Children behave differently. There are those who are naturally friendly and would respond to everything around them with glee most of the time. But there are those who refuse to let their guards down until they are very comfortable with the people whom they are interacting with. This is very evident in many cases of shyness in preschoolers. This is very true for kids who have been very sheltered by their parents and other loved ones at home, especially those who do not get to play with other kids their age most of the time. A lot of them find it hard to relate to other people, even kids their age, because they cannot easily adapt to the changes that they experience once they enter school.
If you are a parent who has this dilemma, you have to understand what your kids are going through. You have to support them every step of the way. At the start, you need to be by their side constantly. This must be done until you feel like they are ready to take things on their own. Here are some techniques on how you may go about the matter.
1. You must take things at a time. You must understand that at this point, you should think about the steps that you ought to do to be able to help your child. You must integrate things that can help them gain confidence and they should feel your support through it all. You must allow them to do things according to their preference and capabilities.
2. You should not put too much pressure on your kids. If you want them to change their attitude, you will not achieve that if you are going to pound on them every so often whatever you want to happen. You must not expect them to act like other active kids. Instead of following you, they might turn against the idea and also turn away from kids whom you keep comparing them with.
3. Set good examples of what you preach. It will be easier for your kids to understand what you are trying to tell them by being good examples of what you would want them to be. You must encourage them to speak their minds whenever they are being asked certain questions and at times when there are people who are talking to them. You should also tag them along with you at occasions where they will be exposed to many people, especially on events where there will be many children.
4. Involve your kids in role playing games where you will ask them to do roles that reflect the kind of person that you want them to become. This serves as a practice for them to know what to do in instances if they are not shy. You should prepare for the game and give them roles that will inspire them to do the same acts if ever they will be faced with the same situations in the future.
You can do your share to counter shyness in preschoolers as long as you are focused on the task and you firmly believe that you can achieve the goals that you have set for them.