How to help kids cope with friendship conflicts?

Kids need to have a safe place to be vulnerable–to vent, to talk about their friendship frustrations, and even to cry. Parents, relatives, teachers, counselors, and other caring adults are ideally suited to provide this safe place. For school-aged children, friendships create a powerful sense of belonging.

What to do if your child has trouble making friends?

Some children will be happy to tell you, but others might find it hard. You can encourage your child by telling him about a friendship trouble you had as a child or by reading a story about friendship troubles. If your child isn’t ready to talk, let him know he can always come to you.

What makes a good friend in a relationship?

Good friendships go both ways. It’s not a good friendship if one of you is doing all the talking and the other is doing all the listening, all the time. Good friends make each other feel good, rather than one friend receiving all the compliments and the other giving them all the time. In a good friendship, you’re making each other feel great!

How to help your child be a good friend?

Encourage sensitivity to others and not just going along with a group. Remind kids that a true friend respects their opinions, interests, and choices, no matter how different they are. Acknowledge that it can be difficult to stand out, but that ultimately kids are responsible for what they say and do.

Encourage sensitivity to others and not just going along with a group. Remind kids that a true friend respects their opinions, interests, and choices, no matter how different they are. Acknowledge that it can be difficult to stand out, but that ultimately kids are responsible for what they say and do.

How to help your child deal with conflict?

Teach your child that it is okay to walk away when nothing else works, and that they should feel safe to come to you or another trusted adult to seek assistance resolving difficult situations. Tip #6: Role Play Friendship-Related Scenarios Use role play to help your child feel more comfortable employing the strategies outlined above.

How does a child cope with a clique?

Kids in cliques often worry about whether they’ll still be popular or whether they’ll be dropped for doing or saying the wrong thing or for not dressing in a certain way. This can create a lot of pressure. Kids may be pressured to take risks like steal, pull pranks, or bully other kids in order to stay in the clique.

What’s the best way to resolve a conflict?

Work together to develop a phrase that they can say to a friend to help start the resolution process, for example, “Let’s talk about this and find a way to work together.” Learning to say how they feel and what they wish would happen, rather than attributing blame and overly focusing on the cause of the conflict, are also great skills to have.