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Strong social skills are important for a child’s overall development because they allow them to build meaningful relationships and help them with their confidence. With this in mind, parents should try and find ways to help their child develop these skills, using the following advice from a nursery in Somerset.
Your child will never become comfortable in varying social situations if you don’t expose them to plenty from a young age. With this in mind, try and arrange playdates with other children, and introduce them to your own friends and relatives. As a result, they should get used to speaking to a range of different people and put their social skills into practise.
Try and help your child feel more confident with meeting new people by teaching them various conversation starters. Let them know that it’s always good to ask questions, such as:
Compliments also work well when getting a conversation started, such as “I like your shoes” or “You look nice”.
Explain to your child that sometimes actions speak louder than words. It might help if you role play a few different common gestures, from smiling and waving to shrugging and frowning. This should help your child understand what facial expressions and movements others might make in certain situations.
It goes without saying that you should remind your child of their manners when necessary. A polite, kind individual will find it easier to build relationships, so if they can master the basics, other social skills will follow. So, remind your child to say please, thank you, and excuse me, but also teach them the importance of sharing, taking turns, and listening.