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Nutrition, Wellbeing
Wellbeing
10 January, 2023
Friendships are some of the most underrated relationships a person will have in their lifetime. Being able to not only make, but keep, good friends is a rare skill that doesn’t necessarily come naturally – it needs to be honed over time.
When it comes to knowing how to make friends, it’s a case of the sooner, the better. Your child will forge important friendships during their early childhood years and, while it may not always go to plan, every friendship can teach them something important.
In their preschool years, the most common way of finding friends is through play. Playing together allows children to develop key skills that will serve them into adulthood – skills like sharing, listening to others, cooperating, communicating and taking turns. The playground is an important classroom, especially when it comes to forging friendships.
Whether your child is struggling to make friends or not, you – as their parent – have an important role to play in their learning. Note that this role should be a supporting role, rather than a leading one. Your child will choose their own friends and will learn so much more in the process than if you steer them toward or away from certain children friends.
You can help your child develop and practice key social skills like sharing and listening to others by working on these with them at home. This could mean role-playing, setting up playdates or praising good behaviour.
Be sure to model good behaviour when you are with your child, too. Ensure that they see you as a positive example of how to respect and communicate with others, including your friends and friends’ children.
Much like in adulthood, developing friendships in early childhood years can foster a sense of belonging and community. With close friends, your child will feel as though they fit in and have a support network beyond the home.
Friends will also teach your child how to navigate relationships beyond those with their immediate family, understanding boundaries and differences and respecting them.
Friendship can also provide a great source of stress relief. Child psychologists have even found that they can improve a child’s quality of life, and their ability to adjust to change in general.
Wondering exactly how to develop friendship skills? Try these three friendship activities for kindergarten and preschool aged children:
At Edge Early Learning, we take an inquiry-based approach to early learning. This style of dynamic learning poses questions or scenarios to your child, helping them to develop problem solving and communication skills. By fostering these skills in your child’s early years, we are giving them the opportunity to develop stronger relationships with their peers and progress to other skills that will serve them throughout their life.