Parenting is a minefield! If you’re sifting through information or advice on the internet, wondering what the best thing to teach your child is, I think that emotional literacy and social skills would have to be near the top of the list.
Social skills are more than polite manners; they form the foundation for strong relationships and help your kids navigate the complexities of life. Some children take a bit longer to work out how to interact with others. Identifying feelings and impusle control is not easy for every child. You’ll be setting them up for a better future if you take the time to address these skills while they are young.
1 Model Good Social Skills.
Kids learn by observing and copying, so show them how to communicate well. Taking turns when you’re speaking, listening, demonstrating empathy and being respectful are good starting points.
2 Empathy
Helping your child to understand and recognise their emotions will make the emotions of others easier to identify. Building an emotional vocabulary aids self awareness in your child. This is a building block of empathy.
3 Explicitly Teach Boundaries
Help your children understand the concepts of personal space, bodily autonomy and respecting someone’s ‘no’. This will contribute to their ability to form healthy relationships.
4 Encourage Independence
Allow your child to safely interact with adults when you’re out. Let them choose what they would like from the menu and order for themselves. Give them opportunities to pay for items in the shops. Providing real life interactions with others will help them learn important skills such as asking for what they want, speaking clearly, giving eye contact and using manners.
5 Recognise Effort
If you see that your child is trying to develop social skills, praise their effort. Positive reinforcement encourages them to keep trying and builds their self-confidence.
Social skills improve with practice. It doesn’t always go well. Being a supportive parent who can calmly debrief after a poor interaction can help your child learn from their mistakes and gain problem solving skills. Be patient as they learn. If you’re wondering, ‘what is the best thing to teach my child?’, social skills are a great place to start.
