Friendships and relationships
Learning to relate to other people also means sometimes feeling left out, not knowing how to join a game, arguing, or meeting someone who hurts you. Adults can support without automatically solving every social conflict.
If making friends is hard
Before labelling a child shy or unsociable, it helps to look closely at what exactly is difficult.
Listening to the hurt does not mean solving it immediately. We can also help children practise ways to approach others, suggest play, or cope with disappointment.
If another child is bothering them
A one-off conflict and a repeated pattern of harm are not the same thing.
Listen calmly, gather facts, and coordinate with the school when the situation repeats or is worrying. If bullying may be involved, adult intervention is necessary.
Support without taking their place
We can offer language, practise phrases, and think through alternatives together. But part of growing up is gradually building their own resources for relationships.
Tell Kora what happened, how your child describes it, and what the school has noticed. The same sentence—“they don’t want to play with me”—can describe very different situations.
