Teaching Your Child How to Make Friends

​​Although making friends comes easily to some children, others struggle to connect with their ​peers. If your child is having a tough time making friends, talk with your child about friendship, and work with him/her to develop social skills that will help:

• Sit down with your child and discuss what friendship means and what makes a good friend.
• Ask your child how he/she picks friends.
• Ask your child what his/her interests are and who else shares those interests.
• Ask your child how a friend makes him/her feel.
• Practice social skills with your child.
• Friends are supposed to make us feel big in life. Does a particular friend make you feel big in life or small in life?
• Tell your child that you believe in them and that they can do this.

Make sure to take every opportunity to praise your child when you see him/her using friendship skills effectively. This will give your child the confidence to use these skills on the playground or at school and to develop strong relationships with peers.

If you need help teaching social skills to your child, or if you are concerned that your child is having trouble with social development, Boys Town can help. Call the Boys Town National Hotline at 1.800.448.3000 to speak to one of our trained counselors.​