How to make your child sociable

They are the spark of our eyes, our heartbeat, and our life is so incomplete without them. We do our best to see a smile on their faces. Even though they may be naughty or full of innocence, we want them to play with other children, interact with peers, share their belongings, face the world with confidence, develop good self-esteem and be a loving and caring human being. We want them to be SOCIABLE. Who would like to see their child sitting in one corner, not mingling with other children or not participating in activities? No one! We all want our children to be extroverts, friendly, approachable and having a sharing nature. But some children do have certain traits of non-sociable nature. They love to be by themselves—play alone with their toys, prefer the company of their family or caretakers and like to be in their own cocoon created by their imagination. There is no harm in being an introvert. But in this era of tough competition in corporate and social world, one is expected to be conversant and socially active. How can we inculcate these traits in our children? We cannot and should not try and change their basic personalities, but we can teach them a few social survival skills so that they can stand on their own in a group setting. Here are some pointers:
•    Leave them with other children and watch from far. 
•    Let them interact on their own. Let them make their own friends. Obviously at this age they will not analyze someone else before being friends with that child, but will be friends with the ones who also will be responsive to them. I have observed one thing in my toddler and that is that rather than making friends of her age she likes to be with DiDi’;s- girls who are older to her. But this is a common trait. Experts believe that it is only when they start school, will they be able to associate better with children of their own age group.
•  Teach them to say Good Morning, Good Night, Hi, Thank You, Bye, and many more such courtesy words. It brings a caring attitude in children. 
•  Carry toys when you go with them to the playgrounds. This way they will learn to share their toys with other children. Even if it means exchanging toys which commonly happens. It will also encourage other children to want to come and interact with your child. 
•  To enhance their social skills we need to first practice it ourselves. Children do what we teach them and they practice what we role model in their presence: be polite with others, use courtesy words, help others. Show them that loving and caring for others will make them a better person to be with. 

It’s easy to inculcate social intelligence in toddlers but difficult to maintain the same in adolescence and teenage. Some children are naturally shy and some who were socially active suddenly become shy when the reach this stage. 
•    As a parent you need to be patient and try to bring them out of this trait in a comfortable way. 
•    Do not blame them. 
Believe in them: tt’s ok to be shy. 
•    Let them take their time to come out of this phase. 
•    Engage them in activities of their choice. Let them join some hobby class where they can interact with other children. 
•    Discuss the same with their teachers, so that they can involve them in maximum group activities. 
•    Do not criticize the type of friends they make, unless it’s not harming them morally. 
•    Be friends with the parents. Invite them over.
•    Last but not the least have an active approach to help your children with their interpersonal skills—just play with them, be a role model, show them that people are important and help them build relationships. 
Though it is very difficult to teach a toddler all about social skills, it becomes easier when they start pre-school since they are away from home, become interested in making friends, and learn to communicate their feelings. It will help them not only in their childhood but also in every walk of life.