Featured VideoNew research published in The Elementary School Journal is offering a glimpse into the interior lives of schoolchildren, and the good news is that playing solo isn’t necessarily a prelude to unhappiness. While they preferred playing solo, they seemed to be happier with individual friendships as well as their place in the class. That higher importance of belonging drives them to engage in more social invitations when maybe they wouldn’t want to, and that suits them well.” If loners continue to withdraw and turn down invitations to play, the invitations may stop coming, leaving them trapped in a dispiriting dynamic. “Instead, encourage those solo kids to go join a small group that has similar behaviors and see how that goes.”