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The Shy Guy (or Girl)
Can Parents Help
Their Shy Toddler? By Sue Marquette Poremba
Their Shy Toddler?
Getting the child involved in a physical activity in a group setting may do more to wear down shyness than putting a child in a quiet one-on-one situation. When you are moving your body, particularly in motions like tumbling or hanging upside down, the movement excites the speech system, and the child can't help but laugh or chatter away.
Daycare settings can also help a shy toddler come out of his shell, Putnam says. Also, when putting the shy toddler into a new situation preschool, dance class or even a trip to the playground try to make sure the child knows at least one other person. Seeing a familiar face eases the stress and creates a natural comfort zone for the child.
or encouraged to adapt. Putnam cites research of children who were diagnosed as very shy when they were 2 years old. When they met again with the researchers as young adults, these once shy children were outgoing, personable adults who learned to regulate their shyness. "The worst thing you can do is be overprotective with the shy child,"Putnam says. Don't allow the child to avoid social situations just because they feel uncomfortable. That will enable the child to retreat even further into a shell.
But, he adds, you don't want to completely break your child of shyness. Shy children, he says, respond well to gentle discipline, and they are more likely to be motivated by positive reinforcement.
In the long run, it is most important to let your child be himself,Borba says. "Your role is not to try and change your child's basic temperament and personality, but instead to help him warm up, open up and join the fun having friends can bring," she says. "Simple, little changes can reap big results."
