Hey Everyone!
Adults and children alike possess different strengths and different weaknesses; socialising and interacting with new people comes naturally to some, whilst others struggle. However, social skills can be worked upon and developed over time, so there’s no need to worry if your youngster is struggling socially.
Some children are naturally very sociable, while others need a helping hand to develop these invaluable skills. Here are a few useful tips from an Independent Kindergarten in New York on how parents can help to improve their child’s social skills.
Essentially, the trick is to encourage your child to be as active as possible and try new things. What’s more, you should always try to be a good role model; show your youngster how to respect others and what kinds of behaviour are not tolerable. As a result, your child will learn a model way to behave and how to let others behave around them.
Teaching your child to communicate with others in a healthy way is not as straightforward as it may seem. Of course, children learn how to behave by watching their parents and other important people around them (grandparents, teachers, siblings etc), but they also need to learn the difference between what’s appropriate or not. For example, when somebody else is speaking they should be that interrupting is rude and that they should listen until it’s their turn to talk.
School playgrounds are often busy and loud and can feel overwhelming to some children. This can make it difficult for quieter children to get involved and feel included in friendship groups. If your child has expressed concerns over making friends at school, you could arrange a play date at your home with some of their classmates. This will help your child to make friends in a familiar setting, where they feel more relaxed and confident.
Where possible, try to take a step back and allow your child to work out issues on their own. Disputes with friends are common at school and learning how to resolve these situations is an important life lesson.
Laura x