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Reasons Why Imaginary Friends can be Helpful for kids

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Reasons Why Imaginary Friends can be Helpful for kids

When I was a kid, my parents got into a fight about whether or not I needed an imaginary friend. My dad thought I should focus on real-world friends, but my mom knew that having an imaginary friend helped me learn how to make and keep friends in the real world. Now that we know more about psychology for children Adelaide and development, it's clear that she was right all along: Imaginary friends can be helpful for kids!


Imaginary friends are important to children's cognitive development


As a child grows up, they need to develop social skills and learn how to make friends. Having an imaginary friend can help them do this. They will be able to practice different situations with their imaginary friend, like making small talk or dealing with conflict. This helps them learn what works and what doesn't work in real life.

Another way that having an imaginary friend is helpful for children is how it helps them process emotions like anger or sadness: if they're angry at their parents, they can take out their aggression against their imaginary friend; if they're upset about something that happened at school, they can talk through it with their imaginary friend; etcetera.

Because of these things (and more), many developmental psychologists agree that having an imaginary friend isn't just fun — it's beneficial as well!


Imaginary friends can teach kids about emotions


psychology for children Adelaide


Imaginary friends can be a great way for children to understand their own emotions and the emotions of others. When you imagine yourself as an imaginary friend, you can learn how you would feel in different situations. For example, if a child is feeling angry, they might imagine that they have an imaginary friend who gets angry at them too. Then they realize that getting angry isn't always fun because it makes everyone else around them upset too.


Imaginary friends can help children learn how to make friends


In fact, children who have imaginary friends are more likely to make friends with other kids.

An imaginary friend is a great way for kids to practice social skills without real-world consequences. Children learn how to interact with other people and make small talk by talking to their imaginary friends. They also get practice asking questions and listening carefully so they can think of a response. These skills will come in handy later when your child starts making actual friendships!


Having an imaginary friend is linked to better social skills.


Children who have imaginary friends are better at making friends. A study by researchers at the University of Chicago found that children with and without imaginary companions were equally able to make friends in preschool, but by the time they hit kindergarten, those who had an imaginary companion were far more likely to be on their way toward developing close friendships. They were also less likely than other kids to become aggressive or withdrawn from social situations.


Conclusion


The key here is not to get hung up on whether your child has an imaginary friend or not. The important thing is that they have strong emotional and social skills, which will help them throughout their life. psychology for children Adelaide is not a joke because it’s the life long investment for the development of childrens. If you think your child might be interested in having an imaginary friend, try introducing them to yours!


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