How Your Child Can Make New Friends In and Out of School

Something that often gets overlooked when speaking about a young student’s academic achievement is if they have appropriate social skills. Are they able to communicate with adults and children in a friendly manner? Do they have a group of friends to play with? Are they able to deal with disagreements and conflicts within their social circle?

These are all questions parents should ask themselves and their child’s classroom teacher in an effort to look at the whole child.

If you are concerned that your child does not seem to have any friends, you are not alone. As an elementary school teacher of ten years, I get asked about student friendships every couple weeks. Having good and responsible friends can help a child’s behavior. The same can be said when they are hanging out with the wrong crowd. It can bring out the worst of them. Below are some engaging ways that your child can make new friends.

Join a Sports Team

There are athletic teams your child can join both in and out of school. Whether it is basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis, or gymnastics, there is probably a sport that your child would enjoy playing. It’s a chance to be around other kids with a similar interest that they otherwise might not socialize with. It is the perfect opportunity to meet new friends, and as parents, you will be able to connect with other parents as well.

Take an Art Class

More than anytime before, kids are being offered the chance to participate in painting and other art classes. There are several small businesses that offer these types of classes for both children and adults. Plus, they would be experiencing something new with a totally different group of children.

Sign Up for Acting Lessons

Every child is a performer to a certain extent. They all enjoy putting on a show at one time or another. By signing up for acting classes, they are given a venue to learn and develop their skills and meet new people. Plus, it is something that they might learn to love. Who knows… maybe they will want to audition later on for actual stage plays. Luckily, iAchieve can help with preparing for any audition they might go to down the line.

Invest in Music Lessons

It’s said that music can soothe the savage beast. It can also provide an outlet for children to express themselves. Group music classes or youth orchestras and bands can be a solid mix of interesting children. If your child is interested in learning any instrument at all, and you would like them to make new friends in the process, sign them up. You might want to start with one-to-one tuition before joining a group class – iAchieve Learning offers classes in a number of different instruments.

It is always good to broaden the horizons for your child and allow them to experience new things. By placing them in opportunities like these, they are bound to meet some interesting people. Perhaps they will excel at these new experiences in the process and it will forever be a part of their life.

Written by Ryan Crawley

Interested in music lessons? Contact us today to learn more about how our music instructors can help your child!

Learn More!

Strengths-Based: How to accentuate the positive

Empowering children to be seen and heard