EVERYONE deserves a supportive network of people around them. People they can share interests with, have fun with and confide in if they’re having a tough time.

Many children have just started a new school year or perhaps began their journey at secondary school. And whilst learning to adapt to new teachers and more challenging lessons is important, so is making new friends.

For many children this may be daunting. It’s natural for us to want supportive friends, to feel accepted and valued for who we are. But the number of friends we have isn’t important - what really matters is having friends we’re close to, who support us and will never try to hurt or bully us.

Knowing where to start can be a challenge, but Childline has tips that may help. We understand that young people, much like their adult counterparts, lead different lives from each other. Perhaps a young person has some caring responsibilities, feels shy in front of other people or have hobbies that take up a lot of their time. While these things may be time-consuming, they don’t have to stop them making new friends. It can be hard to approach someone new, but the more we do it the easier it may get. Many people may like it if they’re approached first in a friendly way. Likewise, if someone friendly approaches us we should try to be friendly back. A smile can really brighten someone’s day.

It’s important that young people understand that it can take time to make friends, but many friendships start because people have things in common.

With a new school year starting it’s a good time to look at our routines and see if it’s possible to make changes if we want to. Perhaps a young person could join a new club, in or out of school, or volunteer. This presents some great opportunities for making new friends.Young people could also bring things like sweets or a game into school to share with their peers or share a song or video they like. Sharing shows others that we’re friendly and is a great way to start a conversation. Where possible it’s nice to include others who may be feeling left out. If a young person spots someone having lunch on their own they could go over and strike up a conversation. It could be as simple as asking how their day is going or what they like to do outside school.

If a young person has experienced being bullied or left out this can have an impact on their confidence and approaching new people can be more challenging for them. Everyone deserves to feel good about themselves and feel that people value them as they are. We have some tips on the Childline website that can help with building confidence, as well as dealing with anxiety.

We want young people to know that we’re here for them no matter what their worry is. They can contact us via our one-to-one chat service on the Childline website or call our counsellors on 0800 1111.