Worried Your Child Is Lonely? How to Help Your Kids Make Friends at School with Principal Seth Kennard

About this episode

This episode discusses how parents can help their children make friends at school and understand the dynamics of childhood friendships.

Is your child coming home saying they "have no friends", while your gut tells you the story might be more complicated than that? You're not alone. As parents, nothing spikes our anxiety faster than the fear that our child is being left out socially. But what's really happening at recess, in the cafeteria, and throughout the school day? And how can we help our kids build friendships without spiraling after one mean comment from their friend? In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Seth Kennard, principal of Mountain View Elementary (and parent himself), for an inside look at what kids actually do when they're making friends at school, and why there are far fewer lonely kids at recess than parents imagine. This episode is an insightlook at elementary school friendships, and a roadmap for you as a parent in trying to stay out of panic mode while giving your kids the tools they need to thrive socially. If you're worried your child is lonely, this episode on helping kids make friends at school will show you: How quickly kids connect when given repeated, low-pressure opportunities What friendship formation actually looks like inside an elementary school Why so many kids say they have…

People in this episode

Guest: Seth Kennard

Topics covered

• child loneliness
• friendship formation
• parenting advice
• school social dynamics
• anxiety management

Keywords

• loneliness
• friendship
• school
• parenting
• anxiety
• resilience
• social skills

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mountain View Elementary

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