Shyness is a normal trait in many children’s development. It could stem from a number of factors which include apprehension, anxiety and even low self-esteem. As a guardian of a ward struggling with timidity, it is important to treat it as a mere phase in the child’s growth. Children battling shyness need a lot of encouragement and support to ensure that they do not carry the attribute into adulthood. Here are some key steps you can take to assist your child overcome shyness:
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The first step to take is identifying the trait, which is easier said than done, as shyness is often attributed to a number of different emotions. You should look out for some specific behaviours such as refusing to play or interact with other children, very rare voluntary responses, always staring down at the ground, a stern difficulty with maintaining eye contact and making new friends. Observing a consistency in some of these behaviours early is vital towards effectively tackling timidity.
As a parent of a shy child, it is pertinent you avoid drawing comparisons to their peers. Measuring them up against other children could aggravate the underlying issues, further lowering their esteem by making them begin to feel that there is something wrong with them. Positive interaction is constantly needed to help them slowly overcome their shyness. You should always keep the communication lines open, and make them feel safe about sharing their experiences and problems with you.
Encourage your child to always make new friends. Get to know who your ward’s friends are and motivate them to regularly make new ones. Always have a positive reaction to finding out that your ward has made a new acquaintance at school, church or in their playgroup. Seeing how excited it makes you to know that they are increasing their friendship circle will definitely offer them some incentive to make more friends.
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Making new friends is easy for some children, but for many other kids, it could be a real hassle. Children battling shyness may find it difficult to initiate conversations with other kids their age. As a parent, you can take a very direct approach by helping your child develop the right interpersonal skills. Teach them some of the things they can and cannot say to a person whom they are interested in making acquaintances with. Recreate some very common social situations, so they learn how to improve their social interaction skills.
Researchers have found that a shy personality is typically associated with overprotective parenting, hence the need to give your child the opportunity to live a little and experience the outdoors a lot more often. Never turn down the opportunity for your child to be part of activities where he or she will get the chance to be around other children that are his or her age mates.
Participating in group activities like birthday parties, football practice, extra-curricular clubs in school and children camps will not only help them overcome their shyness, but also improve their esteem and develop team spirit.
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