shy 6 year old 06/11/2006 00:34 - Behaviour / Discipline ----------------------------------- I would really appreciate some advice. My son is a very shy kid in school but at home and in the playground will happily play with other kids. His teacher has told me that he does not contribute to the class at all and nearly hids under the table if asked a question. He also attends the remedial teacher for reading were he is progressing well but mostly he is with another child who talks for him, but when on his own will talk to the teacher. I have tried numerous methods but cannot seem to help. Any input would be great.
re : shy 6 year old 06/11/2006 15:21 - Behaviour / Discipline ----------------------------------- hi kellyr i have a 7yr old who sounds very similar. he started school at the age of 4 and 4mths. you dont mention what class your son is in. at first he was incredibly,painfully shy and also often visibly quite upset at the thought of contributing in class. my son is also an only child.as i knew he was going to remain one i used to encourage him to introduce himself and seek out friends from a very early age.i suppose at the end of the day you need to build his self-esteem.i did this thru various actvitities like dancing and more recently with "yoga kids".both are great confidence builders.anything that takes them out of themselves and forces them to communicate in different fun ways i have found invaluable. i think shyness is in part genetic,but also a learned response and can just as easily be unlearned.hope this helps in some way.
re... : shy 6 year old 06/11/2006 17:57 - Behaviour / Discipline ----------------------------------- Thanks Marie, My son is in first class and he is a middle child which does not help as the other two are so outgoing. I will try and get him into an activity of his own.
re... : shy 6 year old 06/11/2006 19:00 - Behaviour / Discipline ----------------------------------- Hi Marie If it is a case that your child is too shy to speak out in class then I agree that some extra curricular classes in something like drama might give hime more confidence - just be careful that you pick a drama class that isn´t too pushy or too big as it might overwhelm him. On the otherhand your child might not be participating because he is scared of getting the answer wrong and looking foolish. It might be worth talking to him to see if this has anything to do with it. If it has you could talk to the teacher and agree on a way she could ask him questions in the short-term that he difinitely knew the answers to so as to build his confidence and make answering questions in class a routine exercise for him.
re : shy 6 year old 28/11/2011 16:18 - Behaviour / Discipline ----------------------------------- Hi Kelly and Marie, I agree that the best way to give a shy child some confidence is to try and get them involved in some sociable after school activities. Our middle child was also very shy in the classroom but at the age of about 10 he was doing all sorts of extra-curricular stuff. Playing in the school bands, playing rugby, playing cricket. Not that he was necessarily the most gifted in any of these! However the training and practise gave him a focus and goals and as he achieved more and more of these his confidence visibly grew. Although it is sad to see/hear about now, I´m sure both of your lads will be right as rain in a few years time as you both seem to be aware and have the right ideas! :)
