Most kids go through that phase where they’re not comfortable being around strangers, and in time, kids tend to outgrow their shyness. Other kids however, need a bit more help when it comes to socialising and are thus too shy when it comes to being around people. Here are some helpful tips!
1. Teach them empathy
Empathy is an important skill, not only for overcoming shyness, but for being a decent person in general. Go through different scenarios with your child and discuss how people might feel during those instances.
2. Explain the concept of personal space
It’s also important to teach you child the concept of personal space. Personal space is important for everyone to feel comfortable, and they need to know proper behavior when it comes to playing with other kids.
3. Teach kids proper social overtures
A social overture is an approach that you make towards a person so that you can establish relationship. In layman’s terms, it’s basically how you approach people. Teach your child about how to start a conversation, how to join a group of kids that are playing in the park, as well as how to get someone’s attention. These may be skills that we take for granted, but some kids have a hard time communicating.
4. Teach them how to take turns
It’s important for your kids to know what it means to wait for their turn. Teach them to patiently line up, or to wait for their turn to play on the slide in the park, and to share.
5. Set playdates for your kid
Playdates are a great way to teach your child social skills. They can have fun and play with their friends, and it would also give you a chance to see how they interact with other kids. The good thing about playdates is that you can have full control over the kids that your child talks to so you can ease them in slowly with socialising.
Don’t be too worried if you think that your kid is too shy around people. Children develop social skills at a different pace, and even a shy kid might turn out to be a very sociable person when they grow up. The key thing is to keep at it and make sure to teach your kid the right behaviour in public.
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