Social Skills

How Can I Help My Child Develop Their Social Skills?

Helping your child develop their social skills is very important. Teaching your child to interact appropriately with people around them helps them succeed in both their education and in their life in general. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when thinking about your child’s social development:

· All children need a friend. With this friend they'll experience many new things. When they feel secure with this friend they'll branch out and make more friends.

· Children often have more than one 'best friend'.

· School children are often very clear who their friends are. ('You're my friend' or 'I'm not your friend any more'). Children can 'make up' after arguments and keep friends over several years.

· Encourage children to socialise with children their own age - both in and out of school.

· Friendships will develop and their importance will increase. Same sex friendships are more common in middle childhood.

· Family, neighbours, friends, teachers and people in the community are all important to children. Through these people they learn things about age, employment and community roles. Children like being with other people but they need to learn and practice social skills.

· When socialising, children learn to understand the needs and expectations of other people and act accordingly.

Social Skills - What Do Children Need ?

There are many different programs and experiences that help children to develop their social skills and each of them provide valuable learning opportunities. As well as providing these opportunities for your child it is also important to recognise what children need in order to develop their social skills.

Children need:

· good role models so they learn positive behaviour

· trust, honesty and care

· simple, clear explanations about how people behave in the home and community

· different ways of dealing with problems as they arise

· someone to listen to them

· someone to believe in them

Making sure that all these areas are met will help to ensure that you are providing your child with the best environment in which to develop socially.

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