1. Provide opportunities for social play, such as at the park, library, playdates or organized activities.

2. Play with your child in a positive and peer-like manner. Try to laugh and smile, avoid criticism, respond to your child’s play ideas, and take direction as well as give direction during play.

3. Talk about the importance of social relationships. Share things about your relationships with friends, family, colleagues or community members, including positive solutions to conflict. Ask casual questions before and after their social activities.

4. Take a problem-solving approach to social difficulties. Listen with empathy when your child describes a social problem and help brainstorm a variety of solutions. 

5. Endorse positive social strategies that increase the probability of play or friendships, rather than aggression or rejecting the other child.

6. Reflect a positive and resilient attitude toward social rejections. Explain rejections by peers as temporary or as situations that they can improve by changing their own behavior; such as setting boundaries, validating feelings and maintaining a respectful tone and attitude. Avoid defeatist comments, such as, "Those kids are just mean."

7. Intervene when necessary, but generally permit children to work out their social problems on their own. Allow children to practice social skills in real life situations with other children and then discuss what went well and what was challenging afterwards.

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Check out these games and activities for various ages from Parenting Science.