The Importance Of Teaching Children The Value Of Friendship
At any age, having friends provides emotional support and promotes good mental health and well-being. Friendship in children is also very important for their social and emotional development.
Through friendships, children learn to relate to each other, develop social skills, teach other children to be good friends and to understand the bonds that exist between people.
Most kids want to have friends. Children who do are more likely to trust others more and even have better academic performance at school, compared to those who do not have friends.
When children have difficulty making friends and keeping them, they are likely to feel lonely and unhappy. This fact will make them feel bad about the world around them. When a child feels rejected by other people, he can acquire significant anxiety about other people.
It is very important to learn the value of friendship and to know how to be a good friend. In addition, it is essential to have positive friendship skills in order to help children socially and for them to feel happier and have more confidence.
Being a good friend makes you happier
Having good friends makes us happy. Friendships can develop within families, neighborhoods, schools and even through the internet. However, to have good friendships, you must first be a good friend. Being a good friend is not a skill children learn in the schoolyard. Developing friendships requires a lot of work. However, it is one of the most rewarding things that happen in a child’s life.
What do good friends do? In order to teach children the value of friendship, they must understand the role of good friends. In order for them to understand what good friends should be like (both they in relation to other children and other children in relation to them), you should give some clear examples, such as:
- Remember important things (birthdays, events).
- Having confidence, being “trustworthy”, being able to count on them when you need them.
- Doing good things for others.
- Use respectful language.
- Helping a friend when he is sad or has a problem.
- Spend time with your friend enjoying new experiences.
- Having fun with your partner and with other people.
- Liking other people in a positive way .
Friendships require give and take
Friendships require give and take. Therefore, children will share toys, time, games, experiences and feelings. Children will learn that they can have friends and that friendships develop through mutual exchange and agreement.
The skills children need to maintain friendships change as they grow. In addition, your ideas about friendship will also change as they develop and evolve . This is reflected in activities according to age. For example, two-year-olds, after a smile already play together normally. However, children over 8 years old, in addition to trusting the other person, need to have common interests.
Children need to be taught positive social skills so they can have good friendships. This means working on emotional intelligence, empathy, assertiveness, conflict resolution, etc. In this way, they will learn to value friendship and understand how important it is to be a good friend. In addition, they will prioritize finding friendships that bring positive things.
It’s good for both parents to set a good example for the child. It is also important to read books to your children that talk about the value of friendship, etc. Little by little, children will learn the importance of having good friends.
