Helping Your Child Overcome Shyness
My son is naturally shy. Researchers claim that it's a genetic trait. So in reality, my son's shyness does not surprise me at all. As a child, I wouldn't even play games at my friend's birthday parties. I had an intense fear of failure and I was worried the kids wouldn't like me. Looking back, the fears were highly irrational, but try telling that to a six year old little girl! I had a few close friends, but I didn't branch out too much. I was well liked and very focused in school, but when it came to social settings, I was a little out of my comfort zone. As I got older I started to reach out. I became more self-confident and sought out social interactions. I became very involved in the goings on of the school and was soon elected to be the Service Project Chairman of our Honor Society, which often had me in front of the entire school.
Now, here I am with my own little bundle of joy, who is also a little shy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I do want him to be socially comfortable. I want him to have the confidence that I lacked as a child.
The most important thing is that your child feels loved unconditionally . Let them know that it is ok to feel shy and that it happens to everybody sometimes. Talk to them before going somewhere new. Help them prepare for meeting new people and try to get them excited about making new friends. They are less likely to feel shy if they know what to expect beforehand.
Plan an outing with children they are familiar with. Help them get used to playing with other kids and interacting with them. That way they already have the tools to have successful interactions with other children that they may not know as well. Help your child practice these skills at home. Keep in mind that being shy isn't all bad. Shy people tend to be better at working independently and solving problems on their own. They think things through before they act. Many times they also develop stronger friendships because they are focused more on the quality than the quantity. Shy children tend to be more well behaved. They are often more polite and considerate of others.
The trick is to help your child find balance. Help give them the tools to turn their weaknesses into their strengths.