A Foundation for Life: 6 Ways to Help Your Kids Improve Their Social Skills

As many parents can attest to, raising kids is incredibly rewarding—and also incredibly overwhelming at times. When you think about all the skills kids need to learn, it’s hard to know which ones to focus on. While we can’t give parents the answer to that question, we can help them take a look at ways to help their kids improve their social skills.

Make Sure Kids Spend Time Around Other People

Perhaps the easiest way to improve social skills in children is to make sure they spend time with other children. After School programs hosted by local communities are a great way to do this, as these programs often focus on helping children develop social skills. For example, on their website the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Queens talks about how their programs are aimed at helping children develop good character and leadership, which are both key social skills.

Another easy way to improve social skills is to make sure your family is involved in mixed-age community groups such as church groups, sports teams, library clubs, etc. When children are regularly exposed to mixed-age social groups, they can observe, copy, and practice the social skills they need when interacting with different ages of people. This is important because, in nearly all societies, there are different social expectations for interacting with peer groups than there are for interacting with elders.

Teach Kids to Share and Cooperate

Sharing and cooperating sound like tasks for very young children, but they are vital skills for all ages. Best learned during childhood, and certainly by the teen years, Very Well Family explains the importance of these two tasks:

·         Learning to share is important for children, as it helps them make and keep friends. The ability to do this helps children be more successful in school, supports their emotional health, and boosts their self-esteem.

·         The ability to cooperate offers similar benefits, according to the same article. The ability to contribute, participate, and help out sets children up for success as adults, as they develop skills that allow them to thrive in social, work, and community settings.

Help Children Listen and Follow Directions

According to Child Mind, the ability to listen and follow directions are the keys to minimizing problem behavior in children. This, in turn, helps children grow into teens and adults who can listen to hear, think critically, and process information. The benefits of these skills include, among other things, the ability to succeed in college and work settings. The best way to teach children how to listen is by following this process when giving instructions:

·         Be Direct

·         Get on Their Level

·         Use Clear and Specific Commands

·         Make Sure Instructions are Age Appropriate

·         Keep Explanations Simple

·         Give Them Time to Process

When children have clear, simple directions, it’s easier for them to process the request and follow them. As children age, directions should increase in complexity to fit their developmental stage, but should always remain clear and specific.

Studies have shown that children who develop strong social skills grow up to be adults with fewer substance abuse problems, relationship issues, and legal troubles. Adults with strong social skills also enjoy better emotional health and career success. By using these six tips, parents can help their children develop the skills they need to achieve these successes.