Toddler shyness

DD is VERY shy. She was 3 in March. The shyness has started to play a role i her behavior. For example, today at school, her teacher told her to stop dragging her feet while she was riding a bike. She just wouldn't listen. Even other kids were telling her that she needed to stop in order to be safe - wouldn't listen. I believe part of this lack of listening is due to her shyness. It's like she can't admit she is wrong. Another example is that she won't say "thank you" when I ask her to. This is to people she sees on a daily basis, not strangers. It's like she just physically can't say it. It usually ends up being a battle and ends with her in tears before I get her to say it. It's not just thank you - it's anything we ask her to say to someone else. It's not all the time, but frequently. How can I help her? I feel terrible, but I don't know what to do to help her.

Whenever people say hello to her, she covers her face and yells....i do believe part of this is "routine" and that it's just what she does. But I know it's not good. How do I fix this?

Re: Toddler shyness

My nephew went through EXACTLY this phase.

SIL would FORCE him to say "thank you" to us... who he saw all the time.

It ended with time (though he's still a shy kid).