Hi! I am a mother of two boys. One 7 and the other 5. My 7 year old is a bit different from other children his age. He is intelligent. He learned his ABC himself through watching Wheel of Fortune at the age of 3. By age 4, we bought him the Peter and Jane series and he mastered book 1 - 3 within a week and by the 2nd week we were already teaching him book 4 & 5. By the time he reached book 6, the letter were too small and they were too many to read, he lost interest.
My problem is that he does not mix with children his age that well. He plays with them but not for long. He often sits alone doing his own thing. He is in year one of school now and the teacher says that during recess he prefers to talk to the teachers. They tell me, he day dreams in class a lot but at the end of the day, he can always do his work. The teacher also says that he gets bullied by everybody due to his soft character
Another problem with his behavior is that he whines and cries easily when he cannot get his way. He will often overeact when he is upset.
How do I teach him to protect himself and express himself? How do I guide him to pay more attention in class?
Sports. Find one for him. My son was similar to yours. Very bright. Shy. An easy target for bullies. Boys seem to compare themselves by sports ability. If he'll play T-ball, start there. Soccar is ok too.
Some kids need to be taught social skills. He may be very bright in some areas but not all. Lots of books out there- many are good- in our area the school calls it "skill streaming". Specific lessons on how to learn social behaviors- taught with role playing.
Find an interest of his. Expand on it- trips, events, etc. Find a classmate who likes the same thing. Invite that child over.
My son was very interested in Teddy Roosevelt. In third grade he found a boy who liked him too. We went to the rough riders event, Roosevelts home, etc. That one common interest was the foundation for a long friendship. The shared experiences increased their bond. One friend tends to lead to another. Eight years later, they may drift away for a while but when things are tough they get back together.
