My DD cries every morning before she goes to school. She says she doesn’t play with anyone at play time. Her teacher noticed it too and mentioned it in our last parent teacher meeting last term. She’s experienced a small amount of bullying, but nothing long lasting that she can’t rationalise. Her best friend from when she was 5 can be a bit difficult and competitive and is now friends with everyone in the class and plays friends off eachother. Two other girls she was close to were both key worker children so got very close seeing eachother in school all year when my Dd wasn’t seeing anyone her age. (I also have a 5yr old dd). Her teacher has just gone on mat leave and we have a new after school nanny so she is experiencing a fair amount of change with new adults in her life, but I don’t think that relates to how unhappy she is and that she doesn’t want to go to school. She says she just spends most play times alone and when she asks to join in she’s told by other children that she can’t and the game is just for x no. Of children.
I’ve started organising more play dates now we can and more parents are comfortable, so hoping that will help her relationships in the play ground. I’ve talked to her about ideas on how to be a good friend to others so she can engage with children and I’ve bought her a book geared to her age that she can fill out sections about confidence. She gets a glowing report academically and gets on well with some out of school friends, but I’m getting really worried. Any thoughts or tips on what else I can be doing would be very helpful? TIA