Your child didn't get a party invite - here’s what to do

It's around this time of year when children start coming home with party invitations in their school bag. It's exciting and a sign they're making friends as they embark on school life. But what do you do when your child doesn't get an invitation?

If your little one has been left off the list, here are some ways to help them cope.

Educational and child psychologist Dr Sasha Hall, who's mum to a three-year-old boy and five-year-old girl, says the first thing to understand is that this scenario is "completely normal".

"Unfortunately it's going to happen to all our children at some point in our parenting journey," she tells CBeebies Parenting Download .

Dr Hall says while it may be tempting to get involved, it is not helpful in the long term.

"We can't remove all the obstacles, but we can give them the skills to manage," she says. "It's about building their resilience... what skills can we teach rather than change their outcomes?"

Comedian, author and mum-of-two Cariad Lloyd says it is a "rough" position for a child to find themselves in.

"When they're little, it feels like first love... everything feels so heightened, especially with the party thing. Everyone gets not invited to somebody's party."

Dr Hall suggests planning an alternative activity for your child to focus on instead of the party.

"Yes, that child said you can't come, but let's find another friend you can do something else with," she says.

Lloyd adds that the more the party situation crops up throughout their primary school years, the more you can explain the different outcomes to them.

"They will be invited to lots of parties and not invited to loads and you'll stop counting them," she says.

"They will come back and be like 'so-and-so was upset because they're not invited'. And you'll be like, 'oh, do you remember when you were not invited to that one's party?' They all kind of take it in turns so it becomes less dramatic."

Dr Hall says it's important to explain to your child that the decision to leave them off the list is not about them.