Friendship Facilitation
Page 2

• Does my child have free time for making new friends?   Children who are extremely busy with homework, after school activities, classes, lessons or sports, may not have enough time to make friends outside of the structured situations.   Make sure your child has some time available for playdates, or other time at home that you can set aside to help him make friends.   Set aside family time for friendship building get-togethers such as inviting a peer to the movies, or asking a potential friend to practice soccer.   Even in structured activities, you can encourage more social interaction by carpooling, including a peer at lunch.   If helping your child make friends is a priority, you might need to limit the "schedule" and set aside time for play with friends.
• Does my child have opportunities to make friends in school, clubs, or church that we can see outside of those week-day settings?  If your child attends school far from home, try to identify families that would be open to arranging playdates outside of school times.   Set aside time to do so, if possible.   Encourage your child to talk on the phone with school friends in the evenings or on the weekends.   Encourage your child to phone a peer if they have questions about what homework they have.   Your child will be more successful socially at school if he spends time away from the group cultivating one or more friends he will see in school later on.   If friends that your child wants to see are always unavailable, seek out other children to approach.
• Is the neighborhood safe or suitable?   Are there children available to make friends with?   DO NOT assume that just because there are children of the right ages on the block, that your less socially skilled child can make friends.   He will probably need more help, more