7 ways making friends in school
Making friends in school can be one whole journey of its own. Whether it is your child’s first time in school or perhaps you recently shifted to a new location, it may sound a lot to make real friends at school.
However, building friendship revolves around your child’s emotional skills and social competence to connect with her peers. Here are the top 7 best ways on how to make friends at school.
1. Remember names
If you’re new to the new, you will definitely have to remember all the strange people you meet every day. Every time anyone approaches you, make sure you ask them for the name and, most importantly, remember it too. So the next time you come up to them, call with their name rather than saying just a simple “hey” or “Whats Up.” Why is this so important?
Let’s admit it: our names are our favorite thing to hear. So when you go up to someone new and stay their name, it instantly increases your chances of being likable. If your new friend has a difficult name and you successfully remember it, that is surely a plus. If you are having trouble remembering it, make sure to create short stories in your head or words associated with that person.
2. Listen to others
Have you ever had a friend who talks too much about themselves? Yes, that’s exactly what you don’t want to be. The usual way of making new friends is presumably to show off how great you are. After all, how will your peer know that you could do 2 backflips at once, right?
Where these techniques used to work when you were 3 years old, you may have to take up a completely different approach to make friends. Everybody wants to feel heard and given importance. To make friends, that’s all you have to do as well; however, know the difference between truly listening and listening to speakers. If you are waiting for the other person to finish talking so you can begin, it is really going to show that too.
You can always break the ice, start the conversation and let the other person do all the talking. You can do this by asking questions like
“How was your weekend?”
“What’s your favorite subject here?”
“What sort of video games do you play?”
If that’s not your bet, you can always start by asking specific questions about the current topic and discuss their point of view on it. The more you listen, the more people are going to like you.
3. Focus on the Few Real Ones
Making friends is not about having the school as your friend. In fact, not all of them have to like you. Saying “hi” to everyone as you pass by is definitely the sign that you lack a few real friends. Try creating solid friendships with people you feel connected with the most. This will help you have a better school life than moving around in different friend circles every year.
4. Be Yourself
This is something most people struggle to do. It is easy to say yes to a party when you really didn’t feel like going. The urge to fit in can make you do or say things that will surely help you make a lot of friends initially, but you will not only lose them over time, but you are also missing out on being friends with someone with a similar interest.
Not to mention, you can always spot new school students trying to fit in with their fake interests and other people pleasers. Start by creating a clear-cut reputation at first where you are genuinely yourself. Sure, you can be friends with people of different tastes but never forget where you come off as well. For instance, if your friend is a football player where you are the google ol’ techie kid, don’t hesitate to ask about his practice and listen to a few football stories with him. In return, he can initiate a conversation about the technical projects you have involved yourself in.
Here, none of you are interested in anything they do, but you both respect each other to talk about the things they love and have your own personal space simultaneously.
5. Talk To Someone Alone
If you see someone sitting alone, there you have the best opportunity to make new friends! They are likely to be as nervous as you to make new friends, and you can approach them to make it a win-win situation. If you don’t know where to start, you can initiate the conversation by asking about their previous school, the things they love doing, or sit with them during recess. However, make sure you are not pushing too hard to talk; they could be introverts as well.
6. Look For People With Similar Interests
The best way to find like-minded people is to join clubs you are interested in. if not that, look for people reading books that maybe you like as well. As a general rule of thumb, people with similar book interests tend to get along better and faster than others. Depending on the situation, you can start the conversation. However, an important thing to bear in mind is always exchanging social media and checking up on them after the initial meeting.
7. Unplug From Your Devices
If you are on your devices in school, it gives off an impression that you are not approachable. Even if you make a few online friends, you will never be able to get into a deep connection with the people at your school. Always make yourself available in the outside world, as this can help you keep up with the fun and dry days of school.
As for devices, you can always count on them once you come home after school.
All in all, making friends isn’t as hard as you make it seem. You know you are eventually going to find the right friends. So don’t rush to make friends on the same day at the cost of being yourself. Just go with the flow, be the first one to make a move, invite them to your birthday parties , and you are all set to make new friends at school.