Your childs social skills are more important than an A in school

Build your child's social skills in preschool 

It is not uncommon that in every family or friend meeting, comparing the children's academic performance is the most discussed topic. "What does your child know to do?" "Did the boy count to 100?" “Has your daughter read 100 books? My child can read it!, ...

Yes, early education is a basic foundation for children. But studies have shown that, in fact, social skills (soft skills) are more important than “hard skills”, and that's what your child should learn in kindergarten.

Why are children's social skills important?

Learning social skills that really help grow up to be responsible people.

Studies show that the social skills learned when children are in kindergarten are linked to their success when they are 25 years old.

This does not matter how many books the child has read, knows how to count well, or what conditions the child was born in. As long as children demonstrate the ability to communicate and make friends, they have a better chance of earning a degree and getting a better job in the future if compared with those who lack social skills.

Parents should look for suitable preschools that encourage their children to have fun and have social interactions with their friends, as it is an indicator of your child's future success.

Here are 5 ideas that encourage preschool kids' social skills:

Children's social skills:

1. Get along with friends

Play is a way for children to learn to solve problems, negotiate, share and take turns, and to test thoughts and ideas. Set a day for your child to have a good time with their friends. Take your child to a public playground where they can make new friends - mothers can supervise their children from afar, but should not participate in the process of playing and making friends.

2. Solve the problem

Although moms always want to be super mums when they are in trouble, it is important that you learn to solve your own problems. Next time, ask your child to analyze and come up with a solution to that problem. Better support for your child than handling the problem of replacement.

Ask questions like, what do you think you can do? This teaches your child the importance of retrying after failure, assessing the situation, how to improve himself and how to move on from those troubles.

3. Recognize your emotions

If your child understands what others are feeling, that empathy will make it easier for them to connect with others. Try to develop this skill by citing emotional cues such as: “My brother seems sad because I took his toy” or “You and you look happy after winning a game. there"

Storybooks are a great way for children to learn emotions and conflicts from a third-person perspective. Avoid smartphones and iPads as excessive screen use can affect your child's emotions. Direct interaction is the most important thing.

4. Know how to help

When you see your child helping others, parents should pay attention and praise them for it. Try asking your child to help with the housework, like helping the baby get dressed or helping to put the food in the refrigerator, then appreciate their actions. Thank you to the people who helped show the importance of showing gratitude even to the cashier at the supermarket. Your child sees and will imitate parental actions.

5. Control impulses

It will be difficult for your child to control impulses, because the area of ​​the brain that controls impulses does not develop until he is an adult. Help your child practice this skill. Try playing games like “Simon says so”, “Freeze dance” or “musical chair”, allowing your child to practice how to start and stop thinking and learn to delay the urge.

Also, try playing the drama game. Build a scene, and have the child play a character in the story, such as a superhero storyline. In these scenes, children can plan their actions, practice taking turns, and learn to follow the rules. Because when they are pretending to be someone else, children will have a different perspective beyond their personal framework.

Soft skills are the way forward

A fast-paced society like Singapore, parents always want their children to have the best grades in their class. But the social skills from the early years of life are the real foundation for a child's future. It's as simple as playing with others, connecting with family and paying attention to the world around them.

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