When Your Child Doesn't Have Any Friends

My son told me the same thing this year (he's 9) I spoke with his teacher and found out that he gets along with almost everyone although must of his good friends are in other classes. I'd speak to his teacher first maybe today was just a bad day for him

Let his teacher know. Maybe he/she can pair him up with a nice boy in his class who might make a good playmate. When our son was having big problems with his best friend a few months ago, I let his teacher know (the problems were giving our son tics) and she was more than happy to help out.

check with the teacher to make sure this is a true statement. if so, ask if they have a social worker at the school. our school does and she has a "class" for kids like this to help them 'socially'. Both of my kids attended for different reasons (one was quiet and didn't have friends, the other was way TOO social and needed to tone down a bit!). good luck.

that is so sad. :( Sign him up for things outside of school. Invite some other kids over to play. Find out what interests him and sign him up for something, art, music, soccer, etc. Help him make connections. Also, talk to his teacher and find out if there are kids that would want to play with him and invite them over for a playdate or meet their parents and go to the park or zoo with them. Kids together will often gang up on other kids, but if you pull them apart from their "friends" at school then they will more than likely play with your child. If that makes sense.

You mention what your son has said but you didn't mention how he feels. I'm an introvert so often I'd be to myself but I was alright with it until someone taught me how to not be and then I had to learn how to be okay with it all over again.

Check and see how he feels about it. If he is feeling like he is missing something he may just be missing or lacking some social cues and may need to be taught how to interact with kids. A professional would be able to help him work that out.

Poor little guy. There was an episode on "The Middle" where the youngest son was doing role-playing to help him talk and be playful with other kids. Coud you try that? I mean, I know "The Middle" is a sitcom but there might be some merit in ensuring he's comfortable walking into a game of tag or four-square and being "fun." You might ask him if there are any other kids who seem to be playing alone, perhaps he can befriend one of them. Sometimes kids in groups can be more cruel than they are one-on-one. And I agree with CAWriterMom, maybe the teacher knows someone compatible in the class and can make them partners on a project or something in the interest of sparking a friendship.

How did he "find out." Did someone tell him? Poor little fella.
It's not that he's no fun. It's just that what he thinks is fun, may not be what the other kid thinks is fun.
My advice would be to involve him in something. By the time you get to highschool, you can join social clubs, athletics, band, choir, all sorts of stuff. There isn't as much at school for 7 yr olds, but help him find people like him if you can. Maybe science club or if you want him to be really cool - put him in karate. My kids are in a bunch of sports at the ymca, so, they make a lot of friends that way. And it helps thier socialization skills.
I hate to even suggest this, but it works. You could buy him some super cool new fancy shoes or backpack or video game. The other little guys would probably pay attention to him long enought to find out he's actually pretty cool and if nothing else, it would give him a boost of self confidance.

awww-this makes me so sad-for both him AND you. I would request a conference with his teacher to discuss this. You need to find out exactly what is going on in class. You should ask how he relates to the other kids and how they are with him. Tell her that she will not hurt your feelings and that you need to hear it all. Ask her what her opinion is on it-she has most likely been around a lot of kids and has seen all kinds of situations. And finally enlist her help in getting your son socialized.

At the beginning of the year I was worried about my son being in class with no close friends. I shared this with his teacher who was more than willing to work on it. She paired him with kids that she thought he would like and gave him ways to break out of his shell. He quickly became acclimated and made lots of new friends.

Lastly-I would look into who these kids are that are saying that he is no fun. Then make an appointment with the guidance counselor to discuss this. Our counselor does group meetings at lunch with kids where she plays games and helps to bring each kid out and also solve any issues they may have with one another.

So sad to hear that I was concerned with this issue with my son who is in 1st grade he is 7 she said no he has lots of friends the whole class is his friends I was like really because I was worried since he doesn't say much that he didn't play on the playgound or talk to someone during lunch time & how well others got along with him.He is reserved but he has frineds & plays I would certainly ask the teacher maybe his idea of friends isn't the same as yours or others.We don't do play groups or go over nor invite others to our home for many many reasons all we deal with is what we have at school functions(which he does say hi to everyone & eveyone comes up to him to chatter) so that wouldn't be my advice unless you like that idea.Have you had any clues that he was playing by himself all school year?Do you talk about his school days daily?How does he feel about playing by himself & being told he's no fun (that would be hurtful,but not bullying)If you get some time today call the teacher & ask if she can speak to you or ask to come in afterschool,maybe it isn't the case & he does have friends & plays with others or maybe it was an off day kids have those too.

My kids have off days all the time with their friends and it could have been one of those days. My 9yo son goes through more of this then my 7yo daughter. I don't like everyone every day of people I know, including family and that is ok. Do you have many friends? One thing you make sure of is not to become his friend, he needs you to be his Mom, you can become his friend after he is an adult. Like others have said, ask his teacher how he is in school and if they notice how and who he plays with or ask the playground attendants. Pop in on a recess if you can to see what he is doing. Is he bossy to other kids? Does he want to play something that none of the others wants to play? Does your son play with kids outside of school? like neighborhood kids or at a park? Kids are usually pretty good at working things out themselves and our reactions as parents can help or hurt them moving through this process.

You need to talk to your child's teacher and usually there is a counselor available. They can set up social groups. Usually these are already happening so maybe there is one that is already going on that he can get involved in. Also if your school has any extra programs that he may like get him involved in it. The more he is given the opportunity to socialize wit the kids the easier it will get for him. Some kids are just better at socialization than others. Three of my kids were shy and had a hard time handling more than 1 friend at a time. Two or more it was too much for them and I think they did not know what to do.

Speak with his teacher and maybe he/she can help. I've found that working in groups is a great way to make friends. Once a kid makes one friend they generally end up making more. If he finds something he likes and opens up a bit with his classmates he'll probably find someone. I had problems making friends as a kid, but after I started opening up and showed people I could be fun and had a sense of humor I ended up with lots of buddies. Some kids are introverts (I was one, but I ended up being pretty social).

The Book I recommend it "Good friends are hard to find". It has step by step instructions. Good luck!