| Is your child lonely, sad, or angry? Would you like to | | | | teach the ideas in this book to their kids |
| teach your child how to make friends? If you don't | | | | But some parents said, "I don't have time," until I asked |
| know how, I'll share the secrets here. | | | | them, "Do you take your kids to games, music lessons, |
| First you need to know that research tells us the | | | | and doctor appointments? Do you eat dinner |
| average child spends 25 hours in front of the TV each | | | | together? Do you put your kids to bed at night? |
| week.TV characters become their "friends" and their | | | | Because if you do, you may have more time than you |
| role models. | | | | think." So, parents, how do you teach social skills? |
| Speaking about role models, I remember teaching a | | | | Parenting Tip - Role Play Social Skills with Kids |
| new class of first graders. Everyone, except two little | | | | Yes, you role play. You and your child practice acting |
| boys, was sitting tall in anticipation of story time. The | | | | out a scene with a social skill your child needs to learn. |
| two boys were rolling around slugging it out on the | | | | Your child becomes the youngster he wants as a |
| floor in the back of the room. | | | | friend. Then switch roles. Do this several times. |
| "Boys, what are you doing," I asked. "We're fighting. | | | | Parenting Tip - Use Charts to Help Your Kids Make |
| He's Tom and I'm Jerry. You know, in the cartoon," said | | | | Friends |
| the boy on top. "Don't worry," said the other. We do | | | | Make a chart with the social skill he's learning. At the |
| this all the time." | | | | top it might say, "My goal is to practice smiling and |
| Years later, as a child and family counselor, parents | | | | being upbeat with everyone I see." Give your child a |
| brought me their sad, angry and lonely kids. | | | | star each time he tells you how he was friendly. |
| These kids had one thing in common, "Nobody liked | | | | Each week teach your child a new social skill. Role |
| them. They had no friends." They didn't know how to | | | | play it at home. Tell your child, "Practice at school, in the |
| make friends either. I'd ask them how they spent their | | | | neighborhood, and at sports practices." Add his new |
| time. "TV," they'd answer. | | | | social skill to his chart too. |
| I worried about these kids. | | | | Can you see how simple it is to role play? Can you |
| One day, while at my in-laws, I shuffled through their | | | | see role playing a social skill in the car, at dinner, or at |
| bookcase and picked out a book that opened my | | | | bedtime? Can you imagine how happy your child will |
| eyes. Suddenly, I knew how to help these kids. Can | | | | feel making friends? |
| you guess which book? | | | | Conclusion for Teaching Your Kids How to Make |
| "How to Win Friends and Influence People" | | | | Friends |
| It was Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and | | | | Start teaching social skills today. Practice them |
| Influence People." I knew I could bring these social skills | | | | yourself. If you do, you'll raise a friendly child and you'll |
| down to a child's level. I knew I could help parents | | | | enjoy being friendlier too. |