Greetings Parents / Guardians,
Welcome back to school. We have
approached the 2nd term of the school year. We hope all parents had
a great time with your children and family. We are looking forward again to
your continue support and cooperation towards the development and progress of
your child/children. Thank you to all
parents for your valuable comments and suggestions given during our Parent
Discussion Week and please be assured that we will continue to give our best to
your child/children. I would like to
take this opportunity to wish all fathers a Happy Father’s Day and a wonderful
time with your family. Thank you for your unconditional love and support in the
community.
Human beings are social
beings. Responsiveness is built in; we come into the world programmed to
respond and relate to others. Even infants turn their heads in response to the
sound of a human voice. Early in life children begin to interact with children
outside the family - in child care settings, play groups, and preschool
programs. The friendships children have with each other are different than
those they have with parents and relatives. Family relationships provide an
ease, a closeness, a deep sense of intimacy. But they don't substitute for
other relationships. Starting young and continuing through adulthood,
friendships are among the most important activities of life.
Friendships are important in helping
children develop emotionally and socially. They provide a training ground for
trying out different ways of relating to others. Through interacting with
friends, children learn the give and take of social behaviour in general. They
learn how to set up rules, how to weigh alternatives and make decisions when
faced with dilemmas. They experience fear, anger, aggression and rejection.
They learn how to win, how to lose, what's appropriate, what's not. They learn
about social standing and power - who's in, who's out, how to lead and how to
follow, what's fair and what's not. They learn that different people and
different situations call for different behaviours and they come to understand
the viewpoints of other people.
Friends provide companionship and
stimulation for each other, and they find out who they are by comparing
themselves to other children - who's bigger, faster, who can add better, who
can catch better. They learn that they're both similar to and different from others.
Through friendships and belonging to a group children improve their sense of
self-esteem. The solace and support of friends help children cope with
troubling times and through transition times - moving up to a new school,
entering adolescence, dealing with family stresses, facing disappointments.
Friendships are not just a luxury; they
are a necessity for healthy psychological development. Research shows that
children with friends have a greater sense of well-being, better self-esteem
and fewer social problems as adults than individuals without friends. On the
other hand, children with friendship problems are more likely than other
children to feel lonely, to be victimized by peers, to have problems adjusting
to school, and to engage in deviant behaviours.
Children’s Friendships - by Ohio State University Extension
Working out peer relationships is an important
part of school-age years. Children’s friendships do more than provide them with
playmates today—they are key building blocks for children’s development and
adjustment as adults. Friendships, for example, help children learn social
skills, problem-solving skills and self-confidence.
Loving and nurturing family relationships give
children a good foundation for moving out into the social world. What else can
parents do to help their children navigate peer relations?
· Provide opportunities for your children to socialize. Inviting a
friend to your house to play is one option. Organized group activities such as
sports, dance classes, art or nature classes, or special interest clubs are
another. Some children who are shy may find it easier to socialize in a group
that is focused on a special interest, rather than in a freeplay situation.
Others may prefer one-on-one play in their own home.
· Respect your child’s individuality. One child may like to have one “best friend”
while another may be happiest with a variety of friends. What matters is what
is satisfying and comfortable for your child—which may be different from your
own social style. While it is reasonable to be concerned about a child who
seems to have no friends, a variety of friendship patterns can work for
children.
· Talk with your child about social situations and their feelings and
experiences with friends. Problem-solve together ways to handle difficulties
with other children. Help your child learn empathy by talking about what others
in a situation may have been feeling. Try to model a balanced approach to
friendships — you can sympathize, for example, without blowing a problem with a
friend out of proportion.
· Let your children and their friends solve
conflicts themselves as much
as possible. Children tend to have more conflict with their own friends than
with other children. If a disagreement bubbles up when your child is playing
with a friend, give them a chance to work it out before you intervene.
· Talk to your school counsellor if you are concerned about your child’s peer
relationships. Children who are rejected or ignored by their peers may benefit
from the counsellor’s support or local resources they can identify.
Giving to Others
Donate Old Toys
Make a list of local charities that need children’s
toys. Talk over the list with your child and select one to which you will make
a family donation. Go through your child’s toys together and identify ones that
could be donated to a charity—toys your child has outgrown, presents he already
had, or toys that have never interested her.
Sort them into two boxes: Ready-to-Go and
Fixer-Uppers. Go through the Fixer-Uppers together, cleaning and making
repairs. Depending on how many toys you collect and their condition, this
project may stretch out over some time. When the toys are ready, take them to
the charity together.
Donate Time
Make a list of local charitable or community
activities that would be suitable for a child and that you could do together. A
local foodbank or other organization that collects things might welcome your
help in boxing items or stacking them. Or volunteer to help clean up a local
park on a Saturday afternoon. Or call your PTA president and volunteer to
organize a parent-child clean-up day for the playground.
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