Being reserved or even shy shouldn’t stop your girl from having a super fun social life! If she’s having trouble making friends, suggest some of these oh-so-simple ice breakers that will help her meet new kids!

1. “The cat on your shirt is so cute! I love cats, too—do you have one?”
   Teach her to look for cues that she and the other person have something in common, like a character that might be on her clothing or lunch bag.
2. “Have you read anything cool lately?”
   Asking about something particular, like a book she may have read or a movie she may have seen, gives them a clear subject to talk about and can lead to plenty of other topics. Just make sure she has a book in mind to talk about in case the girl wants to know what she’s been reading, too!
3. “I thought the story you wrote was awesome! What made you write about outer space?”
   Everyone loves a sincere compliment, and following it up with a question about what she’s accomplished will show a genuine curiosity and hopefully lead to a great discussion!
4. “I’m signing up for Girl Scouts this year—are you?”
   Bringing up a potential shared experience will get the girls talking, even if they’re not both doing the same activities.
5. “Do you want to share my orange?”
   Being generous with toys or snacks is a universal offering of friendship, and will likely spark a conversation between the two girls.
6. “How did you feel about today’s game?”
   If the girls are on the same soccer team, or even in the same classroom in school, they’ll have plenty of shared experiences they can discuss. All it takes is your daughter to bring one of them up!
7. “Want to study for the vocab quiz together?”
   Suggesting tackling an activity that both girls have to do anyway will make the task easier on both of them, and give them a chance to get to know each other better.

Having to make new friends might be intimidating to your child, so go over these ideas and see if she can come up with more on her own. Of course not every person your girl wants to be friends with will feel the same way, and that’s OK, but the more she puts herself out there and connects with other kids, the more opportunities she’ll have to grow her social circle.