At what age do kids starting having friend groups/cliques?
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Anonymous
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My 3 year old will happily play with anyone in his class so I'm assuming not then!
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Anonymous
| Friend groups: early to mid elementary. Cliques: middle school. |
Anonymous
| Friend groups in mid-ES, but no real cliques. If that happens, it tends to be middle school. |
Anonymous
| My DD had a loose group in K, and now in 1st it seems like almost all the girls consider themselves "besties" although they all play nicely together. And DD was very happy to invite her whole class to her birthday party, and sometimes has playdates with boys (though less often than with girls). |
Anonymous
| Groups formed in second and third. DD is in 6th now and it's cliquey |
Anonymous
| Can totally depend on the class/grade. I became good friends with my DDs 1st grade teacher and she said the grade ahead was very cliquey with the girls. My kids grade they all got along though. Now my kid is in 5th at a different school and her grade seems to be ok…. |
Anonymous
| Late Kindergarten and 1st for friend groups, not really cliquey at this point, but you can sense that there's starting to be some early whiffs of exclusivity and queen bee behavior that I really don't like. Generally led by girls with older sisters. |
Anonymous
| 3rd grader, he had a hard time playing any of the ball sports at recess because he wasn't already on a team. They made him work and earn his way in. Not mean yet but lines are starting to be drawn. |
Anonymous
| If you nerdy you in big trouble in middle |
Anonymous
Actual "nerdy" kid psrent here. We found middle to late elementary to be bad. You are stuck with the kids in your classroom and the personalities don't always work. Middle school was surprisingly good. There are more kids, afterschool activities for every interest, and more attention paid to academics. My nerdy kid has become the kid who helps other kids figure out their math homework. What's important is the type of school. You want a school where being a nerd is considered a good thing. |
Anonymous
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My daughter - K (she's in K now)
My son - in 2nd now. His group evolves more based on interests. That said, I think it changes every year based on who is in their classroom. |
Anonymous
| My first grader has a lot of small friend groups that don't necessarily mix with each other -- for example, her soccer buddies are mostly boys and the boys don't play with her at school if she's also with other girls (but they'll pull her into a soccer or chase game if it's just her). |