As adults, we need to understand that giving only academic knowledge for your child is not enough for their success. We all know that academic knowledge is important for a child. We also need to keep in mind that, it is also important to teach social for kids. Because, social skills help kids to,
Solve problems,
Communicate well,
Collaborate with colleagues and form friendships within the society. Teaching them the needful social skills at their early age, could them to become successful adults in future. Let us look at five important social skills and how we can teach them to our children:
1- Teach children the value of sharing.
We all know that sharing is caring. And a child’s willingness to share is a starting point for them to develop meaningful relationships someday in the future. Usually, kids in primary schools could hesitate to share their possessions with others. Because they fear there will be less for themselves. But the older the child gets, the more willing he or she will be to share. Which makes it easier to teach them about kindness, sharing, and fairness. Which are considered as important skills for children.
Remember to praise your child when he or she shares something with others. Inform them that their actions make others feel better. Compliment them. Praise their actions and make them realize that what they did can make others happy.
2- Teach children proper etiquette.
The next important social skills for kids, would be etiquette. A well-mannered person is always welcome and can win people’s hearts in no time. Teaching a child to be polite and well-mannered in their early age, will help them to grow up to be, socially loved, accepted, welcomed, and respected. In the meantime, as a parent teaching good manners to young children can be difficult. Because initially they do not fully comprehend the concept. Because children frequently act on impulse. And it is our responsibility as parents to be patient and supportive when teaching them good manners.
Remember, that you must be well-mannered in the first place. Because children learn manners from their parents first and will always mimic your actions. If you practice etiquettes and manners, your child will soon follow suit. When they forget their manners, gently remind them, and compliment and reward them when they behave well.
3- Teach children how to work together with others.
Cooperating with others to achieve a common goal is an important everyday skill. Cooperating and contributing are other important social skills for kids to learn. Because it’ll surely help in making kids a better person within society in future. Teaching Cooperation at early age is an important part of a child’s life. Their level of cooperation can begin on a simple level. Such as following the rules when playing games or reading children’s books together.
Remember to keep emphasizing cooperation and demonstrating the benefits of teamwork. Organize enjoyable family activities, which Giving everyone a task and a need for teamwork.
4- Teach children to listen to instructions.
It is important to keep in mind that, our actions are always a guide towards a direction, which can be as simple as following recipe instructions. Likewise, children must follow instructions in a variety of situations.
Kids trained to follow instructions in both home and school are easily work effectively, achieve good academic results, and avoid problems. It is critical that they can take direction and follow instructions.
When assigning chores to children, make sure to give them clear instructions so they can follow your lead. Avoid giving too many instructions at once and stick to simple commands. Be patient with them, compliment them when they do an excellent job, and assist them wherever possible.
5- Teach children to listen
Listening is an important social skill for children. Because children, being children, do not always pay full attention. Teaching children to listen carefully, will help them to communicate more effectively, achieve better academic results, and have a better life experience. We also need to keep in mind, which listening and focusing can be difficult for children in this age of smartphones. So, remember to set an example and support your child in mastering this skill.
You could start helping your child’s listening skills by establishing ground rules, such as
“Please do not interrupt others when they are speaking” and
“Please listen to me carefully while I am speaking to you.” Encourage them to listen children’s stories and online story books. And then ask questions to see if they have fully absorbed the content.
Even as adults we too still need to master social skills as it is a lifelong learning process. So, remember that teaching kids these skills while mastering them yourself will be no easy feat. But with patience and perseverance, you and your child will eventually get there.
