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"No man is an island."
Does teaching children social skills really matter? You bet.
Helping your child develop social skills at an early age is something parents must do if you want your child to thrive later in life.
Why teach children social skills?
1) They become more people friendly and people oriented.
2) They learn to get along with people.
3) They learn how to share, not being self centered.
4) They learn to care for other's feelings.
5) They learn there are things beyond family members.
6) They become more confident.
7) They learn to cope with differences.
I saw a vast improvement in my preschool daughter last weekend. During our visit to my friend’s house, for the first time, J played with my friend's daughter without our company.
Under normal circumstances, she would not have done this as she would stay with my wife or me within a 3-foot radius, especially in a home that she's not familiar with.
You need patience when it comes to teaching children about social skills. Because it takes more than one session and it's an on-going process.
These are some of the things we do to help our children socialize.
- Send them to kindergarten.
My emphasis is not so much on learning the alphabet. Over there, they have the chance to meet with other children. They have to learn how to get along and do things together.
- Meet up with family members regularly.
This goes without saying. Bring your child along to visit family members and relatives. Not only does it foster closer relationship but you introduce your family members and relatives to your child.
- Visit friends who have children.
Let the kids mix freely. This was what we did last weekend and we saw the breakthrough in our daughter. J played with her buddy R without our presence for the first time. Before that, J has met R a few times but they had never been so close. Familiarity breeds closeness. Also, mentioning your child’s friends’ names as much as possible at home so that she "owns" her friends helps too.
- Do activities together with other children.
This made possible through arrangements with other parents. Such activities include going to playground, nature outing, birthday parties, biking, road trips, going to beaches, celebrating festivals, and barbeque. For more Works for Me tips, head on over to Shannon’s Rocks in My Dryer.
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Blog by Parents 
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