Friendships are a really important part of children’s lives. They’re crucial for mental, physical and emotional health.
It’s normal for children to feel nervous or have anxious feelings about going back to school or making new friends. Remember that your child’s friends and classmates are probably having the same thoughts and feelings.
Those feelings might be worse this year because of the school closures. Because of lockdown and rules about meeting people, it has been hard for children to keep up with existing friends or make new ones.
You can help by talking to them about friendships and organising activities where they can meet other children.
While they are young, your child will need your help to spend time with other children outside of school or nursery. Even when rules about socialising are changing, there are lots of ways you can support them to make friends.