One of the most difficult things to witness as a parent is your beloved child on the outside of a clique — a group of friends whose hallmark is exclusivity in the social order of childhood.
What if your child is a part of a clique at school or in the neighborhood? There are steps you can take to help.
“Teach her the values of empathy and inclusion,” said Laura Broadwell in Parents.com. “Ask your child how she feels when someone hurts her feelings or when she’s been excluded from an activity. Then ask her to put herself in the position of a child who’s been hurt or excluded.”
Help your child to make friends outside of a clique. “Enroll her in classes or activities that pique her interest and allow her to meet new children,” advised Broadwell. “Then organize one-on-one play dates outside of school.”
Finally, talk to your child’s teacher about regrouping kids in a classroom. “For instance, a teacher might separate clique members and put them into groups with other children to work on reports, art projects, or experiments,” said Broadwell. “This can help clique members and other kids get to know each other in different ways.”
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