Importance of Social Skills Among Young School Students

 The Indian education system has come a long way from the time when academic education was given primary importance. Breaking from this traditional thinking, most modern schools like K.R. Mangalam World School, Gurgaon, take a holistic approach to child development. Unfortunately, even though parents and teachers take various developmental aspects into account, some skills and abilities like social skills often go unnoticed and ignored. This can be very dangerous in the long run. Hence, in this blog, we’ll focus on understanding the meaning and the importance of social skills in young children. We have also listed various ways you improve the social skills of your child. Read ahead!

What are Social Skills?

In layman’s terms, social skills can be considered as the ability to properly and effectively interact with others. From everyday interactions with parents, teachers, peers, street hawkers, etc, social skills are essential for every form of communication. These skills encompass verbal and nonverbal interactions such as facial expressions, gestures and body language. A few essential social skills include:

• Sharing is an essential social skill through which children gain the ability to convey their thoughts, feelings, and emotions easily and effectively.
• Listening is one skill that even adults have a problem with. Kids must be taught to actively listen to their seniors, peers, parents, teachers, etc, as it increases language comprehension.
• Schoolkids sometimes have to collaborate with their peers and work as a team. With good social skills, they have an easy time cooperating and understanding others’ perspectives.
• Empathy is a vital social skill which helps in understanding other people’s emotions and feelings.

Let’s dive deeper into understanding the importance of social skills.

Importance of Social Skills for Students

There are several reasons why social skills are needed. Regardless of age, these skills help in developing positive relationships and sustaining long-term bonds. We hope from the above section, you have understood the meaning of social skills. Now, have a look at why they are important.

• Social skills help children maintain healthy and positive relationships with peers, seniors, and teachers.
• These skills help in resolving conflicts that are commonplace in school.
• Good social skills facilitate academic learning and cognitive development.
• Kids are prone to emotional outbursts, and social skills help in regulating them.
• Such skills allow young minds to think about differences and embrace diversity.

Tips to Improve Social Skills Among Children

As a parent and educator, you can do a lot to improve the social skills of the young ones. If you have trouble finding where you should start, take a look at the list below.

Eye Contact

One of the most effective ways to improve social skills among kids is to encourage them to make eye contact while speaking to anyone. This will not only help improve their listening skills but also indicate that they are fully engaged in the conversation.

Empathy & Emotions

Kids must learn to understand and display emotions correctly. Help them understand what a particular emotion means through facial expressions or gestures. This also helps in developing empathetic skills.

Questions

It is often said that children should be encouraged to ask questions. The reason behind that is that asking questions opens them to a new experience where they learn how to communicate and form connections.

Role Playing

Children love role-playing games, so you can definitely modify them to enhance social skills. This includes Simon Says, charades, role reversal, and more.

Role Model

Do not forget to be a good role model for kids and practice active listening, sharing, communicating, being empathetic and more.

Know Limitations

You must understand the nature of a child and where their limitations lie. Kids can be introverts and extroverts, and hence should be treated accordingly without forcing them or making them uncomfortable.

Conclusion

We hope this blog has helped you understand why it’s essential to develop social skills among the young ones. We live in a rapidly transforming world where social skills are as much needed as academic excellence to live a successful life ahead. Enabling an individual to positively interact with others and develop healthy relationships, these skills are critical for living one’s life. K.R. Mangalam World School, Gurgaon, knows the importance of social skills and encourages parents and teachers to integrate tips and tricks to improve them. Known as the best CBSE school in Gurgaon, KRMWS offers a dynamic environment, nurturing holistic development in kids. Admissions are open right now. Join us!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are social skills and examples?

Social skills can be defined as someone’s ability to interact effectively with other people. These skills help in building relationships and forming special bonds. Some examples of social skills include empathy, understanding verbal and non-verbal clues, conflict resolution, controlling, and managing emotions and more.

What is the importance of social skills?

Social skills are critical for everyone as they help in developing and maintaining healthy relationships. They are required for both personal and professional relationships as social skills help with apathy, emotional intelligence, happiness, self-confidence, and more.

What does a lack of social skills mean?

Lacking such skills can lead to social awkwardness and difficulty in adapting to different social settings. If someone lacks social skills, they will find it hard to communicate with others, convey their feelings effectively and might have difficulty understanding social cues.

Which is the best school in Gurgaon?

K.R. Mangalam World School is considered the best CBSE school in Gurgaon. Due to its education-driven and holistic approach, the school is ranked No. 1 in the Gurugram Leaders category by Times School Survey 2024.