November 2010-Parent Tip on Secrets to Making Friends
In terms of friendships and children, there is not just one friendship skill that will work for every child. Just as we all have different personalities, our children's approaches to cultivating friendships will depend on their own personality, temperment, insecurities and past experiences. I highly recommend the book called The Unwritten Rules of Friendship by Natalie Elman and Eileen Kennedy-Moore. In this book, the authors break down each chapter based on a child's unique personality. For example, in the chapter titled The Different Drummer, the author writes about how you can help your child distinguish between annoying behaviors and friendly behaviors. There are activities within each chapter that you as a parent can use to work with your child on sharpening certain key friendship skills (Elman & Kenndey-Moore, 2003).
The key to knowing the secrets of making friends is truly understanding what makes your own child tic, and being realistic about where they need improvement. It is critical to help your child accomplish small goals, therefore fostering a sense of success socially. Role-plays, age appropriate books/journals, and social skills games can all play a part in building skills and more importantly, increasing your child's confidence in the social world.
As always, please feel free to check in with me or call 206-329-3260 X220 for any support or resources on this issue. Please also check out the Children's and Parent's Bibliographies located on this website.
Jennifer Moyer-Taylor, MSW, LICSW
School Counselor
The key to knowing the secrets of making friends is truly understanding what makes your own child tic, and being realistic about where they need improvement. It is critical to help your child accomplish small goals, therefore fostering a sense of success socially. Role-plays, age appropriate books/journals, and social skills games can all play a part in building skills and more importantly, increasing your child's confidence in the social world.
As always, please feel free to check in with me or call 206-329-3260 X220 for any support or resources on this issue. Please also check out the Children's and Parent's Bibliographies located on this website.
Jennifer Moyer-Taylor, MSW, LICSW
School Counselor