Friday, September 21, 2007
The social ABCs: In childhood, they can be as important as academics, experts say
Sharing, working in a group, independence, asking for help - they're the kind of skills adults need to function in society, and learning them starts early.
"Certainly in the early years, social skills are just as important as academics," said Tess Bennett, professor in the early childhood, elementary and middle-level education department at Eastern Illinois University.
Bennett said critical skills for youngsters include being able to ask an adult for help, conversing, taking turns, sharing, listening to directions, empathy and learning to play cooperatively."These are the building blocks for later development," she said.
As the school year starts and many children are spending their first year in formal education, parents need to keep in mind a few pointers to help their children develop healthy social skills.
Knowing their child's temperament and communicating it to the teacher is a first step, Bennett said.
"All children are different," she said.
Patterns, not the occasional social blunder, are what parents should look for, University of Illinois Extension family life specialist Angela Wiley said in a Moultrie-Douglas Extension article.
"Most children experience rejection, sometimes, and most children are socially clumsy, insensitive or even unkind," she said.
Children who are fearful or shy may require more care in adjusting to a new setting, Bennett said.
Visiting the school and classroom, meeting the teacher and walking children through the door they'll use can help them adjust - not immediately, but more quickly, Bennett said.
Finding out what the teacher expects is another step that parents can take to support their children's development.
Generally, kindergartners are expected to have some independence, Bennett said.
"We look for kids to be independent, because we value that in our culture," she said.
Children who can clean up after themselves, put away toys and books, follow directions and take care of their clothing needs have the kinds of skills they need for entering school.
"Allow children to be as independent as possible," Bennett said. "At about 18 to 24 months, they'll want to feed themselves."
She said parents can take small steps by letting children pour themselves a cup of juice from a small pitcher.
"You can set it up so it's not a huge thing if they spill," Bennett said.
Parents also can contribute to their children's social success in school by cultivating their attention span.
"If a child is read to, even from infancy, that's the best way to develop their attention span," Bennett said. "We're looking for kids who can independently follow directions and can stay with an activity. That will take them a long way."
School should not be the first social interaction children have with other children, Bennett said. She said arranging play groups or participating in church Sunday school classes gives children the opportunity to be around other children.
"Even infants are aware of other infants," she said.
Taking children to the park as a family can serve two purposes: It can give more opportunities to interact with other children, and it can help prevent childhood obesity, which can be an obstacle to developing social skills.
"Obese children get a lot of ridicule, and they have a worse self-image than kids with cancer," Bennett said.
Bennett also recommends that parents give their children plenty of playtime, especially with open-ended toys such as tea sets or blocks that encourage use of the imagination.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a four-part strategy for helping children develop social skills: point out, practice, praise and prompt.
Wiley said any problem areas should be explained specifically and privately so as not to embarrass the child. Parents can help the students practice specific skills by giving them conversation starters, for example.
Praising them when they use the skills correctly and prompting them to use them when the opportunity arises will help reinforce the skills, she said.
Sharing, working in a group, independence, asking for help - they're the kind of skills adults need to function in society, and learning them starts early.
"Certainly in the early years, social skills are just as important as academics," said Tess Bennett, professor in the early childhood, elementary and middle-level education department at Eastern Illinois University.
Bennett said critical skills for youngsters include being able to ask an adult for help, conversing, taking turns, sharing, listening to directions, empathy and learning to play cooperatively."These are the building blocks for later development," she said.
As the school year starts and many children are spending their first year in formal education, parents need to keep in mind a few pointers to help their children develop healthy social skills.
Knowing their child's temperament and communicating it to the teacher is a first step, Bennett said.
"All children are different," she said.
Patterns, not the occasional social blunder, are what parents should look for, University of Illinois Extension family life specialist Angela Wiley said in a Moultrie-Douglas Extension article.
"Most children experience rejection, sometimes, and most children are socially clumsy, insensitive or even unkind," she said.
Children who are fearful or shy may require more care in adjusting to a new setting, Bennett said.
Visiting the school and classroom, meeting the teacher and walking children through the door they'll use can help them adjust - not immediately, but more quickly, Bennett said.
Finding out what the teacher expects is another step that parents can take to support their children's development.
Generally, kindergartners are expected to have some independence, Bennett said.
"We look for kids to be independent, because we value that in our culture," she said.
Children who can clean up after themselves, put away toys and books, follow directions and take care of their clothing needs have the kinds of skills they need for entering school.
"Allow children to be as independent as possible," Bennett said. "At about 18 to 24 months, they'll want to feed themselves."
She said parents can take small steps by letting children pour themselves a cup of juice from a small pitcher.
"You can set it up so it's not a huge thing if they spill," Bennett said.
Parents also can contribute to their children's social success in school by cultivating their attention span.
"If a child is read to, even from infancy, that's the best way to develop their attention span," Bennett said. "We're looking for kids who can independently follow directions and can stay with an activity. That will take them a long way."
School should not be the first social interaction children have with other children, Bennett said. She said arranging play groups or participating in church Sunday school classes gives children the opportunity to be around other children.
"Even infants are aware of other infants," she said.
Taking children to the park as a family can serve two purposes: It can give more opportunities to interact with other children, and it can help prevent childhood obesity, which can be an obstacle to developing social skills.
"Obese children get a lot of ridicule, and they have a worse self-image than kids with cancer," Bennett said.
Bennett also recommends that parents give their children plenty of playtime, especially with open-ended toys such as tea sets or blocks that encourage use of the imagination.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a four-part strategy for helping children develop social skills: point out, practice, praise and prompt.
Wiley said any problem areas should be explained specifically and privately so as not to embarrass the child. Parents can help the students practice specific skills by giving them conversation starters, for example.
Praising them when they use the skills correctly and prompting them to use them when the opportunity arises will help reinforce the skills, she said.
Read article at http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2007/09/01/life/features/1026160.txt
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 4:24 PM 
