Teaching Social Skills to you Child

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Teaching Social Skills

Teaching social skills is essential to forming well-rounded children. It is your responsibility as the parent to ensure that these skills are properly developed.

Social development is something that must be carefully balanced. There is the tendency for the child to crave more play time while neglecting her responsibilities. On the other hand there are some parents whose over-zealous ambitions for their children focus only on academics and forgo spending time teaching social protocols that can benefit the child for years to come.

By recognizing the importance of teaching social integration and beginning to promote this early in your child’s life, your child will be more equipped to handle social situations and adapt more easily.

Teaching social skills can be established by your example. Are you a social person? Do you have friends? Do you engage in social activities? Remember you children observe your behavior and will adopt you social patterns of behavior.

Reasons for Teaching Social Skills

Teaches the child how to get along with others

Improves self-esteem. When your child is accepted by her peers she feels better about herself. When she is rejected for her inability to socially interact, she becomes ostracized and her self-esteem plunges.

Your child never feels lonely or isolated. Having friends helps your child to have a sense of belonging and acceptance.

Your child is less likely to participate in destructive habits such as participating in drugs and alcohol.

Your child is less likely to drop out of school While you are promoting and teaching social skills to your children, it is important to guard the influences they are exposed to. It is essential that you know the children you child is spending time with. What kind of home that child comes from. When you have this information available to you, you will know how to guide your child. You will know if it’s a friendship you want to support and encourage. If it’s a friend you disapprove of, discuss it with your child and why. If your child feels she is not easily influenced by this friend, challenge you child. Challenge her to be the one to influence her friend and not the other way around.

Teaching social skills means guiding your child through relationships. Observe how they interact with their friends. Observe the decisions they make and correct their behavior. This way you can feel assured that when they are not in your presence they are making healthy choices.

Part of teaching social skills is encouraging your child to be a team player. This skill can go a long way in building long lasting social competency.

Take this opportunity to teach your child about

Sharing

Self-control

Consideration for others

Good sportsmanship, how to lose gracefully

Humility

Cooperation

Rejection

Participation

The golden rule, treat others how you would like to be treated

Here are some signs that your child may need help in developing social skills.

Seems withdrawn

In social situations, spends her time alone

Unwilling to participate in any social activity.

Doesn’t have any close friends

Has difficulty losing gracefully

When she wins, she brags about it

Not very caring especially when someone is hurt or feeling bad.

Whenever she has a new toy, she brags and shows off.

Acts like a know-it-all.

Is bossy and wants things done her way most of the time.

Cannot initiate a conversation or participate in a conversation.

Very condescending in her demeanor

Very sensitive, gets her feelings hurt very easily.

Remember, life is all about building relationships. There will be classmates, roommates, coworkers, girlfriends, boyfriends, clients, or bosses. Being able to get along with people is a skill that can carry anyone a long way in life. This is a skill that begins in childhood.

If your need help in teaching social skills to your children, please contact me.

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