What Kind of Activity Is Good for a Child With Social Anxiety?

Children with social anxiety feel comfortable enough with family to talk, laugh and converse freely. The problem becomes noticeable when the child has to interact with classmates or unfamiliar people and refuses to speak or avoids social situations completely. If your child suffers from social anxiety, she may dodge social interactions because the fear or anxiety the encounter brings feels very uncomfortable. Seventy five percent of teens with social anxiety say they have no friends, according to Children's Hospital Boston. Parents trying to help a child too anxious to make friends can initiate activities to help her face the fear. If your child's behavior concerns you or seems extreme, consult her pediatrician.

  1. Group Activities

    • A child with social anxiety won't voluntarily participate in activities with their classmates or neighborhood kids. Instead of allowing your child to remain isolated and lonely, encourage him to join groups like scouting, or to take music lessons or play a sport. Any of these activities will enable your child to practice critical social skills. Choose activities that you can attend and observe so you can spot social skills that might be lacking in your child and coach him privately. Assure your child that feelings of anxiety do not last forever and will pass eventually, ask her to try to ride the feeling out.

    Play Dates

    • Take the initiative and arrange play dates for your child. At first, have only one child over until the friendship seems solid then you may slowly increase the size of the group. Keep these dates short at first and don't push too hard. Before the play date, coach your child in conversational skills and help her come up with topics for chatting. Remind your child to smile and make eye contact with her guest.

    Role Playing

    • Role playing is one of the best ways for your child to learn and practice social skills according to Anxiety BC. Start small and work on saying hello then move up to more difficult conversations like giving compliments. To start, the parent should model the scenario and then ask the child to perform. Offer praise for improvement or skills acted out well. Include proper body language and tone of voice in the skits. Videotape the session and have fun with it.

    Goal Setting

    • For a child with social anxiety, gradually introducing social activities sometimes feels easier and less overwhelming. Start with a small goal. For example, ask him to say hello to the cashier at the store or smile at a classmate at school. Reward goals achieved and set new goals that are slightly more difficult. Help your child understand that social skills take practice like any other skill. Work at this until she feels confident enough to attend an after school activity or another group event.

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