We can easily track the physical development kids make as they grow taller, bigger, and stronger but how do we observe their development in other key areas.
As we move into advanced times with everything getting digitized, the personal communication and the personal touch is lacking somewhere making social and emotional skills take a backseat unintentionally. With so much to do and so much on our mind, we often forget how important it is to have our kids understand the importance of social and emotional quotient. Social and emotional development is a child’s ability to understand the feelings of others, control his or her own feelings and behaviors, get along with other children, and build relationships with adults.
It is an essential part of ones existence as it makes us whole, helping to discover the empathetic and compassionate sides to one’s personality. In order for children to develop the basic skills they need to understand and practice cooperation, following directions, demonstrating self-control and paying attention. As a parent or educator, you get to observe the behavior of kid among other people/peers and so that puts you in a position to help them develop those key skills and acquire all such essential skills.
Below are few tips that will help you identify and help kids develop these skills:
1. Be Affectionate:
This implies elders need to be affectionate towards kids as to provide them with the feeling of security and trust. Kids believe in those who are affectionate and sensitive to them. So make sure you provide them with such environment.
2. Express Pride in Accomplishments:
The little achievements means a lot to the kids. Kids are constantly looking out for validation and someone who feels proud of them. Make sure you express the same when they accomplish something.
3. Respect their viewpoints and be considerate of their feelings, wants and needs:
Kids often come up with different thoughts that may differ from yours. Instead of forcing your thought process on them, respect theirs and try to understand their viewpoints. Be considerate of their feelings, wants and needs as they live life different than yours so they are going to have different requirements and they expect you to understand all those.
4. Lead by example, by modeling positive behaviors:
This is the most important thing. Understand that kids are very much influenced and conditioned by their surroundings and they learn from what they see their elders doing. Don’t model behaviors you don’t wish your kids to act like. We often see kids imitating like elders to their siblings, similarly they get influenced by their surroundings. Parents must understand that arguing in front of kids leaves a negative influence on them and many times kids start to believe that they are responsible for all the things that are happening around them.
5. Express interest in daily activities:
Talk to your kids about their daily activities. Ask them how their day was at school and share yours as well. This will help you bond better with them as well as you get to know about their viewpoints as well as their behavior towards different situations. Provide encouragement and support during times of stress to make them feel heard, taken care of and loved.
Other Web Resources That You Must Check:
– 3 Strategies for Building Social-Emotional Vocabulary with Preschoolers
Mentioning of the strategies this resource is a good option to get an understanding of how you can help kids develop these key skills.
– A Parent’s Resource Guide to Social and Emotional Learning
This guide by eduTopia consists of all the resources that parents can use to get going on their kids’ emotional and social skills. The guide mentions of resources covering all the important aspects to the concept of emotional and social skills. The best part is that the guide talks of various emotions that needs to be cultivated among kids since early years and focuses how they can be developed among young kids.
– Six Tips for Teaching Social and Emotional Skills After School
Another great resource by eduTopia that mentions of amazing ways to help kids develop these skills out of schools.
– http://www.tkcalifornia.org/teaching-tools/social-emotional/teaching-strategies/
Social-Emotional Teaching Strategies
This will help educators to get a better understanding and knowledge on ways they can help kids to develop these key skills.
– Fostering Social and Emotional Development In Preschoolers
This one is a great source to get your preschoolers develop these key skills. The source mentions of the key aspect to development of these skills and how elders can understand the availability of these skills among kids.
– Social and Emotional Learning: Strategies for Parents
This showcases strategies that parent5s can utilize to make their kids aware and adapt these skills.
– 12 Activities to help your child with social skills
This is one awesome resource as it mentions of some fun activities that can be done with kids ion order to help them develop these skills.
This will help parents and educators identify signs to understand the emotional and social development among kids.
– Social and Emotional Development in Early Childhood
This is one great resource as it explains the various behaviors a child can reflect and the whole guide is age categorized to make it more specific and accurate. Parents and educators will find this guide very helpful to help their kids with the same.
– Social & Emotional Development
This guide by Home Preschool Curriculum covers it all that you need to know. The guide mentions of all the things that a child should recognize, be able to do, and all the various behaviors and habits that a child must have.
What’s your take on the importance of social and emotional skills among kids? Share with us in the comment section below.
