Build your child’s social skills
Sep 03, 2006
Ten-year-old Musoke has had friction with his parents this holiday as a result of the friends who throng the home to play.
Ten-year-old Musoke has had friction with his parents this holiday as a result of the friends who throng the home to play. Musoke’s parents feel he spends too much time socialising and they complain that Musoke turns their home into a ‘social centre’ spiced up with screaming and running around.
Musoke is a typical case of a child gifted with exceptional social intelligence. Ability to pull friends and keep them hooked is a skill not many children are blessed with.
Some parents count it a blessing to have children who remain indoors; who neither attend parties nor visit friends. ‘Indoor’ children might appear ‘tamed’ but the ‘holiness’ could be a disaster.
Child development is multi-dimensional and acquisition of social skills is pivotal in the developmental agenda. Yes, your child might have scored distinctions last term, but intellectual achievement without social intelligence amounts to career stagnation. Holiday accords you the opportunity to assess your child’s sociological development in the same way school days enable teachers to assess the child’s intellectual development. Your child’s inability to develop relationships with other children should cause you as much concern as their inability to follow instructions during exams. Socially inept children suffer extreme emotional imbalance that affects their social, academic and even career life in future.
Did you know that children learn more from peers than from teachers or parents?
Lev Vygotsky in his book, Mind in Society, says full cognitive development of a child requires social interaction. The range of skills that can be acquired through interaction or peer collaboration exceeds what can be attained through individual learning.
There is evidence that lack of social competence can paralyse life even where there is a high intellectual intelligence.
Dr. Daniel Goleman in his book, Emotional Intelligence, explains the role of social intelligence in all areas of our lives. Let us share some tips on this:
l Organise special social opportunities like birth day parties or family outings. If you cannot have one at home, allow your child to attend on invitation from friends.
Exposure to people from different backgrounds enhances the child’s level of cultural tolerance.
l There is nothing wrong with your child inviting friends to play at home as long as home regulations are respected. Although the rules of interaction vary with age, the need for social affiliation remains in all age groups.
l Social skills also entail the ability to choose responsible friends. Many people have been led down the drain as a result of being in wrong company and your child should learn to desist from questionable relationships.
l Children are unique and you shouldn’t expect them to share social interests with you. Identify your child’s social interests and help them get in touch with friends who share the same.
Inability to establish lasting relations with peers might symbolise a serious problem rooted in the child’s self – esteem. If the child shows an acute deficit in social skills, a talk with a professional counsellor could help.
jwagwau@newvision.co.ug
0772-631032
Musoke is a typical case of a child gifted with exceptional social intelligence. Ability to pull friends and keep them hooked is a skill not many children are blessed with.
Some parents count it a blessing to have children who remain indoors; who neither attend parties nor visit friends. ‘Indoor’ children might appear ‘tamed’ but the ‘holiness’ could be a disaster.
Child development is multi-dimensional and acquisition of social skills is pivotal in the developmental agenda. Yes, your child might have scored distinctions last term, but intellectual achievement without social intelligence amounts to career stagnation. Holiday accords you the opportunity to assess your child’s sociological development in the same way school days enable teachers to assess the child’s intellectual development. Your child’s inability to develop relationships with other children should cause you as much concern as their inability to follow instructions during exams. Socially inept children suffer extreme emotional imbalance that affects their social, academic and even career life in future.
Did you know that children learn more from peers than from teachers or parents?
Lev Vygotsky in his book, Mind in Society, says full cognitive development of a child requires social interaction. The range of skills that can be acquired through interaction or peer collaboration exceeds what can be attained through individual learning.
There is evidence that lack of social competence can paralyse life even where there is a high intellectual intelligence.
Dr. Daniel Goleman in his book, Emotional Intelligence, explains the role of social intelligence in all areas of our lives. Let us share some tips on this:
l Organise special social opportunities like birth day parties or family outings. If you cannot have one at home, allow your child to attend on invitation from friends.
Exposure to people from different backgrounds enhances the child’s level of cultural tolerance.
l There is nothing wrong with your child inviting friends to play at home as long as home regulations are respected. Although the rules of interaction vary with age, the need for social affiliation remains in all age groups.
l Social skills also entail the ability to choose responsible friends. Many people have been led down the drain as a result of being in wrong company and your child should learn to desist from questionable relationships.
l Children are unique and you shouldn’t expect them to share social interests with you. Identify your child’s social interests and help them get in touch with friends who share the same.
Inability to establish lasting relations with peers might symbolise a serious problem rooted in the child’s self – esteem. If the child shows an acute deficit in social skills, a talk with a professional counsellor could help.
jwagwau@newvision.co.ug
0772-631032