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Yes, we are going to bring the answers straight to you at the start of this article!
At the age of three, children are at a crucial stage in their social and emotional growth and are eager to interact with others. As a parent, you can play a vital role in helping your child develop strong social skills by providing opportunities to practise and learn.
With guidance and patience, a 3-year-old can be remarkably sociable. Here are some tips to help your 3-year-old build social skills!
1. Know their Interests
Socializing will become easier for a child when they are engaged in activities they are passionate about, such as sports, music or clubs. You don’t have to keep encouraging your child when it is something that he or she is interested in. They are automatically in tune to the activity.
Although a child needs to interact with people with different interests, starting with others who share the same hobbies is an excellent way to build social skills quickly as they will enquire and interact in order to learn more about developing their interest.
2. Encourage Pretend Play
Encourage your children to pretend play!
Having a strong imaginative mind helps children develop social skills.
Having them imitate someone they find difficult to communicate with or get along with allows you to understand their perception of the person and allows your children to practise communication. Take turns switching roles and offer feedback, suggesting using body language, such as smiling and maintaining eye contact, to improve communication.
3. Teach Them Empathy
When children have a deeper understanding of others 'emotions, they are more likely to form positive relationships and feel connected. You can teach empathy by discussing scenarios with your children and asking them to consider how others might feel in each situation.
Teaching empathy also involves teaching children how to actively listen to others, which consists of paying attention to what people say and reflecting on their emotions.
4. Be a Good Example
The saying "actions speak louder than words" plays a big part in the case of children and the development of their social skills. Children learn and absorb the behaviours they observe in their environment, so it is essential as parents to be good role models of social behaviour. Showing them simple actions like taking turns, sharing and showing empathy to others is a good start.
5. Ask Questions
Sometimes, children can be shy in maintaining a conversation. When they feel nervous, this could lead to difficulties in future social interactions. There are several strategies to help children initiate and sustain positive conversations with others. It is important to encourage children to ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no, as this will help keep the conversation flowing.
Children can learn more about the other person and build a connection by asking questions specific to the person they are speaking with.
6. Practice Active Listening
To develop effective communication, promoting active listening in children is crucial. It can be achieved by having them repeat or summarize the conversation and encouraging self-reflection on their thoughts and emotions following the talk.
These techniques will help children understand the content, develop empathy and form connections.
Raising a 3-year-old is an exciting and rewarding experience. Building social skills is important!
It is important to remember that every child learns and develops at their own pace, so be patient and supportive as your child begins to learn and grow.
How we help!
With these principles in consideration, our programs at Mentalmatics are conducted with a lot of mindfulness to build students holistically.
Firstly, programs at Mentalmatics are conducted in groups where students are of the same age. That is a foundation step in creating a relevant environment.
Secondly, while the main aim is for students to learn the abacus and develop a strong math background, we conduct a wide range of activities from music to games in our lessons to keep your child engaged.
To find out more, make a reservation to talk to us from the link below!