Building Social Skills in Preschool: Nurturing Friendships and Cooperation

Preschool is a crucial stage in a child’s life. It’s where they take their first steps towards independence, learning, and building essential social skills. Nurturing friendships and cooperation in preschool is vital for a child’s development. In this article, we will explore the significance of social skills in the early years and provide practical tips for parents, teachers, and caregivers to help children thrive in a social environment.

The Importance of Social Skills in Preschool

1. Foundation for Future Relationships

Social skills developed in preschool serve as the foundation for future relationships. Learning how to interact, share, and communicate effectively with peers sets the stage for healthy friendships and successful interactions later in life.

2. Emotional Development

Interacting with others helps children recognize and manage their emotions. They learn empathy, understanding, and emotional intelligence, which are vital for personal growth and well-being.

3. Problem-Solving Abilities

Preschoolers often face conflicts and disagreements. Encouraging them to resolve these issues by cooperating with others fosters problem-solving skills and conflict resolution abilities.

Strategies for Nurturing Social Skills

1. Encourage Playdates

Arrange playdates with other children, providing opportunities for your child to socialize, share toys, and take turns. This helps them understand the dynamics of cooperation and build friendships.

2. Group Activities

Enroll your child in group activities like art classes or sports teams. These activities promote teamwork, collaboration, and communication, all essential elements of strong social skills.

3. Teach Empathy

Teaching empathy is crucial. Encourage your child to understand and relate to the feelings of others. This can be done through storytelling and discussions about emotions.

4. Model Positive Behavior

Children learn by example. Model positive social behaviors in your interactions with them and others. Show them how to be polite, kind, and respectful.

5. Praise Efforts

Acknowledge and praise your child’s efforts in social situations. Positive reinforcement can boost their confidence and encourage continued development of their social skills.

6. Active Listening

Teach your child the importance of active listening. Encourage them to pay attention when others are speaking and respond thoughtfully.

7. Problem-Solving

Guide your child through problem-solving exercises. Help them identify issues and work through solutions with the involvement of other children.

Yoga With Your Child

Have you ever tried doing yoga with your child?

Yoga is a 5000-year- old fitness regime that culminated in India but now is a rage the world over. Yoga is a Sanskrit word which means Union. In this case a union of mind and body. Yoga has numerous benefits that have an impact on both.Right from stress reduction to increasing patience and attention span to improving flexibility and in general leading a better life are a few advantages of doing yoga. Over the years yoga has benefitted millions of people around the world making them fitter, more attuned to their body and adding to their peace of mind. And what better way than to do it along with your toddler!!

Children need a lot of physical activity to channelize their energy. Doing yoga helps in channelizing that energy in a positive way. It is also a wonderful way to bond with your child. Rather than watching a common television programme, ask your child to help you do your exercises. Children love to be teachers. At the same time, encourage them to try the poses and hold the pose by counting for them. The child can be challenged by asking him to hold each pose for one more count each time.

You do not need any equipment for yoga. An anti-slip rubber mat or a yoga mat starts you off on the right foot to this age-old tradition. Start off with simple breathing exercises and move on to the various ‘asanas’ suitable for your child. A little online research and you can be the mentor as well as enjoy a beautiful partnership in each session.

With Yoga children learn to be more aware of their bodies and proper breathing techniques, as well as improve their posture and increase attention span. The ‘asanas’ have interesting names such as cat pose, lion pose, warrior pose, bow pose, easy pose and so forth, which can tickle a child’s imagination. If you make the sessions fun, you can be rest assured that you have put your child on the track of lifelong fitness.

How much do we love labels?

More often than not when a child makes a mistake and engages in some sort of behaviour that we do not approve of, our immediate impulse is to yell at the child and say things like “bad boy” or “whatever in the world possessed you to do something like this you silly girl” or “how stupid can you be”

Typically in these instances where the child has been publically reprimanded and labeled as “bad” or “silly” they will hang their head down and run to their room or a corner, away from public gaze, due to a feeling of shame. Shame is a persons instinctive response to a feeling of personal inadequacy and failure and this is especially true when ones inefficiency, be it a physical act (inability to perform a certain task) or an intellectual act (inability to think clearly of an appropriate response), has been exposed publically.

Every child is innately good. By their inherent nature they are curious and as they grow they need to explore their surroundings and test their limits. In this natural exploration process, actions that are “bad” or “wrong” are part of their learning. In spite of the action, the child behind the act is still the same person to be valued.

The more obvious forms of shaming include spanking or punishments like being made to kneel in a corner, or even verbal shaming. But the subtle ways of belittling, like shaking ones head in despair, rolling one’s eyes, sighing in exasperation, can all have an equally profound impact on the child’s feelings of self worth. This is because children do not have the ability to differentiate between themselves and their actions. They tie their identity and self worth to their actions and the subsequent response they get to those actions, from the caregivers around them. Therefore what shaming does is, instead of condemning the behavior, it ends up condemning the child and makes him feel bad about himself. And shaming however obvious or subtle, is destructive to the child’s mental wellbeing.

So then labeling a child as a “good” child is acceptable – right?

Most parents conclude, if labeling a child as “bad” affects their self-worth negatively, then it is should be ok to label them as “good.” But in doing so our love and acceptance of the child becomes conditional. Because the honest truth is that we subconsciously will label a child as being good when they act in accordance with our preconceived notions of acceptable behaviours, or things we would like to see them do, or activities we would like them to engage in, thus failing to accept the child for their individuality.

Wooden or Plastic…

Toys, toys everywhere…. what is the best to buy??

The toy market is a vast ocean of choices. And the king of this mighty big ocean is the plastic toy. Many parents today, do not favor plastic as it is known to contain harmful chemicals and is not biodegradable. So armed with the best intentions, parents often lose the battle when faced with the ground reality of price. More often than not, plastic toys win; for the simple reason of cost effectiveness.

Wooden toys cannot compare to the cost of the plastic toys, as plastic toys are cheaper to manufacture. They are available at a wide range of prices, suitable to every pocket.

But if you consider the durability and the timelessness of wooden toys to toys of other material, wooden toys win hands down. They can be passed on from generation to generation. For eg: the grandeur of a wooden train set is evident from the grandfather to the father and to the young son.

Arguments are given in favor of Lego the all-time favorite building blocks that can be played from 0 – 99 years (the box says so). Lego is made of plastic. And agreeably Lego is a challenging activity for all children in the higher age bracket. Children aged 6 years and more can accomplish the manipulation required in building new creations. Also, lego is not advisable for children under 4, owing to the size of some of the components.

For little toddlers, experts recommend wooden toys as they excite the imagination of the child, so that he learns to play with the toy without the distraction of the lights and sounds. It has also been said that the flashing lights in plastic toys hamper the normal growth of a child.

Another reason in favor of the wooden toy – what is the one habit that is common in all infants between the ages of 6 to 9months??

Oral fixation. In simple terms, putting things in their mouth.

At this age, most little ones are always putting things in their mouth, be it plastic, metal or wooden toys. These toys aren’t high on the list of things you want in your baby’s mouth with additives such as BPA.

Plastic toys can break easily and chip even more regularly. The uneven and broken edges could harm little children. Wooden toys are more durable.

As we know, that Play is an essential part of a child’s learning and emotional development. Wooden toys are a sensible choice for the very young.

And for the conscientious parent, wooden toys are recyclable and biodegradable. So when you buy your child a wooden toy, you teach by example. You say no to plastic in the most practical way possible.

Of course doing your bit for the environment too!!!

Back to School

It’s that time of the year again when along with everything else in the morning, your child’s school routine enters the fray. Getting your child ready for school is nowhere as easy as it sounds. And harried, working mothers will vouch for that fact. Ask any working mother and she will definitely vouch for this fact.

All kinds of delaying tactics, challenging situations, subtle rebellion and a full-fledged tantrum, are some things that constitute the beginning of every mother’s day. Your child will try her/his best not to leave the cocoon of your home, to venture into the formal atmosphere of the school. This is true even for children who are already a part of the school ritual. The child is rebelling at the early morning wake-up calls, the getting ready in time process and leaving Mamma so early in the morning.

As realistic as this scenario sounds, there are ways to get around it. All you need is – the patience of a saint!!
No, but honestly, a little preparation goes a long way in helping your child transition into the school routine without you losing your mental balance.

It is very important to start the school routine sometime prior to the actual onset of school. Putting your child to sleep early and waking him/her up early even during holidays will develop the school habit before holidays are over. Although your child may stubbornly refuse to sleep early, waking him early could help you to settle the sleep time as well.

Once school has started, make sure your child has a good breakfast and goes to school. Hungry children are not always pleasant. In addition, discuss the child’s tiffin with her. This will help her decide what she wants to eat and feel important in being a part of the decision. For you, it’s one less thing to worry about!

Most parents feel that doing the homework is enough to ensure timeliness. In actuality, your toddler needs to learn that preparing their bag and stationery essentials a day in advance will help them to be more ready for school the next day. Avoid the last minute rush of packing the school bag and sharpening pencils just before they head to school.

The little ones need a lot of coaxing and settling before they are sent to school. Constantly talking about the friends they will meet, the new teacher they will have, the toys they will play with are some topics that will be worrying the preschooler, which they cannot really verbalize. Another important point is to ensure that the child only hears positive things about their pre-school teacher. Your disapproval or negative comments will carry over to your child, and she will more so not look forward to the school.

Most importantly, assure and re-assure your preschooler that you will be there to receive her or fetch her from school. Your toddler needs the security of knowing that she is coming back to her nest each day, after being away. You can entice her by telling her you will be waiting to hear about her school day every day. This helps the child to verbalize fears or anxieties or teething problems that she may have faced in school.

A warm farewell hug and a big welcome kiss will always go a long way in making your child feel safe, secure, wanted and loved.