Month: January 2021

Struggling in certain social environments is something that both adults and children can experience, and it can be traumatic for those concerned. As parents, it can be incredibly heart-wrenching, watching your child struggle to make new friends and feel isolated. In contrast, other children appear to be coping quite comfortably and therefore gaining more from situations. Learning to develop better social skills is something that as parents, guardians and teachers, we all have a role to play. As the leading kindergarten in Bangkok, at Kidz Village, we actively work with each child to help them to develop the skills which they will need in later life. However, it crucial that you also understand the role that you play in developing these essential skills that will help your children to adapt to different social settings. Although all children are unique and respond differently, some common themes will help them to develop into independent and confident individuals, something that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. 1. Take an active interest in what they are doing Adapting to any situation is far easier when it is something that you genuinely enjoy, and this is definitely the case when it comes to social settings. Feeling comfortable will help your child to relax, which will help them to develop a range of skills naturally. As parents, you should actively take an interest in things that your child enjoys. It might be participating in their favourite sport, taking them to dance or music classes or perhaps taking them to see a movie. Showing rather than just telling them that you are interested will inevitably make your child feel more comfortable. Feeling comfortable and relaxed is arguably the first step in building social skills and will also help to put your child in an environment where other like-minded children surround them. If they feel that they have something in common, socialising will be far more comfortable. It would help if you tried to encourage your child to develop a diverse range of interests as this will help them to mix with others and become more broadminded. Mixing in different environments will also make them more confident in new settings. 2. Ask questions and wait for responses Long periods of silence can be uncomfortable for adults, but they are particularly intimidating for children who are likely to get nervous when the conversation lags. This nervousness can result in your child becoming more introverted, which will sadly make them more socially awkward and reluctant to engage in new settings. The Centre for Development and Learning believes that there are numerous ways in which you can engage with your child and either initiate and continue positive conversations. Asking questions is one of the best ways to initiate a conversation, but you must wait for an answer or reword your question. Your child should never feel under any pressure as this will again make them more nervous and potentially introverted. Your questions should be focused around what your child is talking about as this will help them to make a connection and thus, easier to give a suitable response. Your questions should be structured in such a way that means your child has to give far more than just yes or no answers.  3. Roleplay games Pretend play forms a crucial part of a child’s learning, especially in their early formative years. Roleplay games can be used with children of all ages, and it will help them to practice and therefore enhance their social skills. If you search online, you will find several role-playing ideas as well as practical tips. Finding games that match your child’s interests will inevitably help them to retain their concentration and reduce the chances of boredom setting in. One frequently used game is to encourage your child to take on the role of someone that they have trouble talking to or making friends with. This has multiple benefits; firstly, it gives you as a parent the opportunity to see how your child perceives this person and secondly, it may give you some indication of what that person is like. Once you understand this, you will be able to offer practical advice regarding handling the situation. Switching roles may also help your child to talk with that person effectively. A vital part of role play is to include body language, such as maintaining eye contact and smiling. Children often have trouble understanding the importance of body language, so it is your role to show and explain your body language. Once they understand specific actions and the responses they can trigger, they will appreciate their importance.  4. Empathy A child must appreciate how other people, both children and adults, feel. It will help them to form connections and develop positive bonds as well as helping them to understand the consequences of their actions. Parents and teachers can help to teach a child empathy by explaining different situations and scenarios that the child may experience. You should again ask questions such as how they would feel if another person acted in the same manner. Sometimes a child may experience guilt in these situations, so you mustn’t push the point too far. Another element of empathy is learning to listen to others actively. Children, through no fault of their own, can be selfish as they have been used to being the sole focus of your attention. Encouraging empathy will help to realise that sometimes they must put other’s feeling first, and this involves listening to what they say. Teach your child to focus on what others are saying and then consider what has been said when they have stopped talking. They should be encouraged to ask questions where appropriate, although they shouldn’t interrupt. 5. Understand your child’s limitations You must appreciate that all children are different and that some will be naturally more sociable than others. Outgoing children will find it easier to mix with others, but it is important not to push a child who

We must recognise that teamwork is essential in every aspect of our lives. Humans can never function at optimum levels if they always operate independently from others. It is something that we learn from an early age, and as children start to mix and integrate with others, they will naturally begin to pick up some elements of teamwork. However, this will need to be reinforced by both teachers and parents. Teamwork is very much a social experience and involves working and mixing with others. Learning the importance of collaboration from a young age will give a child one of the essential life skills that they will take with them through the rest of their life. As one of the leading kindergartens in Bangkok, at Kidz Village, we believe that children should be taught to interact with others from a young age. Teamwork is one of the fundamental skills that we all require and helps to develop a range of other soft skills. For teamwork to be effective, it requires excellent communication skills as well as helping to create natural leaders. In young children, it will help them to appreciate different points of view along with helping to build trust and a realisation that you are working to achieve a common goal. Building teamwork at home Teamwork can be developed anywhere, but for young children, many of the initial concepts will start at home in small groups of friends and family. With those in their formative years, you can ask them to help you with simple menial tasks around the home. Children are often happy to help and will follow their parents lead, and this is an excellent foundation. As they get older, you can introduce some new ideas. Here are just a few of the things that you could consider: Invite your child’s friends around. You could create fun projects that they could do together. For instance, you do some cooking together or create a fun science experiment. These are ways that involve more than one person contributing and will teach them how to respect and listen to each other’s ideas and opinions. The projects and games can be adapted depending on your child’s and their peer’s ages. Play sports. Arguably one of the best ways to encourage teamwork is by playing a team sport. For those who have larger gardens, football can be played with a little as two people and will allow you to teach your child not only about teamwork but sportsmanship as well. It will help them appreciate success along with respecting their peers. For those without a garden, similar activities can be played in a local park or club. The importance of inclusion. A fundamental part of teamwork is ensuring that everyone is included. You should teach your child about the importance of ensuring that no one gets left out or excluded altogether. It is another opportunity to work on soft skills such as being accepting, understanding and having empathy for others. It would be best if you encouraged inclusion from an early age as it is something that they will need to accept throughout their life. Teamwork in later life There are many people they believe that teamwork is something that children learn naturally and indeed, not working together is something that they learn. While there are several schools of thought on this matter, the consensus is that it should be encouraged throughout their schooling. Indeed, after students have completed their education, teamwork will be required throughout their working lives and being able to demonstrate that you can work in a team is something that most employers seek. Although we will always embrace new technology, there can sometimes be a feeling that it encourages people to be individuals rather than to work in a team. As such, you must encourage your child to mix with others in a real environment rather than just through digital devices. Here are some of the things you should encourage them to do which are not only enjoyable but have educational benefits that are transferable into the workplace. 1. Take part in organised activities Even from a young age, kids can be enrolled in groups that organise extracurricular activities. Almost all of these groups will involve collaboration to some extent. This collaboration is a fantastic way to teach teamwork, and it is fun. It is particularly beneficial for children that come from single-child households where they won’t get the opportunity to mix with siblings. Of course, the organised activities should be age-appropriate, but you could consider cubs and scouts, a dance class, chess club and naturally, team sports. 2. Group bonding and socialisation from a young age Children of any age will enjoy playing games and participating in activities that are relevant to their age group. These games will encourage teamwork and will take place in a group environment, which will also promote bonding and socialisation. From a teacher’s or a parent’s perspective the objective is to ensure that the activities are fun and the educational element should be kept discreet as using phrases such as “organised teamwork activity” are likely to be met with resistance especially from older children. Some simple but effective games for those of kindergarten age could be follow the leader or scavenger hunt. 3. Encourage positive example on TV and digital devices Although we are somewhat loathed to include watching TV shows or similar on digital devices, we do recognise that this does form an integral part of modern life for most families. Children of all ages tend to have heroes and mentors on TV programs, so as a parent, you need to ensure that these are positive and appropriate. For younger children, you should encourage them to watch programs that teach character strengths. Simple searches on the internet will give you plenty of ideas which can be matched with your child’s interests. 4. Teach children the importance of encouraging others Teamwork is excellent for building empathy, as we discussed previously. Any games which they take