I want
...to make friends
Every child deserves the chance to feel included, valued and part of a community.
Making friends is a common and important goal for many families.
For some children, learning the skills of friendship follows a different path, especially when they move, communicate or experience the world differently from their peers.
These differences can sometimes create uncertainty for both children and their parents about how to start conversations, join in play or build connections. While this may be difficult to deal with, it is certainly not uncommon.
At Novita, we support families on this journey with compassion, practical strategies and an understanding of each child’s strengths.
Friendships help children feel safe, supported and connected. They offer shared experiences, chances to explore interests and opportunities to practice communication and social skills.
For children with disability, friendships can be especially powerful. Connecting with peers who share similar experiences, or who simply enjoy the same activities, helps build identity, confidence and belonging.
Parents often hope their children will have the same positive friendship experiences they had growing up. They want their children to feel welcomed and understood. Yet there can be many barriers that make forming friendships harder, such as:
These barriers are real, but they can be overcome with understanding, planning and supportive environments.
Simple, thoughtful strategies at home, school and in the community can support children build friendships that feel safe and meaningful.
You can support your child to build friendships by connecting with other parents and your child’s teacher to help set up early social experiences, such as playdates or paired classroom activities. Offering both structured moments, like playing a board game together, and unstructured time, such as going to a playground, gives children different ways to interact.
Community groups, sporting teams and hobbies are also great places for children to meet peers who share their interests. For older children and teenagers, you might help them plan how to ask a friend to meet up, by practicing how to write a text message or invitation.
Creating a welcoming home environment supports children to feel comfortable inviting others into their space. Making time for playdates and showing genuine excitement when children bring friends over communicates that their friendships matter. It’s also important to take the pressure off and allow friendships to develop in their own time, rather than rushing or forcing interactions.
Talking openly about what friendship looks and feels like can help children understand how to navigate social situations. You might discuss the difference between someone who is kind and someone who is unkind, or why having a few meaningful friendships can be more valuable than having lots of friends who aren’t close.
Practising social skills such as greetings, turn-taking, or asking for help, can happen naturally during everyday routines. Watching children’s shows together can also create opportunities to talk about friendship challenges and how characters get over misunderstandings. Children learn a lot from observing the adults around them, so modelling positive communication and strategies to repair conflict in your own relationships helps them understand what healthy friendships should look like.
Supporting your child’s communication style helps them feel more confident when interacting with peers. You might use visual supports, gestures or AAC systems to help them express themselves or understand others. It can also be helpful to let teachers, peers and family members know how your child communicates so that social interactions feel more successful for everyone involved. If your child uses AAC, you can practise key social phrases together, such as “Do you want to play?” so they feel prepared for real-life situations.
Novita partners with families to create safe, supported and meaningful opportunities for social connection.
These trusted resources offer guidance and support to support families nurture positive, respectful friendships.
If you’d like support to help your child build friendships in a way that feels safe, meaningful and achievable, contact us
