Friends become an especially important aspect of children's lives when they enter middle school and look increasingly to their peers for ways to dress, talk and behave. The friends of a middle school child can affect whether she tries tobacco, alcohol and drugs. As a parent, you want your child to have friends, but you want them to be the right kind of friends. Encourage your child to talk to you about friendships in school, so that you can advise her on how to choose friends wisely.
Step 1
Encourage him to participate in activities where he can make friends. Suggestions include church groups, sports programs and school clubs.
Step 2
Ward off negative thinking. "Scholastic" magazine suggests that if your middle school student tells you she has no friends, encourage her to change the situation. Help her replace that everyone-hates-me thinking with a positive goal, such as inviting her friends to the mall.
Step 3
Make friends with other parents. Parents can encourage interactions among children.
Step 4
Urge the child to invite peers over. Let him know that he is allowed to invite friends for studying, having pizza or just hanging out in the backyard. Provide transportation to peers' houses to help him make friends, as well, suggests the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Step 5
Discuss the way that she interacts with others. If your child is having a hard time making friends, examine with her the way that she behaves with her peers. If she interrupts others, starts fights or bosses her peers around, she will have to adjust these behaviors. "Scholastic" suggests seeking out professional counseling to help the child see how her behavior affects others.
