BACK TO SCHOOL SURVIVAL GUIDE:<\/p>\n

Social Strategies for the beginning of the school year<\/span><\/p>\n

The beginning of the school year is a fresh start, a new opportunity to make friends and to put your social strategies into action!\u00a0 We\u2019ve learned that the first few weeks of school give you the best chance to start a new friendship, or to strengthen a friendship you began last year.\u00a0 All the kids who are returning to school are in the same situation as you\u2014everyone is feeling a little insecure as school begins, and wondering who their friends will be this year.<\/p>\n

So, get off to a strong start by using the social tools we learned about and practiced in our Connections group!\u00a0 Here are ten tips to get you started:<\/p>\n

1) Be friendly<\/strong> \u2013 even if you\u2019re feeling shy, take the first step by starting a conversation with a classmate. You can talk to:<\/p>\n

\n
• a \u201cnew kid\u201d\u2014someone who is new to your school and doesn\u2019t have friends yet<\/li>\n
• someone who was in a different class last year<\/li>\n
• someone you were friends with last year<\/li>\n
• someone you knew a little bit from last year, but not really a friend<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  2) Use a greeting and introduce yourself<\/strong> (if you don\u2019t know the other person already). Make yourself approachable by smiling<\/strong> and using other friendly non-verbal signals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

  3) Ask questions and be a good listener<\/strong> \u2013 you can ask what he\/she did over the summer, such as going on a trip, going to camp, learning new sports or games, going to a concert, etc.\u00a0 Kids like to be asked about their interests.\u00a0 Think of some follow-up questions, such as: What was your favorite part?, or, \u00a0What did you like most about it?\u00a0 Then you can share a similar experience.\u00a0 Also, when you find out about other kids\u2019 interests, you can also figure out what things you both<\/span> like to do!<\/p>\n

  4) Be prepared to share a few things about your summer<\/strong>, but keep it brief<\/strong>.\u00a0 If you give too many details, the other person might lose interest.\u00a0 For example, don\u2019t tell them about every step of your new video game \u2013 this could be very boring for the listener (unless he or she has the same game and wants to share some strategies).\u00a0 Be sure not to just talk about yourself\u2014this will probably not be very interesting to the other person after a while.\u00a0 Conversations should go back and forth (like a friendly game of tennis).<\/p>\n

  5) Stay calm and relaxed<\/strong> \u2013 if you begin to feel nervous\/anxious, use one of the relaxation methods we practiced in group (breathe slowly, relax your muscles, think positively, etc.).\u00a0 You can practice these every day, and before too long you will be able to feel more calm and in control.<\/p>\n

  6) Figure out the times of day when you can talk with other kids<\/strong>.\u00a0 For example, before school, during lunch, any breaks during the day (but not while the teacher is explaining math concepts or giving a history lesson!)<\/p>\n

  7) Consider joining a school club, activity, or afterschool sport<\/strong>\u2014these are great places to make friends.<\/p>\n

  8 ) When you find someone who likes some of the same things as you, you can invite him\/her to hang out together after school<\/strong> or on the weekend.\u00a0 (Check with your parents first that you will actually be free at that time.)<\/p>\n

  9) Keep in mind how you are making the other person feel<\/strong>\u2014when the other person feels comfortable and listened to, he\/she is more likely to have a positive experience and would probably want to get together again!<\/p>\n

  10) Use humor in moderation<\/strong> \u2013 a little humor goes a long way, but don\u2019t get too silly or annoying with constant jokes.<\/p>\n

  Remember, the beginning of the school year may be the easiest time to make new friends, before everyone has \u201cpaired off\u2019 and found a small subgroup to belong to.\u00a0 So, remember the tools we used in our Connections group last year, and get started right away!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  BACK TO SCHOOL SURVIVAL GUIDE: Social Strategies for the beginning of the school year The beginning of the school year is a fresh start, a new opportunity to make friends and to put your social strategies into action!\u00a0 We\u2019ve learned that the first few weeks of school give you the best chance to start a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.connectionscagp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/155"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.connectionscagp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.connectionscagp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.connectionscagp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.connectionscagp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.connectionscagp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161,"href":"http:\/\/www.connectionscagp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/155\/revisions\/161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.connectionscagp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}