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Helping Your Child with their Social Skills

Helping Your Child with their Social Skills

While there’s nothing wrong with being shy or being an introvert, social skills will help your child successfully navigate through school life. There are lots of ways parents can help their children with their social skills, as explored below by a prep school in Hertfordshire.

Start by surrounding your child with other people from a young age, as much as you can. Essentially, they need to become comfortable with meeting new people in different settings, both adults and children. This will help them develop strong communication skills, as they will start to learn conversation starters. However, if this is something your child struggles with, you can always practise together at home. Teach them that compliments and questions are a great way to start a conversation with someone, such as “I like your trainers, where did you get them from?”.

You should also teach your child about body language and explain that you can sometimes figure out how people are feeling based on their actions. For instance, if someone is crying, they are clearly upset and may need a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on. If someone is angry, they might shout or slam doors and it’s therefore best to stay out of their way. You can use flashcards to help your child comprehend different facial expressions or body language. 

You may want to encourage your child to join an extra-curricular club that encourages them to socialise regularly with other children who share similar interests. Drama and sports clubs are two fantastic options, because they require teamwork and the ability to communicate effectively. 

Essentially, you should try and refrain from allowing your child to sit indoors on their own for hours on end, day after day. Instead, encourage them to invite friends round or take part in a club of some sort so that they can experience normal social interactions. 

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