Questions tagged [social-development]

How children learn how to interact with others, and techniques to help in that learning process.

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54 votes
8 answers
11k views

How can I handle kids telling me extremely boring stuff?

I have a 9 and a 12 year old. They'll (either one) get into a video game and then want to talk about it. Have you ever heard someone talk about, say, minecraft? first i got some oak sticks, but then ...
3 votes
1 answer
174 views

my 3 yo refuses to participate to any group activities

My 3 years old is a bit on the shy side, but nothing alarming. She manages to play with friends and interact with adults. She has been at the nursery school since she was 1 year old, and we only heard ...
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0 votes
0 answers
135 views

Disadvantages of classroom environments?

One common objection to homeschooling is that it allegedly doesn't socialize children as well as a classroom environment, but couldn't a classroom environment be disadvantageous for the socialization ...
  • 109
0 votes
1 answer
208 views

Protecting your kid from bullying

I have asked a question on how to Earn your kid's trust and getting them to confide in you and "complain" about getting bullied The question is How not to lose the trust now that you earned ...
3 votes
1 answer
249 views

Crime and Punishment-A Family Approach-Social Issues

What are the consequences (mainly in their social life and social development) of depriving your child of their liberty as a form of punishment? I am not looking (only) for studies on the effects of ...
6 votes
3 answers
295 views

Handling bullying in neigbourhood playgroup

Our street is home to a group of kids varying in age from 7 to 11 who play together in varying composition on a regular basis. The play is usually healthy and fun. They play catch, build huts, play ...
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26 votes
10 answers
8k views

8-year-old daughter is obsessed with books - escaping from something?

My daughter is 8 years old and is reading constantly. She wakes up and reads and I need to call her to breakfast 10 times (even though she herself devised a schedule for our morning routine) she ...
  • 371
6 votes
1 answer
288 views

I've accidentally taught my 3 year old son to say sorry all the time by being an overapologiser... how to adjust this?

I am an overapologiser, and I have accidentally as a dad, taught my 3 year old son to do the same. This is out of courteous behaviour: I will say to him "sorry, x; I forgot you were waiting to&...
  • 365
0 votes
1 answer
216 views

Newly developing social anxiety in 7yr old

My question is: What could be causing the new anxious behaviour in my child (described below)? Should I dig for causes beyond changes in social group, social maturity and 'academic' demands? How do I ...
  • 1,210
1 vote
1 answer
258 views

What's a good approach to a kid who behaves rudely in home

I'm not a parent myself but it is regarding my younger sibling and I don't know where to go with this situation. My younger brother is 20 years old and in his final year of college, currently ...
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

How to correct an overly apologetic 5 year old?

We have noticed my 5 year old son is overly apologetic. Towards all and for even minor things. I have no idea where the apologising for every mistake came into him from. When slightly younger we did ...
19 votes
7 answers
8k views

Why is my child so scared of strangers? Is it nature or nurture?

What makes children very scared of strangers? My one-year-old boy has had stranger anxiety since he was seven months old. He'd scream and cry if a "stranger" - that includes relatives who ...
  • 3,441
17 votes
11 answers
5k views

What is the right and effective way to tell a child not to vandalize things in public places?

This is the setting: I'm with my 6-7 years old son in a dinosaur park (in a day not busy at all, so he will not behave as a good boy just because there's people around him who could make him feel ...
  • 286
42 votes
5 answers
6k views

How to deal with a situation in which following the rules feels like punishment and breaking them is rewarded?

Disclaimer: This question is triggered by the current COVID-19 pandemic, but should please be seen as a more general question. To cut a long story short, a long-planned birthday party sleepover at a ...
  • 18k
8 votes
2 answers
321 views

9 month old prefers independant play. How do I interact with him?

I've read a lot about how interactive play helps babies' development in many ways. For example, when they're playing with blocks, just describing things to them like "oh, you like the green block ...
  • 3,441
6 votes
1 answer
301 views

How to get an 8+ month old acquainted with a grandparent after a rough start?

Our 8 month old son started being aware and wary of strangers since he turned 7 months old. We've discovered that the way to get friendly with him is to approach him slowly. Interact with him from ...
  • 3,441
11 votes
3 answers
3k views

How should parents handle dominant behaviour of toddler towards other children?

My daugther is almost 17 month old which is our first child and she is not in kindergarten yet (starts in two month). Whenever we go with her on a playground or meet her neighboring friend (same age) ...
2 votes
1 answer
559 views

My 3 year old boy is upset when his friend doesn't want to play with him

We have a 3 year old boy and we send him to kindergarten on a full session. He recently got good friends on his kindy. Because of the impact of jungle book, he sometimes trying to walk like a mancub (...
3 votes
2 answers
275 views

Intervention or learning experience: child gives away stuff

My 6 year old recently he gave away a bunch of pokemon cards (these are collectible cards that can also be used to play a game, but he is a little too young for that) and now he regrets it. At the ...
  • 1,210
5 votes
2 answers
600 views

How to explain to kids why others have better things?

I recently read an article about how kids' birthdays are becoming a huge deal and a status symbol for both parents and kids, which leads to kids whose parent can not or do not want to throw lavish ...
  • 3,441
4 votes
2 answers
208 views

How to teach my people-pleasing daughter to balance between helping others and accounting for her own needs?

My younger daughter is a people pleaser. She always wants everyone else to be happy, often to her and her older sister's emotional detriment. She lets people take advantage of her generosity, buying ...
4 votes
1 answer
267 views

How to deal with a 3.5-year-old who starts to cry when someone speaks louder to him?

My 3.5-year-old son simply cries when someone talks or gives commands in higher volume. He stops crying when I hug him again. But this is new behaviour in him. In school, staff informed me that he ...
  • 369
1 vote
2 answers
581 views

How can I get involved in the parenting of my girlfriend's sister's 5-year-old who spends too much time on screens etc.?

I am a 30ish years old man, living at my girlfriend's parents place for 4 months. It's been 2 months already, 2 more to go. I don't have kids (yet, but want to). With us is my girlfriend's sister and ...
2 votes
4 answers
545 views

What to tell an 8 yo when his mother is incarcerated for 1+ years?

The press of the moment is arriving. It is highly likely that the mom (divorced) will be incarcerated for 1+ years (first incarceration). (She has been in jail for 3 weeks now with no bail allowed. ...
1 vote
1 answer
196 views

How to improve my 3-year-old's social interaction, as she does not play with other kids?

My 3-year-old does not play with other kids and in all the parties just linger around us (mom/dad). Even if the party is with her own class mates from school and she knows them a lot. I have tried ...
  • 21
1 vote
3 answers
215 views

At what age should I start looking to have my daughter interact regularly with other children?

My daughter is 8 months old. She stays at home with my husband and I all day (we work from home). While we do get out (we have a daily walk), she probably sees non-family-members once a week and other ...
user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
289 views

How to help a shy 6-year-old make friends?

I have a 6-year-old son. He's the oldest, and we moved from the US to the UK three years ago. He's in Y2 (second grade), and is one of the younger children in his class. There are 35 kids in his grade/...
  • 31
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

Kids do not want to play with my daughter

My daughter is 8 years old and in grade 3 now. She is such a cute and quiet kid, but she is not sporty. The problem is that at school, no kids want to play with her. This has been happening since ...
  • 343
7 votes
3 answers
485 views

How important is passing on our "heritage" to a child who is born and raised in a different country?

To avoid offending any country and going off topic, I'll call my native country "N"(for native) and the current country "C"(for current). My husband and I were born and raised in N,...
  • 3,441
2 votes
2 answers
337 views

How to help my 7-year-old son socialize in school and learn to fight for his rights?

My son is 7 years old. He's very polite, shy, sensitive and honest. Unlike other kids in his class who tend to be more selfish and mean. I wonder why don't they like to play with him. Although he's ...
4 votes
1 answer
584 views

How to help a pre-schooler overcome sensitivity to social setbacks?

My son (3yrs 9 months) is bright and generally happy, but sensitive and sometimes acutely anxious. The sensitivity worries me a little for the future. If something in a social context doesn't go his ...
  • 296
3 votes
1 answer
356 views

My 9-year-old daughter is a wallflower around friends. How do I help her?

My daughter is almost 9 and entering the 3rd grade. She has a lot of friends at school from being in sports and girl scouts. However, when we see them at a public place our daughter pretends she ...
  • 131
9 votes
6 answers
1k views

My 17-year-old daughter gets excellent grades but shows little interest in socializing or getting a job

My 17-year-old does outstanding academic work in high school. She ranks #3 or #4 out of 160 students. She sings in school and church choirs and has taken part in game-show type activities at the ...
5 votes
2 answers
305 views

How can a long distance parent boost an eight year old's confidence (custodial partner uncooperative/negative?)

I'm a long distance father to an eight year old daughter and a four year old son, whom I see on average most weekends. My daughter has periodically lost her sense of confidence, and recently has ...
  • 400
2 votes
2 answers
274 views

4-year-old going on holiday without parents

My son is 4 and a half, and is going on holiday with his grandparents and 6-year-old niece. I'm a bit apprehensive about him being without us, his parents, for 8 days so I decided to fly over for just ...
  • 1,210
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

How to teach my son to protect himself from other kids?

My son is 30 months old and he is very nice and quiet kid but children take his toys and beat him without saying anything to them. What i need to do to teach him to protect himself and not to cry when ...
  • 11
3 votes
2 answers
257 views

How can I teach my daughter to wait to speak?

I have 2 daughters, a one year old and a four year old. The four year old will often call for me when I am speaking to someone else or watching a news show, interrupting me. I already tried to ...
1 vote
1 answer
225 views

Is the physical affection demonstrated by a child partly genetic?

A fellow mummy was lamenting her 19m old stroking her all night. My son has never been like this. He has always needed to be unmolested to sleep (ie separate basket at least). He didn’t kiss or cuddle ...
3 votes
2 answers
304 views

Me too! My two year old daughter want to drink and eat everything I do!

I have a lovely 28 month old daughter who talks and walks very well for her age. Currently she is in the phase that she wants to have everything I or my wife grabs out of the fridge or storage. If I ...
  • 131
5 votes
5 answers
2k views

How to explain to a toddler why she doesn't have siblings?

My husband and I have decided not to have more children, which would make our currently 10 month old daughter an only child. While we obviously have our (adult) reasons for this decision, I am ...
  • 1,752
6 votes
1 answer
550 views

How do you respond to unfriendly parent volunteers at your kid's school?

I'm starting to believe it's due to the past year's issue that we had in my child's class. A kid bullied him, but it was never caught, so the teachers and this parent volunteer (that helped out in the ...
  • 63
3 votes
6 answers
1k views

Are there ways to help a gifted child find a best friend?

I have a very sweet 7 year old son who is struggling with making friends and specifically he wants a best friend. He has opportunity to see kids often but cannot seem to click with anyone and really ...
  • 7,320
10 votes
6 answers
689 views

How can I emphasize to my children the importance of developing social skills?

When I was a kid I was taught that hard work was all you needed to succeed in life financially. It was so drilled in my brain and "confirmed" by movies and several examples (see survivor's bias) that ...
  • 201
5 votes
1 answer
428 views

Evidence that kids from big families are happier and better-functioning

I have for a long time believed that kids with many siblings are happier and better-adjusted personally and socially, and that these outcomes increase with the number of siblings. Are there indeed any ...
  • 167
3 votes
3 answers
433 views

What can I do to help an 8.5 month old become more outgoing

When she's at home with family members, she's fine and happy - crawls on the mat , plays with toys, smiles, etc. When we take her to a Gymboree class, where kids are free to climb and play with all ...
  • 291
1 vote
6 answers
2k views

How to foster t-ball enthusiasm in a five year old

Background facts: My son is almost five. This is his first season playing t-ball. I am an assistant coach on the team, first time too. I'm not really athletic, but am a baseball fan. I know all of ...
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

Possible problems in a family without a car [closed]

So, I realize I am personally very early asking this question, but it is an interesting one that I know I will have to deal with in the future. Neither me or my girlfriend can drive, and neither of ...
  • 647
4 votes
1 answer
338 views

social skill concern raised [closed]

I posted in January about my concerns of my boy's social skill and now we have a new development. My boy will be 3 this July, and his teacher in daycare spoke to my wife today raising a concern ...
  • 277
2 votes
2 answers
305 views

Teaching my 3-year-old to be nice, but values conflict between good and real. What should I do?

I am trying to teach my 3-year-old son good values, but at the same time we don't live these values in reality. For example, I am teaching him to be nice to everyone, while being nice, in reality, ...
4 votes
3 answers
443 views

Do I have to worry about my 2-year-old son's social skill?

it might be nothing but since I am observant I came to notice a few things: my son goes to daycare 5 days a week, and it's been for more than one year, still he feels uneasy on Monday and cried a ...
  • 277