Is your kid someone everyone considers quiet or shy? You must have heard numerous exceptional and some not-so-exceptional pieces of advice—they’ll improve once they go to school, make them talk to other kids, share their toys, that’s how they’ll learn, enroll them in after-school activity classes, and many more.

But is this even a problem? If it is one, does any of the above pieces of advice solve it?

Let’s try and break it down. Being an introvert as an adult is a hard job in these current overtly social times. Those of us who are introverts or know a reserved person will vouch for it, right? There’s no masking this: Ours is an extroverted world. We value people who are highly social and exuberant. But, as adults, we develop skills to shield ourselves from constant social demands.

It is way harder for introverted children with the continuous pressure of being social, making friends, and conversing with adults in the family and their parents’ circles. As a child, there is always an array of development of the mind and the body. This development, in itself, is enough to engage vast amounts of energy in the child. To top it up, fighting their instincts regarding social willingness must be draining.

Let’s delve a bit more into the topic of introverted kids to understand the whole phenomenon and its impact better.

Difference between introverted and extroverted children

In a world where researchers estimate the percentage of extroverts to be between 50-75%, understanding the differences between introverts and extroverts is key to parenting your introverted child well.

Being introverted does not necessarily mean a child lacks social skills. Many introverted children perform at the same level in social situations as extroverted children. Being introverted implies that the child has a limited social willingness and derives energy from time spent in introspection.

An extroverted child derives energy from social situations. They thrive in large groups, derive pleasure in company, and seek the attention of peers and a larger social circle. An introverted child also requires attention to thrive, sometimes more! But they require the presence of close peers and smaller groups to best use their energies. They like to focus time on solitary activities rather than spend large chunks of time on group play. Much like an adult reserved person, introverted children, too, require quiet times in their day to recharge their batteries.

5 key characteristics of introverted children

1. Introverted children enjoy quiet time and solitary activities like reading, painting, puzzle-solving, making art, etc.
2. They are observant and concentrate intensely. This singular focus also helps build special interests.
3. They seek more one-on-one interactions to emote better and share their feelings and are typically reserved in large social settings.
4. Introverted children are more self-aware and cautious and would not immediately jump into action or participate in activities.
5. They are great listeners and prefer not to share their emotions often. They require time to think about questions before they can answer them.

One of the best ways parents can support their introverted children is by accepting them for who they are. Only when you realize, accept, and understand their introversion can you work together towards helping them achieve their maximum potential. Once you accept their innate nature, you can focus on their strengths, help them develop social management skills, share your appreciation for their accomplishments, and help them grow into well-rounded individuals.

As a child battling social anxiety at times, the need for reassurance might be significant. Acknowledging their need, frequently putting your love and acceptance in words and helping them establish systems can go a long way in making them feel confident. When you assist them in building a schedule to have some quiet time during the day providing activity ideas they like, it can help them build self-confidence.

Another significant thing you can do is invest wisely in thoughtful gifts for introverted children from time to time. Who better than introverted children to understand that actions speak louder than words, right?

Since children are simple in their thoughts, simple gestures and thoughtful gifts go a long way in showing your understanding of their personalities. And we would like to help suggest a few of the best gifts for introverts for your wonderful children.

Here’s our curated list of gifts for introverts to make your loved little one feel special!

Best gifts for introverted kids

Craft Supplies

Introverted kids usually require a few daily solitude intervals to fill their energy balance. At the same time, their concentration levels are high, and they like to focus on particular activities. Craft supplies can be one of the best gifts for introverts with a creative streak. The world of art and crafts is expansive, and you can try introducing various forms of arts and crafts to your child to keep them entertained and build their skills. Art may very well develop into a way for them to express themselves better. Thus, weaving craft supplies in their alone time might be an excellent investment.

Puzzles

A puzzle might require a few hours to a few days to solve, depending on its form. They can keep introverted children entertained for long periods and teach them patience. Putting together puzzles correctly also builds problem-solving and logical reasoning skills. Focus and observation are characteristics of an introverted child that can be honed further while playing with puzzles. Another reason it may be one of the perfect gifts for introverts is that once your child’s need to spend time alone is fulfilled, you can make it a family activity or spend one-on-one time with your child to put together a puzzle and bond over it!

Open-ended toys

Toys like Lego, Blocks, and Magnetic Tiles make great gifts for introverts. They are engaging, require focus and concentration, and build multiple skills. They offer your skilled introverted child hours of fun by helping them imagine and create different formations and scenarios. The sense of accomplishment from building different and complex structures using such toys adds to the thrill of the game and gives a sense of pride to your little genius.

Educational toys that cater to their interests

Introverted kids usually have keen interests. They can best use these interests to learn new skills and gain knowledge with the help of thoughtfully-designed, skill-focused educational toys like the ones made by PlayShifu! What makes the range of PlayShifu toys one of the best gifts for introverted children is its rich content and immersive learning experience. These features allow your child’s knowledge to expand and their imagination to soar. Are they interested in dinosaurs? Let them learn alongside roarsome dinosaurs with Orboot Dinos or Tacto Dino! Does space fascinate them? Send them on a 3D Mars mission with Orboot Mars! Are they obsessed with puzzles and building blocks? Get them Plugo Link! Whether they like playing detective or have a penchant for music, or you want to help them build a better vocabulary, improve math, or learn basic coding concepts, there’s a game set for each of their likes.

Books

Books are everyone’s best friend, but for an introverted child, they provide solace. Every introverted child’s dream of spending time all by themselves is an afternoon away from the melee, lying inside their teepee, devouring their favorite books. We can vouch for it! Along with giving their newer thoughts to explore and experience, the right books can add so much intrinsic value to their IQ and EQ. You can teach them about self-worth with Giraffes Can’t Dance, introduce them to friendship and life lessons with The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, open up the world of imagination with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Books are a gift that never stop giving, for sure. There are universes for your child to explore in the wonderland of books. You just need to guide them to the entrance!

Side note: the storytellers at PlayShifu have come up with PlayShifu original e-storybooks that are completely free to download. These are meant for little kids, to be read along with them. You can download them here.

As parents of reserved children, you must be sensitive to the difference between an introvert and an extrovert child. And pretty aware of their struggles, too. You must constantly wonder how to support your child’s nature so they have ample opportunities for optimum growth and development. You must worry about their well-being a tad bit more, maybe, but probably not worry to the extent of making them feel insecure. Ponder about thoughtful gestures you can make to fill their cup. We are here to tell you that you are on the right path already if you accept your introverted child for who they are. Kudos!

Please let us know if you found these gifts to be useful, and if you’d like us to delve into the topic of introverted children further. We’d love to hear from you.