How to Help Your Child Build Social Skills

Parenting isn’t easy. It comes with many new and unexpected challenges, especially for a first-time parent. No two days are exactly the same. There are good and bad days, as well as positives and negatives.

Your child has hit all of their developmental milestones. But now that they’re getting older, you want to set them up for success in the future. While they may be comfortable around you and their immediate family, you want them to be able to meet friends and communicate their wants and needs effectively.

This is how you can help your child build their social skills.

Be a Good Role Model

Your children can see and hear a lot more than you may think. They pay attention to your actions, language, and tone each and every day. One of the best ways to help your child build their social skills is by practicing what you preach and being a good role model for them. Ensure you’re mindful of how you talk to others, including how you speak to yourself. Be polite to yourself and others by using “please” and “thank you.” You can also implement family game nights to show your child how to behave around others and how they should act in different situations, especially if they win or lose.

Active Listening

Listening is a skill that can constantly be improved upon, even in adulthood. Try working with your child to practice active listening. Make sure they pay attention and focus on what someone is saying when they’re speaking to them. You can make sure they’re paying attention and working on developing this skill by asking clarifying questions to make sure they listen and understand correctly. Active listening is a huge part of being social and can be a great skill to learn early on and continue to build while they’re growing up.

Following Instructions

Following instructions or chores and active listening can go hand in hand to help build a child’s social skills. Plus, working with your child to follow directions or instructions can help them when they’re attending school and working with teachers and classmates. Try to give them one chore or one direction at a time to determine their capacity for following a set of directions. You can build upon these skills as they get better and grow older.

Setting and Respecting Boundaries

Teaching boundaries to your child young is a great way to ensure they’re protecting themselves and their overall mental health and wellness at a young age. How you do things as a family may differ from other people they meet in their lives. It’s important to make sure that they’re not only setting boundaries for themselves but making sure they’re respecting the boundaries of others. You can teach your child about personal space, politeness, and asking appropriate questions.

Sharing

Sharing is another common social skill that occurs in the household and in their classes. Children often have to learn what sharing means since younger children are more likely to pay attention to their own wants and needs without considering someone else’s. When your child is at an appropriate age, it’s important to teach them skills like sharing so they can build their social and emotional skills. Learning these skills at a young age can be extremely beneficial for them in building and maintaining relationships now and in the future. Plus, it’s a great way for them to express themselves, be positive, show empathy, and connect with others.

Next Steps

As a parent, it can be hard to ask for help. You may feel like you’re supposed to have all of the answers. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Fox Child and Family Therapy is here to provide additional support if and when you’re ready. We can help you and your child work on improving their social skills so you both feel more equipped and ready. Reach out today, 913-229-5691.