My 7 nearly 8yo DD is a socially underconfident child. When her friend is at school she will play with others but the default when she is not there is to play alone. She shows no signs of stress or unhappiness or anxiety. She likes making her own games up, totally content. She's known these kids for years; it's a small class with very nice characters. I've tried drawing her out about it but she found it hard to articulate why. Finally she admitted that she is too afraid to break into groups and join their game.
What can I do at home to encourage more outgoing behaviour? Is 8 too young to worry that much?
For background info, I am also introverted and find it hard to socialise, and I was worse as a child, of course. But I do remember opening up more by her age. The thing it DD has always been like this and shows very little improvement as the years go by. Any tips or advice would be very much appreciated.