Should you push a shy child to socialise?

Gently support rather than push. Temperament is substantially inborn, and slow-to-warm children usually do fine given time — forcing tends to increase anxiety and teaches them their discomfort will be overridden. What helps: arriving early to a gathering so the room fills around them rather than entering a full room, one-to-one playdates before group settings, and describing them accurately rather than labelling them shy in front of others, which children internalise quickly. Distinguish shyness from anxiety that stops them doing things they want to do — the latter is worth discussing with a professional.