Older kids at park

[PARENTMJ]

Heyyy

My 5 yo always try's to play with the older kids (10-13year old) at the park - but struggles to understand social cues (potential autism) (she just thinks any kids is her friend) How do you handle this as a parent, often the kids play along but more in a way of a sibling being forced to play, or sometimes they might try use her as a laugh e.g a child told my child to go play with her friend then was laughing as he clearly didn't want to play. Any advice, I always feel so awkward. Is it just me who feels like this?

I'd steer her away and explain the social cues to her. Depending on what they are doing, potentially before she even speaks to them – 'oh, DD, I can see that those kids are playing football/climbing on the big climbing frame/whatever. They're kicking it a bit too hard/it's too high for you just yet, let's go on the swings instead' type of thing. Depending on how she does with generalising, you could try sort of prepping her on the way to the park, that if kids are playing a game/talking to their friends, we don't interrupt them to ask them to play with us instead (except if it's children nearer her own age and she just wants to join in, depending on how much complexity she's okay with).

A bit trickier if she's already approached them, but I'd still try something like 'I'm not sure he/she's really enjoying playing X, let's let him/her go back to the other big kids and we'll do Y'.