Shy Child

One of the worst things you can do is to try to force a shy child to interact with others, because it could actually be traumatic for the child and make him or her more shy and introverted. It is actually normal for children to be shy, especially when they are young, and we teach them things like "don't talk to strangers", "stay with me", etc. so then trying to get them to socialize with people they do not know is rather confusing as it seems like a mixed message. Usually, a child will outgrow some (or most) of his or her shyness, although some children take longer than others. Also, some people are just naturally more shy and introverted than others, and this is perfectly normal and probably not something that he or she will outgrow. If the shyness is really an issue, though, especially if it gets in the way of schooling, then the best thing might be to take the child to see a counselor and determine whether or not it is normal behavior and what steps you can take to help change it if it is not normal.

Shyness is a sign of an introverted personality type. Some people were just born to keep to themselves. I wouldn't try to force a child to socialize, just present opportunities for them to do so, and hopefully after they warm up to a group of kids they will interact a bit more.