From psychologist and children’s friendships expert Eileen Kennedy-Moore and parenting and health writer Christine McLaughlin comes a social development primer that gives kids the answers they need to make and keep friends.
Friendships aren’t always easy for kids. Almost every child struggles socially at some time, in some way. Having an argument with a friend, getting teased, or even trying to find a buddy in a new classroom…although these are typical problems, they can be tough. Children want to fit in, but sometimes getting along with friends is complicated. Psychologist and children’s friendship expert Eileen Kennedy-Moore and parenting and health writer Christine McLaughlin give kids the answers they need to make and keep friends using five essential skills:
-Reaching Out to Make Friends
-Stepping Back to Keep Friends
-Blending In to Join Friends
-Speaking Up to Share With Friends
-Letting Go to Accept Friends
With research-based, practical solutions and plenty of true-to-life-examples of social skills in practice—presented in lighthearted humorous cartoons—Growing Friendships is a toolkit for both boys and girls as they make sense of the social environment around them. They will learn how to be open to friendship, choose kind friends, and most important, be a good friend.
Really forces kids to see the part they play in making and losing friends and ways to turn the latter around.
My daughter, 9yo w/ADHD, has been having some difficulty navigating some of the social aspects of friendships as she get older and the way kids related to each other changes. My spoken advice to her wasn't sinking in, so I bought this book and just left it on her bed (along with the 'Growing Feelings' book) and figured we'd talk about why I bought them for her that evening. Turns out there was no need, as she picked it right up and read it diligently in her free time over the next few days.
It's put together really well for kids, with bite sized chapters in a digestible language, and relevant topics. She loves to read me the interactions between the dog and cat which she thinks are hilarious, and she will share with me things that she's learning as she goes. Now she's onto the feelings book and it's the same experience.
My only regret is that there isn't one specifically for navigating blending families/sibling relationships, because that would be AMAZING! (hint hint to the authors ;) )