Humans are social animals by nature. Can you imagine not being able to talk to your friends and family for a long time? Life would become difficult and will not be fun anymore. If restricting social contact can have a huge impact on us, think about its repercussions on our children.
Don’t you think there is a need to pay attention to developing social skills in the early years of education? Yes, we agree too! These little ones are filled with energy, curiosity, and lots of love – we need to help them get acquainted with social skills. This would help us raise confident and humble individuals.
What are the top essential social skills that you can nurture in children in their early childhood?
There are zillions of social skills to impart and imbibe. But we have listed the 8 crucial ones that would improve your child’s social and emotional quotient. Let’s understand what they are:
Emotional Expression – How can your child understand any emotion if they are not aware of it? We, as parents and care givers, need to help them distinguish between various emotions like happiness, sadness, anger, hunger, etc. When they finally can understand such emotions, they’ll be able to express themselves better. This is a vital social skill as children would inadvertently be exposed to various factors that stir up an array of emotions and they need to be able to cope with them.
Empathy – Another very important life skill is empathy. Does your child also feel sad when they see that their friends can’t find their toys? Compassion, care, and kindness all have roots in empathy. A child who learns to be empathetic early in life will treat everything around them with gentleness. This is what will help in making this world a better place to be in.
Cooperation – Cooperation is a crucial social skill for children as much as it is for grown-ups. Cooperation simply means working together. Teach your child how to be collaborative during playdates, encourage them to share food, etc. All these small acts of cooperation and teamwork will eventually bloom into something big.
Active Listening – Have you ever wondered why we have 2 ears and one mouth? Because listening is undoubtedly doubly important than talking! Listening is one of the most undervalued social skills. This social skill will help your child pay more attention to detail and have effective communication with their peers.
Non-verbal Communication – While verbal communication makes up a significant part of our lives, non-verbal communication is equally important. This includes gestures, manners, postures, and tone of voice. Developing non-verbal skills in early childhood is vital as it will amount to more meaningful and efficient communication among children.
Conflict Resolution – Toddlers fighting over the silliest of things isn’t a new thing. Conflicts are a part of life, and everyone must learn how to resolve them calmly, especially children in their growing years. Developing conflict resolution skills will go a long way.
Sharing – Isn’t it cute when your children share meals or toys with their friends? Sharing is an important social skill and should be developed early on in life. Encouraging your offspring to share their things with other people is a great way to develop this crucial social skill.
Making The Right Decisions – Children grow up fast and we don’t even realize it. We must teach them how to be independent and make the right choices. The easiest way would be to let them choose and guide them why it is mostly consequential and thus important to make certain choices. So, next time when you leave your little gem alone with chocolates, they’ll not gobble them all at once!
By developing these 8 crucial social skills, we believe that everyone can raise caring and confident children. So, mommies and daddies, grandmas, and grandpas, are you ready to let your children explore their emotions and feelings which will give the world socially empowered adults?