loses friends just as easily?

Does your child have difficulty in picking up the social cues, non-verbal language or "unwritten rules" that are crucial in making friends at school?

Does your child feel like they just don't fit in?

Kid with friendship issues can regularly experience conflict, which creates significant stress. This can lead to them craving acceptance from peer groups, and may often lead towards them having unhealthy relationships and/or behaviours. School can be a particularly difficult time for any kid, where cliques, exclusive groups and 'popular' students begin to form.

Options

In situations like this, where your child may feel left out or be in the middle of a warring friendship conflict, it's important to remember that there is hope, and your child's feelings matter. These issues can lead to children feeling isolated and alone.

Your love and support are crucial, and so are developing effective ways to assist children in building their social and friendship skills. These can include assisting your child to understand some of their patterns, and learning new skills such as dealing with peer pressure and friendship selection, and improving their communication, conversations, assertiveness and reading body language skills. Assisting your child in feeling more confident with social interactions is important. There are fun and interactive ways of helping kids develop social and peer relationships, while employing a growth mindset.