Social skills encompass various skills such as the ability to interact with new people, network, and speak in front of a crowd. It leads an individual to be comfortable in different environments and blend easily. A child who has good social skills finds it easy to talk to new people and make friends. Such a child may also be always encouraged to participate in different extracurricular activities organized at school.
A child who initiates and takes responsibilities frequently is often recognized by teachers more easily. Hence, developing social skills among children can always help them have a more meaningful experience while at school. Also, the child becomes more confident and secure as an adult. The practice of instilling social skills among kids can be started at an early age. Both home and classroom can be the perfect environment for kids to learn the importance of these skills and practice them in day-to-day life.
Here are some common ways for parents and teachers to work collectively to foster better social skills among primary school students.
Role-play games require the kid and the other kids or people participating in the activity to enact a certain social situation. For example, role-playing a bank situation can be a great idea for children to learn about different financial terms and get involved in conversations related to that context. Each child and other participating individuals will be given a role such as that of a home loan expert, a cashier, a relationship manager, a customer, and more. Each child will be expected to say spontaneous dialogues and indulge in meaningful conversations. This helps the child become more spontaneous and have frequent conversations.
While in a classroom, the teachers must try to assign different jobs such as cleaning the blackboard, working on a particular project, or taking care of the classroom to children while rotating turns. This allows the child to come in contact with different students in the classroom and interact with them to fulfill their duties. The child also gets a better sense of responsibility and takes initiative. This makes a child feel more worthy and confident.
Make sure that your child gets some play in the evening after fulfilling their homework duties lets them socialize with people outside of their school. Children get to make different friends of similar age groups and learn the importance of social interaction and playing in a group. Not letting a child play in the evening may lead to severe isolation and an inferiority complex. The child might also find it difficult to make friends.
Creating a positive atmosphere around the child sets the tone for them to interact with different kids and become more confident. Do not try to be too hard and criticize. Sometimes it may take a child a relatively longer time to break out of their shell and socialize. As a parent, you have to trust the process and let the child be. Just try to constantly encourage them and teach them the importance of socializing.
Organizing group activities at school and home creates an environment where students have to work in teams and talk to each other. At school, teachers must try to organize such group activities where students get the opportunity to talk to each other. Similarly, at home, parents can arrange and plan activities where they call kids from around the area to play at home and have a fun evening by watching TV and just simply chatting with each other while having food. The idea is to make the child comfortable with the concept of group settings.
Kids generally enjoy listening to stories. Parents and teachers can encourage kids to be more social and friendly through the help of moral stories. Try to select stories that highlight the importance of unity and positive friendships. These stories help reiterate the importance of social mingling for kids and may indirectly encourage them to be more out there.
Parents might face some common challenges such as the inability of the child to participate in social activities and not taking initiative despite constant efforts. These may be a bit demotivating. Parents must deal with their kids during such a situation with a lot of patience. Try not to be too imposing and continue with your encouragement in lessons.
You may set examples by being a social person yourself. Try to be as active and amiable with people around you so that your child learns the importance and positive implications of having an amiable behavior with everyone. Also try to have transparent communication with your child to solve any possible roadblock that they might be facing.
Learning social skills from an early age can be a life changing experience for a child. From childhood to adulthood, being able to socialize and network helps a child both academically and in terms of future opportunities. It also makes a child and inherently confident individual who is able to make strong connections wherever they go. Parent’s support can play a critical role during this process and a child may do wonders in their life.
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