All children are different. Especially in the way they act and respond to certain situations and people.
Some children can be the life of a social event and charm and impress elders while others tend to shy away from speaking in public events or gatherings. This can sometimes prove to be a struggle for parents who do not wish to see their children struggle in expressing themselves, having conversations with others, or even making new friends.
Possessing social skills is an important part of a child’s development and lays the ground for the way a child interacts within his environment and ecosystem. This is a skill that forms a major part of a child’s personality and can be most certainly developed and strengthened over the years to reap more success in life.
Here are 5 ways in which parents can help their kids improve their socializing skills:
Asking Questions
Asking questions is undoubtedly the best way to learn about anything and everything. Encourage your children to ask questions to relatives and friends in order to open up the pathway to having conversation. They can do this with people they are the most comfortable with before moving on to people that can be new in their immediate ecosystem.
These conversations will eventually make the child more confident and help them gain more connections.
Role Play
Kids love to play- in any form.
Use role-play in the form of interviews or question-and-answer games where they can pretend to be anyone from a doctor to a teacher. Using props and clothes will help them play the part better and pave the way for effective social communication.
Interest-based
When a child is truly interested in something is when they are the most comfortable. Placing kids around like-minded kids (or elders) who share the same interests or hobbies such as sports, art, hiking, and music can help them feel at ease and communicate better with that individual. This can be a great step towards helping a child improve their social skills.
Eye-contact
Simple as it may seem, eye contact shows total engagement in the conversation. It lets the person know that they are being genuinely heard. Explaining this to a child and encouraging eye contact will help them concentrate on the conversation and feel naturally involved in that situation. It will also make them feel like the person they are interacting with is interested in what they have to say.
Inspire
The best way kids learn is from the elders in their house. By being a good role model and an excellent communicator yourself, you can teach your kid pick up great social and communication skills. Listening to your children, taking their opinions into consideration, and encouraging questions can really help a child understand the dynamics of interactions.
It is important to understand that every child has their limit. Respecting this and a child’s personal space, especially with kids who are not so outgoing needs more effort and time.
Social skills are developed over time and need the involvement of both children and elders.
It is a continuous process, that when developed well can prove beneficial for both the short and long term.