Your kids can have a lot of things to think about when they’re in school. Such as their studies, physical health, mental health and maintaining friendships. Often our friends from school are the ones that can define us. But it’s not always simple to fall into a friendship circle straight away. Your child could be shy or hasn’t found a friend that enjoys the same interests. However they could also prefer to be alone as well.

If your child doesn’t look like they’re making friends in the same way as others are, they may need a helping hand to guide them through it. With this advice from the best A Level College in the UK we look at ways to support your child through socialising.

Understand your child through their eyes

You won’t know exactly how your child interacts with others all the time, as most of their socialising is done in school. In this case, attend school events, or drop your child off earlier than usual at school. Then you can see where they go and who they walk into class with.

Look at what’s happening at school and how it translates at home. Does their attitude change at all? Take note of these small areas over time to understand how your child talks to others and how you can help them.

Be a positive role model

Showing your child positivity and praise when they’re at home will give them better confidence and self-esteem. This in turn can help your child with opening up to others at school or when doing other social activities.

Similarly, trying new things can invoke a lot of positivity from your child. If they’re nervous about learning an instrument, but need that extra push, you can be the one to give them those positive affirmations. When your child is at their most comfortable, that can be reflected in how they interact with others.

Ask your child to invite their friends to the house

Get to know who your child is already friends with at school and learn about who they hang around with. If they’re younger, play time with friends is usually encouraged. Larger events like birthday parties are great for your child to make new friends from other friendship circles. This will give them the chance to see new faces.

If your child’s in their teens, dinner and a film or a trip to the cinema together might be a better solution. See if they can bring someone different around once a month to see who they’re socialising with and where they may need help.

You can also help them with some conversation starters so they know what to say when meeting new people.