Recently our headlines have been full of the news that the UK has the worst-behaved teenagers in Europe, other experts tell us that our children’s social skills are declining due to the growing role of technology in our children’s lives and the corresponding reduction in their social interactions.
So how do we as parents teach our children the social skills they need to prepare them for life? Here are 4 tips to get you started.
1. Children learn by what they see you do, not what you say they should do. Be a model of good social skills for your child. Use every chance you can to show how you try hard to understand others, for example. You could do that by demonstrating how you think about another persons feelings, how you try to “step into their shoes” to better understand how the world looks from their perspective, how you think carefully about how you say something to someone and try to anticipate how they will “hear” it first, before you say it.
2. Explain to your child, as you demonstrate these skills, how and why you are doing it. Ask them how they could do it better.
3. When your child mentions a disagreement with another child, take the time to discuss it together. Take the “side” of the other child and help your child see the different perspectives and the possible reasons why the other child acted as they did. Encourage your child to tell you what they would like to say to the other child, discuss with them how you would feel if you heard that. When your child is ready, encourage them to go back and discuss the matter with the other child and try to resolve it themselves.
4. Praise your child highly when they get it right. Children learn much more effectively from praise and recognition, in contrast to punishment and reproach.
If you would like more opportunities for your child to learn socials skills, and have opportunities to play and communicate with other children, then look into MindLab, an education programme that teaches children thinking and social skills through playing exciting board games from around the world. Contact MindLab to find out about local classes, or for information about bringing this exciting educational programme to your area.
Suri Poulos
Managing Director, MindLab Europe
www.mindlabeurope.com
For more information or photos please contact:
Suri at MindLab on 01628 509021, suri@mindlabeurope.com or www.mindlabeurope.com.
Note to Editors:
Over 1,000,000 students in 15 countries internationally have benefited from the MindLab programme. MindLab is a “green field” business opportunity both in the UK and across Europe.
MindLab franchisees run a highly successful after-school programme which uses board games from around the world to develop children’s thinking, problem-solving and interpersonal skills. The focus is to have fun yet MindLab also helps children to build better personal relationships, improve scholastically, and relate and cooperate with others. MindLab creates a positive outcome for parents, teachers, schools and kids alike.
The MindLab after school programme gives franchisees the opportunity to make a real difference to children’s development, their families and the wider community. For just the price of a family car, and working part-time, franchisees can expect to make at least £20,000 to £30,000 per year. MindLab also provides a like-minded community to support and guide franchisees as they grow their business, and a proven model to minimise the risk and fear of starting a new business.
Profile of the author
Suri Poulos, Managing Director of MindLab Europe, is an American by birth and has lived in the U.K. for over 21 years. She has had a varied career in sales, technical sales support, recruitment and executive search.
She has an MSc. in Counselling and Psychotherapy, a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelors of Fine Arts.
Suri co-founded the consultancy, Poulos & Partners (www.poulosandpartners.com) in 1989. She has worked with senior executives providing a wide range of organisational and individual change initiatives such as executive coaching, team development and cultural change programmes.
In 2003 Suri and her husband Darrel and launched MindLab Europe in order to give children the same life enhancing skills and personal development they had provided adults in their successful consultancy practice.
Suri and her husband live in Henley-On-Thames with their four children.