Friends and friendships form an integral part of each and every person’s life. They comprise of both good and bad, experiences, memories and overall relationships. We have often heard and said that parents should try and be friends with their children, siblings should try to be friends and so on.
Apparently, all relationships nurture an element of friendship in it to blossom into nourishing bonds. Our brains, from a tender age, are wired to take steps towards connecting with others, especially with those of our age or of our interests.
As far as students are concerned, friendships developed at schools not only fulfill the purpose of playing but also promote a strong sense of positivity and mental wellbeing besides encouraging learning and development of interpersonal skills.
Educational institutions, schools in particular, are designed to promote the perks of learning together, sharing experiences together, growing together and encouraging a sense of community building amongst students. Whether it is the early morning playtime or lunch breaks, time spent in the classroom or that while working on activities after school, friendships take the front seat at all times. In fact, an individual’s experiences with socialising are mostly a reflection of their friendships at school. It should be a fun and exciting experience that encourages a child to put himself out there and connect with more and more people.
Studies have established links between performance at school and strong friendships between students. You might even notice how some days your kids don’t want to go to school when their friends are absent and vice-versa. This is simply because of the impact friendships have on the mental wellness of students.
Kids are always excited to meet their favourite people! Subconsciously, children act as role models to one another. They copy the behaviours and impressive qualities of the people around them. This, however, can swing both ways; a child who isn’t focused and is disruptive, might influence his or her friends to pick up similar tendencies. That’s where parents and teachers may require to step in.
Following are a few ways in which your child can have growing positive and long-lasting friendships:
Social Opportunities
Although your child gets a good share of opportunities to socialize with others at school, why restrict friendships to the campus? The more social situations your child will be exposed to, the more they will learn to interact and develop their social skills. For instance, you may invite your child’s friends for lunch or call them up for some activity during the weekend. You may even expose your child to social situations where they need to make new friends.
Managing Negative Situations
It is completely natural to have fallouts, petty disagreements and feelings of upset in between friends, especially during the younger years of a child’s life. Thus, it is crucial to allow your child to deal with friendship problems and the frustration that comes along. If you notice them low, sit and discuss the root cause of the issue that’s been bothering. Brainstorm and suggest healthy ways to resolve the issue and ways in which they can avoid similar problems later.
Expressing Feelings
One of the most important yet complicated things is to learn how to express oneself. Most adults, even today, face a hard time when it comes to expressing themselves. Therefore, instill the habit of making your little one think about their actions and the feeling that instigated that action. Likely enough, they’ll begin to understand themselves better and thus, will be able to express themselves much better.
Point Of View
By the time your child turns six, they most likely tend to form their own point of views which they’re unaware of. They do realize that they like or dislike certain things which may not be in alignment with the preferences of others around them. Once again, it all boils down to talking with your child and helping them understand that even though they might have disagreements with friends at school, they certainly do not want to lose their friendship over a difference in the point of view.
Encourage Games/Sports
Most friendships are made over activities and sports, either early in their childhood or later at the premises of the school. Games, activities and sports are one of the best ways to nurture long-lasting friendships. More than often, such friendships provide opportunities of growth and development for children in the field of their choice.
At MS Dhoni Global School, not only do we encourage our students to actively participate in sports but also provide them the best learning and growing opportunities in association with MS Dhoni Sports Academy.
