To be concerned at Yr 1 child always playing on her own

[Tartifletti]

DD is in Yr1 and seems very happy at school. She's never not wanted to go in and her teacher says she is doing well with the work; she's on accelerated reading and maths programmes. My concern is that she plays on her own at playtime/ lunchtime. She says she is happy doing this because she likes daydreaming, but I honestly don't know if that is true. She is quite capable of telling me what she thinks I want to hear. I've tried encouraging her to play with other kids, to the extent of talking through who she could play with and how to approach them, but although she says she will give it a go, she doesn't.

I've organised a few playdates with kids in her class and they have been fine. She also gets invited to parties so isn't totally isolated but I worry that she is missing out on friendships and social skills. She has always been on the quiet side but

Have the school said she plays by herself all of the time? If it’s just your daughter telling you this then I would take it with a pinch of salt. Speak to her teacher about it.

Is she actually playing with no one at all or is she just playing for a short time/drifting from group to group? We get children in school who tell their parents they've played with no one and when we monitor it they actually are playing with people.

Either way, you have a concern so first place to start is to speak with her teacher about it. Tell her what DD has told you and ask if playtime staff can try and help her join in with some games. You could also ask if they have any friendship groups she could take part in. At my school we run a lunchtime social skills/friendships club, its called Games Club and they play card and board games, do jigsaws together, and so on with a LSA but it's really an opportunity for them to practice social skills and to build some friendships. I'm sure a lot of schools will have something similar.