When a child is growing up, they’re starting to interact with you and a number of people around them. It becomes clear over time that they have to communicate in the right way to be understood by others. Such interaction, coupled with being able to interact openly with others, is one of the key elements of a child’s development. Continue reading if you want to develop social skills in children.
What are social skills?
Social skills are all tools, strategies, and techniques required to be able to communicate and connect effectively with people. These could range from being able to say “Hello” and “Goodbye” in the right context for small children, to being helpful when playing with other children, to know when to be thankful and when to apologize, to being able to tell a joke or empathize with someone when they’re sad.
Importance of social skills in children
- Social skills help your child talk properly and learn how to communicate with a stranger.
- Children with good social skills can easily make friends and also maintain long-term friendships.
- They know how to manage unpleasant and awkward situations as well as how to stand up for themselves if they are insulted or made fun of.
- Social skills allow children to graciously embrace compliments and encourage and support others with issues as they come to them.
Signs that suggest that your child has social skills issues
- Hesitates to make eye contact and only holds it for a fleeting moment
- Constantly interrupts and fails to complete a conversation
- Can not use the right body gestures and keep a good distance when speaking to someone
- Have absolutely no interest in what is being said, and do not politely begin or end a conversation.
- Speak in an arrhythmic way without the appropriate voice modulation or intonations for statements and questions
- Failure to understand what a person feels by looking at their facial expressions
- Rarely ask for clarification, even when confused and go ahead.
Tips to develop social skills in children
There are no unique lessons for kids for social skills. There are some strategies and tips to develop social skill in children that can help your child better understand and be mindful of their own behavioral patterns.
1. Storytelling
Stories that are heavily influenced by emotions and their actions may become confusing and disturbing for a child with weak social skills. Walk through the story and ask them what their response to a specific situation would be. Help them understand other people’s needs and reactions to the story and inform them on what a suitable response might be in such a situation.
2. Enlist your kid in a speaking club
Enroll your child in a club or organization that helps improve and master the skills needed for social interactions. These groups are experts in breaking down each emotion’s motivations and reasons. This can help your child understand the cause and reaction to actions and feelings and, as a result, learn how to better express and connect.
3. Engage in play
Interpersonal interaction is usually lacking in comprehension due to a lack of time spent interacting with people. Give your child a safe space by playing with them to understand the basics of interaction, such as waiting for your turn to talk or act. This also incorporates principles of collaboration and cooperation
4. Understand the emotions
Kids who do not grasp people’s emotions typically also have trouble expressing their own emotions. Help your child to express more verbosely or directly what they feel. Interact with them by also playing up the emotional signals, so they can easily notice them. See if their behavior changes as your behavior change on the basis of your emotions.
5. Conception of Empathy
Children who struggle with social skills fail to understand what the other person’s going through. They need to see that emotions are not an individual phenomenon, but a social concept that helps people to come together, support each other, and give each other space and privacy they want. Let your children understand why people feel a certain emotion and what makes them feel.
These are some of the tips to develop social skills in children.
You must remember that developing good social skills will take time for your child. Social skills are developed and improved over a lifetime.
There are many social skill games for children that can be both interesting and learning for them. Above all, you need a lot of encouragement and motivation to keep moving forward. Your child will start to talk all by himself in no time, with enough practice and communication.
Also Read: Know How To Be A Nurturing Parent
