Social skills are learned behavior that is socially acceptable allowing children to interact with others positively and avoid negative responses.

They are a combination of verbal and nonverbal behaviors that are effective and appropriate in initiating and responding to a situation. They allow an individual to effectively communicate with others while avoiding socially unacceptable responses.

These skills emerge in early childhood and represent vital elements in the development of one’s ability to form healthy relationships and function within society.

Why Are Social Skills For Kids Important

Social skills are among the critical skills in life. They are an important part of child development. Healthy and positive relationships are built on these foundations.

Cooperative, helpful, empathic, friendly, sharing and emotionally healthy children are generally more likely to make friends.

Peer acceptance allows access to peers in times of need. Healthy friendships with peers are correlated with less delinquency during adolescence.

Some childhood friendships can last for a lifetime

Social skills deficits can be caused by many factors, including lack of knowledge, practice, feedback, cues, or reinforcement. Prosocial behavior acquisition or display can also be impeded by problematic behaviors.

Those who don’t have healthy peer relationships or have social interaction difficulties are at risk for social-emotional problems and poor academic performance.

Types Of Social Skills For Kids

There are five types of social skills that facilitate child-peer interactions and child-adult interactions, according to psychologists.

Cooperation

Cooperation includes helping others, sharing toys, following rules, etc. A child’s cooperation skills require coordination of many social skills. Conversation skills, such as proper tone of voice, eye contact, facial expression, and body language, are different forms of communication needed to elicit cooperation.

Assertion

Assertion involves the ability to ask for information, respond to peer pressure, show firm eye contact, and show confident body language.

Responsibility

Responsibility is taking care of others or their properties. Moral and critical thinking is necessary to make good judgment.

Empathy

Showing concern for others’ feelings requires active listening skills, a positive attitude, and healthy communication.

Emotional skills

Not being able to control one’s emotions makes it hard to be cooperative, assertive, or empathic. Emotion regulation skills are essential to handling interpersonal conflicts, teasing, and corrective feedback without losing emotional stability.

How to teach children social skills

Social skills are acquired through learning processes that encompass observation, modeling, imitation, testing, and receiving feedback.

Parents play essential roles in a child’s socialization experiences being the primary role models. Children begin learning social skills at home through interactions with their parents.

Warm and responsive parenting style

Children with consistently warm and responsive parents in early childhood are more likely to learn appropriate norms of behavior. These parents model empathy for others. Thus, children tend to be more cooperative and empathic in these homes.

Inductive discipline

Inductive parenting is using reasoning to teach children prosocial behavior. Children internalize social rules and moral values. They develop critical thinking skills and learn to tell right from wrong.

Coaching

Set aside regular discussion time to coach children by giving them instructions on skills. Teaching children general principles of social interaction will help them to behave in an acceptable way in a variety of social situations.

Let them play together

Play is a primary activity for kids, especially young children. It is regarded as a key factor in promoting learning and social development. Pretend play, in particular, has been found to enhance children’s social skills.

Reinforcement

Praise your child for sharing or other prosocial acts. Show the child plenty of positive attention in correcting antisocial behavior.