Which strategy would be best for helping a shy child make friends?

Which strategy would be best for helping a shy child make friends?

• A. Pair her with a younger child
• B. Encourage her to join large groups alone
• C. Push her to lead activities
• D. Isolate her from peers

Answer: (A)

The main idea tested here is using a gentle, scaffolded approach to help shy children enter social settings in a way that feels safe and likely to succeed. Pairing her with a younger child creates a low-pressure, approachable social partner. The younger child is usually less intimidating and more focused on simple, concrete play, which gives the shy child frequent opportunities to join in, share toys, take turns, and say basic greetings without the stress of competing for attention in a big group. This setup lets the shy child experience small, measurable social wins. An adult can provide light guidance or prompts to keep the interaction flowing, helping the child practice those basic social skills in a real context. Over time, these positive experiences build confidence, making it more possible to start interactions with same-age peers later. Other options create factors that usually hinder comfort and participation: joining large groups alone can be overwhelming; being pushed to lead adds pressure and anxiety; isolating removes chances to practice and learn social behavior altogether.

The main idea tested here is using a gentle, scaffolded approach to help shy children enter social settings in a way that feels safe and likely to succeed. Pairing her with a younger child creates a low-pressure, approachable social partner. The younger child is usually less intimidating and more focused on simple, concrete play, which gives the shy child frequent opportunities to join in, share toys, take turns, and say basic greetings without the stress of competing for attention in a big group.

This setup lets the shy child experience small, measurable social wins. An adult can provide light guidance or prompts to keep the interaction flowing, helping the child practice those basic social skills in a real context. Over time, these positive experiences build confidence, making it more possible to start interactions with same-age peers later.

Other options create factors that usually hinder comfort and participation: joining large groups alone can be overwhelming; being pushed to lead adds pressure and anxiety; isolating removes chances to practice and learn social behavior altogether.