Families For Life | Supporting Your Child’s School-Age Friendships

In school, your child learns social emotional skills that help them to be ready for learning. Teachers may explain the skill steps or build them into daily class routines to help your child cultivate good habits.

Making friends will help your child to adapt quickly to the new school environment, as school becomes more enjoyable with their new friends. They can also learn and play well together.

Practise skill steps with your child to help him/her relate with others and make friends easily.

• Encourage them to say hello, greet good morning and smile at their new friends and teachers.

• These greetings are a great way to connect with people.

Do a short role-play with your child to practice these steps for joining in activities:

• saying hello with a smile and introducing

• him/herself

• asking politely if he/she can join the group

• thanking them for choosing to include him/her

• saying and feeling okay even if they choose not to

Are you excited to meet your new friends? What do you do or say when you meet your new classmates or join them in group activities? Let's try it!

Explain how doing the above helps him/her to:

• make others feel comfortable

• prevent conflict with new classmates

• be confident