How to help a child who struggles to make friends

Realizing that your child is never invited to classmates’ birthday parties and seems to spend their days alone at school can be upsetting. Here’s what you can do to help.

Understand the cause
Try to understand why your child is isolated. Perhaps they’re aggressive, shy or arrogant. Or maybe they’re being bullied. If you can’t find an explanation, talk with their teachers to get more insight into the matter.

Ask your child about how they perceive their social situation and what they feel about it. They might be sad, angry or confused. However, some kids enjoy solitude.

If your child doesn’t appear bothered by the situation, don’t force them to make friends. But if they’re lonely or feel excluded, try to help them come up with solutions.

Provide assistance and support
Sometimes kids need help bonding with other children. If this is the case with your child, bring them to the park or organize family outings that include kids in the same age group.

Additionally, participating in extracurricular activities might allow your child to build confidence and meet others who share their interests.

Above all, the most important thing to do is to communicate with them. Listen to what they have to say about their attempts to make friends. When they’re ready, allow them to forge bonds with others on their own terms.