Every teacher knows that their job doesn’t stop with reading, writing and ‘rithmatic skills. There is a very real and ongoing need for teachers to help their students build social skills, from handling disagreements to managing friendships.
However, with the cutbacks in teaching staffs due to budget cuts and shortened school days in some school systems, there is little enough time for teachers to cover the basics in their curriculum during the school day, without having to focus on each student’s social needs. This is where you, as parents, come in.
Long before kids begin school, they will face social situations that will help form their responses to the scenarios they’ll face in the classroom or on the playground. Even if your child doesn’t attend pre-school, neighbors, cousins or siblings will help form your child’s social abilities. Even during the struggles of the terrible-two’s, kids are learning how to handle their emotions and involvement with other kids and adults.
It’s vital that every parent take the time to instill certain guidelines for behavior when your child is relating to other kids and as importantly, other adults. Here are a few tips:
Kid to Kid Skills
• When your child plays with other kids, try to encourage sharing by monitoring the play, and having your child offer their playmate one of their toys to use. If they are reluctant to share, don’t press them, but find another toy and make a presentation of sharing with the other child, so your little one can see the example.
• If a disagreement happens between your child and another, wait to see if they can work it out on their own. If tempers flare, separate the kids until they calm down, then reintroduce the play scenario again.
Adult Matters
• Accepting another authority figure other than family members can be a difficult test for kids of all ages. To start your child out on the road the right way, make a point of leaving them in the care of another adult, a babysitter, a daycare teacher or even a neighbor, for short amounts of time.
• Discuss their behavior with the caretaker when you pick them up to assess if steps need to be taken to teach respectful behavior.
By prepping your child for better social behavior at school, you not only make the job easier for your child’s future teachers, but you make the school day much less stressful for your child so they can focus on their studies, not potential discipline.
Posted By: Paul Adams
Monday, May 24th 2010 at 10:30AM
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