Social Skill Activities for Children: How to Make Friends

While some children make friends as naturally as they run or skip, other children need support and adult guidance. Unfortunately, it is rarely as simple as passing down the "10 Rules for Making Friends." Rather, parents need to provide age-appropriate activities that help children practice skills and discover important lessons on their own. Provide gentle guidance by engaging your child in social skill activities that will help him make friends.

  1. Cooperative Play

    • Bring out the toys and play with your child. Choose toys that let you model good social skills. Blocks provide the opportunity for you and your child to build together, share materials and make plans. Board games give your child the opportunity to learn good sportsmanship. Playing make-believe can let you introduce scenarios in which your child must solve problems and practice friendship skills.

    Media Modeling

    • Watch television with your child, and look for teachable moments. When you see someone do something that shows good social skills or poor social skills, point them out. If the person exhibited poor social skills or treated a friend badly, ask your child what could have been done differently. Discuss ways the person on television could have been a better friend.

    Social Groups

    • Enroll your child in activities that will require her to interact with other children in a social setting, such as a sports team like soccer or swimming lessons. Or, sign your child up for Scouting, a church youth group, a school chess club or membership at the local YMCA. These activities will give your child a chance to practice social skills and provide more opportunities to make friends.

    Play Dates

    • Provide opportunities in your home for children to have friends over. This can take the form of play dates for toddlers or sleepovers for elementary-age children. Encourage as much independence as possible, but be there to facilitate interactions, support your child and provide coaching in social skills as needed. Observe carefully so you can determine what type of activities provide the least amount of frustration for your child and in what areas you may need to hold discussions later.

    Friendship Discussion

    • Talk to your child about what makes a good friend. Together, create a list of those qualities, and talk about how each of you exhibit these qualities with your friends. Have your child talk about people they know who have these qualities and if he would like to be friends with these people. Each of you can choose a quality to work on developing for yourself.

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