Helping DD have friends

[lauraw4321]

It's amazing how differently-talented we all are.  My middle DD probably has better social skills than me.  My oldest, however, struggles.  

 

I'm looking for suggestions.  Right now, I think the biggest barrier for her is that she's really lousy at conversations with other kids.  Her idea of a good conversation is her re-telling her favorite story or movie (nearly verbatim), or telling jokes (which they usually don't get).

 

She learns really well from reading.  I was trying to find a book geared toward kids to help her learn better conversation skills.  

 

I could type a novel, but I'll stop here.  Any suggestions?

 

[background: She's 7.  Introvert.  In scouts and a co-op.  I am constantly trying to scout out friends for playdates, but I have a very hard time finding kids with free schedules.  When she was in school, she would try to make friends with mean girls (seriously don't know a better way to describe them) and it never worked well.]

[greenbeanmama]

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Choices-Friends-Social-Competencies/dp/1575422018/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452893448&sr=1-6&keywords=dude+thats+rude

 

We've used a few of the books in this series, not this one specifically though.  It might give you a good starting point.

[Guest]

The american Girl book series has a nice book called How to Be a Friend or something like that.

[Arcadia]

Does your library have a book club for the younger kids? My libraries book clubs start from 3rd grade so my DS10 had a tough time.

 

ETA:

DS10 had a hard time with conversations as well. Easier now with kids discussing Minecraft but thats the only thing he could chat about without unintentionally annoying others. Kids aren't really interested in recycled jokes. He is improving on picking up social cues though.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Arcadia

[fairfarmhand]

7 is still young! Take heart! My 8 yo will talk about annoying stuff to anyone. Sometimes its just finding someone who likes the same annoying stuff as you do. Good Luck!

[Vera]

DS(19) used to be like that. He would tell stories about shows or movies that he had seen almost word for word. It was soooo boring. And his jokes were awful. He was just an awkward person. He is now very funny, interesting and too popular. He comes home from break and then we barely see him. I feel silly for having worried.

[school17777]

I bought this book that dd (same age) and I are working through together: A Girl's Guide to Best Friends and Mean Girls (Secret Keeper Girl Series). Maybe this may be a good resource for the both of you.

[Carrie12345]

The most helpful things for my son (with ASD) were finding interest-specific classes/clubs and acting lessons/groups.  He's still a bit socially awkward at 17, but he manages fine among the "normals" and confidently seeks out people who get him.

 

I mention his diagnosis only to point out that it's taught me a lot about human behavior.  We all want to be around people who get us.  It's easier for some and harder for others, but it's always a lot more fun than pretending to be something else.