Learning About Tutors For Kids

Helping A Shy Extroverted Child Break Through Their Shyness

13 July 2016 by Lloyd Burke

Extroverted children often adjust very well to new child care situations, such as daycare or school. By nature, they enjoy spending time with other people and experiencing new situations. However, extroverted children can also be shy, which may make it more difficult for them to fit in with their peers in these child care situations. Here's how you can help a shy extroverted child.

Shyness Is Not The Same As Introversion

People often link shyness and introversion, believing they are the same thing. That's inaccurate: while introverted people are often shy, extroverted people can also be extremely shy. Extroversion and introversion are more a measure of how much alone time a person enjoys. Introverted people prefer quiet alone time with minimal stimulation. By contrast, extroverted people love social time and being regularly stimulated.

So your extroverted child (one who loves keeping busy, spending time interacting with friends and family members, and who is often the life of a party in comfortable situations), may develop intense shyness in an unknown situation. Shyness is more about a lack of confidence in these situations, including being introduced to daycare, a new school, or meeting new people. Extroverted children may have those same kinds of fears, meaning they will struggle to break the ice with new people.

How This Can Impact Their Interactions With Others

If your child is shy but extroverted, they are going to have a hard time adjusting to a variety of social situations. Their extroversion will compel them to make friends, but their shyness will limit their ability to interact with others. As a result, they can experience feelings of extreme loneliness and even a lack of self esteem. Remember, just because a child is extroverted doesn't mean they are necessarily completely confident.

Unfortunately, this means that your child may develop feelings of worthlessness that can contribute to further shyness. When an extroverted child is shy, they will struggle to reach out to new people and make the friends they want and need. This can make it extremely difficult to take care of your child and can impact their whole life.

Helping Them Break Their Shyness

It's important to remember that shy children typically lack confidence and are afraid of being judged by interacting with others. So don't criticize them for being shy. Even telling family members and others that they are "always a little shy" in front of the child reinforces that lack of confidence and makes it harder for them to break out and talk to others.

Shy extroverted child are often just chomping at the bit to interact with others, but need a little extra push to do it. Try setting up a play date with children they've shown an interest in knowing. You should attend the play date and, if possible, play with the children. In this way, you will soothe your child's fears and make it easier for them to play with the other child.

Helping your shy extroverted child become less shy will make it easier for them to fit in with their peers in a child care situation away from you. This will help them have a more fun and enjoyable time, allowing them to fit in and be happy.

For more information, contact D & J Educational Inc or a similar organization.

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