Early childhood friendship is a magical thing. It brings comfort, pleasure, and sometimes distress to your little one. But above all, friendships give us, including your toddler, opportunities to discover and grow in the social world.

As early as now, your child should learn how to interact with others. Here are some skills you need to teach your little one about making friends at preschool:

• Thinking before doing

  There are moments when your child is interested in joining a game a group of kids who are playing. But rather than rushing in, help them assess the situation first and tell them to figure out how to join in.

  For example: If your son or daughter wanted to play ball with a group of kids, give them ideas how to be a part of the team by telling them to kick the ball once it goes their way or run after a stray ball.

• Problem-solving

  Friends do not always arrive on a common ground. There are times when a friend likes to play tag and the other prefers to play house. There are also instances when two best friends fight for a single toy. This is an everyday scenario in our daycare in Maryland.

  If your child noticed that their friends are about to start an argument, you can help them intervene and promote problem-solving. To do so, butt in and encourage the children to make reasonable suggestions. And if they still cannot figure out what to do, you can lead them to the right decision.

• Accepting mistakes and saying sorry

  When your child gets into an accident like unintentionally bumping into another child making the latter cry, help them express kindness. We know the first thing a toddler does when they are in this situation is to immediately wash their hands saying they did nothing wrong.

  Tell them that the right thing to do is to make amends even if it was not their fault. Encourage the little one to help the child who got hurt. Let the former pick up the latter’s dropped items or get a damp towel to be placed on the scraped knee. Encourage them to say “sorry”.

Helping your child get ready for new friendships is as important as helping them with their numbers and alphabets. So help your child gain confidence in meeting and interacting with new kids by practicing these 3 skills before they step into kindergarten.

You can also enroll your little one in your preferred preschool in Lanham, MD. Such environment provides them the opportunity to intermingle with other preschoolers. This way, they can prepare themselves before they reach kindergarten.

How did your toddler gain his first friend? Does your child have an experience worth sharing with other kids? One Step Up Early Child Care LLC would love to hear their story in the comment section.