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“Mom, I don’t have any friends.†These six words break a mother’s heart every time. 21 Places to Make New Friends - A List of Social Activities for Kids. These six words break a mother’s heart every time.
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You have a myriad of emotions - devastation, anger, frustration, sadness and confusion. The connections you thought would happen at school aren’t happening. Even when you go to the playground, it’s not working there either. Where can you go and how can you help your child make more connections with others? Making friends can be tricky and doesn’t come so easily to all kids, especially those who might be shy or anxious or quirky. Sometimes you need to be more deliberate in providing opportunities where friendships can start. One of my favorite strategies to use to help children connect with others is providing opportunities for shared experiences. The trick is finding an experience that will be enjoyable and interesting to them. First, think about your own child’s interests. What do your kids love to do when they have free time? What do they love to learn about? What have they always wanted to try? Use that as a starting point. Here are some ideas of places for your children to meet others, have a shared experience and potentially begin a friendship. Your local Library. This is a great place to find book clubs or gatherings of kids who have the same interests. They will often have book clubs, Minecraft Club, Anime clubs or other special interest activities. Take a peek at what your local library has to offer and see if your child would be a good fit. Small Museums. Little local museums or centers that are great places to meet others with similar interests. Both of my children are really interested in wildlife and animals, so I’m always on the lookout for those types of museums in particular. On the South Shore in Massachusetts, we frequent the New England Wildlife Center and the South Shore Natural Science Center. When we moved to California, I looked for a similar type of museum and found a camp at the Petaluma Wildlife & Natural Science Museum. Not only did they get a chance to care for the animals, but they also got a chance to meet other kids since we were new to town. Perhaps going into the bigger children’s museums feels overwhelming for your child. There are lots of smaller, local museums that may be more your speed. We love the Children’s Museum in Easton, MA. There’s also a Children’s Museum in Paso Robles, California. Fun fact - both of these Museums are in old firehouses. My children also recently enjoyed the Children’s Museum of Santa Rosa. Lots of pretend play, indoor and outdoor space, and an art area. Social Skills Groups. If children struggle with social skills, a great way to help them is to enroll them in a group that specifically works on these skills. A lot of times, these groups provide teachable moments where your child can hone their social cues and interactions. I used to teach these types of groups and loved it! There are more and more of these types of businesses around. One place I recently discovered is in Needham, MA and it’s run by Alison Ratner Mayer. She’s got great social skills groups, and other ways for kids to connect, like art, music, drama & improv. I’m working on making a resource list of Social Skills Groups, so please let me know of any that you know! Local YMCA. Local YMCA’s offer interesting programs. Some will offer a Youth night, with pizza and games. They tend to have different class opportunities for kids - take a peek at the program catalog for your nearest YMCA to get ideas of potential programs for your child. Karate. Taking karate is a great way to work on self-regulation and control. It’s also another place you could potentially find a friend. Science Museums. Science Museums have really cool activities, like design challenges, or a hands on lab.
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“Mom, I don’t have any friends.†These six words break a mother’s heart every time. 21 Places to Make New Friends - A List of Social Activities for Kids. These six words break a mother’s heart every time.
ENTER TO THE SITE
You have a myriad of emotions - devastation, anger, frustration, sadness and confusion. The connections you thought would happen at school aren’t happening. Even when you go to the playground, it’s not working there either. Where can you go and how can you help your child make more connections with others? Making friends can be tricky and doesn’t come so easily to all kids, especially those who might be shy or anxious or quirky. Sometimes you need to be more deliberate in providing opportunities where friendships can start. One of my favorite strategies to use to help children connect with others is providing opportunities for shared experiences. The trick is finding an experience that will be enjoyable and interesting to them. First, think about your own child’s interests. What do your kids love to do when they have free time? What do they love to learn about? What have they always wanted to try? Use that as a starting point. Here are some ideas of places for your children to meet others, have a shared experience and potentially begin a friendship. Your local Library. This is a great place to find book clubs or gatherings of kids who have the same interests. They will often have book clubs, Minecraft Club, Anime clubs or other special interest activities. Take a peek at what your local library has to offer and see if your child would be a good fit. Small Museums. Little local museums or centers that are great places to meet others with similar interests. Both of my children are really interested in wildlife and animals, so I’m always on the lookout for those types of museums in particular. On the South Shore in Massachusetts, we frequent the New England Wildlife Center and the South Shore Natural Science Center. When we moved to California, I looked for a similar type of museum and found a camp at the Petaluma Wildlife & Natural Science Museum. Not only did they get a chance to care for the animals, but they also got a chance to meet other kids since we were new to town. Perhaps going into the bigger children’s museums feels overwhelming for your child. There are lots of smaller, local museums that may be more your speed. We love the Children’s Museum in Easton, MA. There’s also a Children’s Museum in Paso Robles, California. Fun fact - both of these Museums are in old firehouses. My children also recently enjoyed the Children’s Museum of Santa Rosa. Lots of pretend play, indoor and outdoor space, and an art area. Social Skills Groups. If children struggle with social skills, a great way to help them is to enroll them in a group that specifically works on these skills. A lot of times, these groups provide teachable moments where your child can hone their social cues and interactions. I used to teach these types of groups and loved it! There are more and more of these types of businesses around. One place I recently discovered is in Needham, MA and it’s run by Alison Ratner Mayer. She’s got great social skills groups, and other ways for kids to connect, like art, music, drama & improv. I’m working on making a resource list of Social Skills Groups, so please let me know of any that you know! Local YMCA. Local YMCA’s offer interesting programs. Some will offer a Youth night, with pizza and games. They tend to have different class opportunities for kids - take a peek at the program catalog for your nearest YMCA to get ideas of potential programs for your child. Karate. Taking karate is a great way to work on self-regulation and control. It’s also another place you could potentially find a friend. Science Museums. Science Museums have really cool activities, like design challenges, or a hands on lab.
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