Children and their friends

Childhood is the time when first friendships are made. Some last a lifetime, others a little less. Friends are important companions for your child, as they have an important influence on their development, self-image, values, self-discipline, etc. Children see their friends as allies, and rightly so, as this has a positive impact on their mental health.

Anthropologists argue that the ability to form friendships and alliances is an important driving force in evolution. Making and maintaining friendships is a key part of a child’s growing up and their emotional and social development. It is important for children’s development that they get to know the world outside their family. Contact with friends helps them find their place in society and has a positive impact on self-esteem. For example, in kindergarten, friendship is about physical connection, while when entering school it is about shared interests, so it is not surprising if a child changes friends at such an important turning point in life. Making friends means studying people, and it is also a time when children pay attention to outward appearances, looking for similarities and commonalities.

Everyone needs friends. Friendship is therefore very important for a child’s healthy development, and it is important to attach great value to it.

How to encourage your child to socialise with friends?

As parents, we can help our children to make friends. We can suggest that they can invite their friends to do activities together in their free time. For example, spending an afternoon on roller skates, scooters, board games or other activities where the child socialises, builds friendships and learns new skills at the same time. The child can encourage his friends to form two different teams and play a game like a treasure hunt, where the first team to find the treasure wins. This will give him a sense of belonging, a position in society and will help him to connect even more with his friends.

Some additional suggestions for strengthening friendship ties

1. Let your child play board games with friends. Social games are great for stimulating thought processes, concentration and are an important way to strengthen small grey cells.
2. Outdoor play is important for children’s physical and mental health. More exercise means better motor development, better mental health, less stress and more self-discipline. Kids can play a game with friends between two super-ball fires to form different teams, or simply roleplay ride on the scooters.
3. Children should learn together. When children enter primary school, they start to make friends based on their common interests, and learning is also very important here, as children who have similar ways of working or learning tend to make friends. It’s a great starting point for them to learn together, because they know how to help each other and work together to reach solutions and goals.