The most important social skills for kids

As parents, we all want the best for our children. We want them to have the necessary skills to enable them to thrive. Social skills for kids are increasingly being recognised as hugely valuable to teach in addition to mainstream subjects.

In the early years of parenthood, we are overwhelmed with information to support us. Whether it is help weaning onto food, getting into a routine or even classes to help them interact with other kids, our hands are held through the very early stages of parenting. Once our children start school, their academic education is in the safe hands of the schools we choose. However, when our children lack confidence, need help communicating their feelings or ideas, or need to be more resilient in the face of challenges, where do we go to access help to support them? Where can parents go to have their ‘hands held’ through the next stage of their children’s life?

Good social skills are paramount to helping kids thrive in the modern world. In a paper on The Growing Importance of Social Skills in the work place, David Deming identified that jobs requiring high levels of social interaction grew between 1980 and 2012. However, where do we anticipate children learn and develop these social skills? How do we support children in developing and excelling in life-skills? Role Models help children to develop the most important social skills, offering a variety of award-winning online and offline courses to boost confidence, leadership, and communication.

At Role Models, we have identified six of the most important socials skills for children to develop.

These are key areas that are fundamental to enabling children to succeed and thrive in the modern world.

1. Leadership

Leadership skills will help your child to stand up and be heard. Our leadership offerings focus on developing emotional intelligence and communication skills – allowing your child to build their confidence and showcase their natural personality. Leadership Courses for Children - Book Now | Role Models

1. Resilience

Being able to interact and communicate, having the socials skills necessary to problem solve, being resourceful and resilient are all fundamental to success later in life.

Resilience encourages your child to believe that anything can be achieved when they put their mind to it. Our resilience course focuses on developing your child’s growth mindset – helping them to push outside of their comfort zone, embrace new experiences and thrive in any situation. Resilience Courses for Children - Book Now | Role Models

1. Creative problem solving

Creative problem solving enables your child to develop their own ideas. Our courses encourage your child to consider, evaluate and find solutions to problems whilst building confidence in their own ideas, and their own path. Creative Problem Solving for Kids - Courses | Role Model

1. Collaboration

A study by Penn State and Duke University found that children who were better at sharing, listening, cooperating, and following the rules at age five were more likely to go to college. They also were more likely to be employed full-time by age 25.

Collaboration skills allow your child to thrive in group situations. Our courses aim to get your child communicating and working effectively with others. We want them to be heard, whilst they support and encourage others to achieve a shared goal; cooperating means working together to achieve a common goal. Kids who cooperate are respectful when others make requests. They also contribute, participate, and help out. Good cooperation skills are essential for successfully getting along within a community. Collaboration Courses for Children - Book Now | Role Models

1. Growth Mindset

Helping your child to develop a growth mindset will positively impact their outlook on life. All of our courses and session will teach your child the skills and attitude to overcome any obstacle. Our Resilience and Brilliant Me & My Mind courses specifically focus on growth mindset. We focus on the everyday ways in which growth mindset can change your child’s life. Growth Mindset Courses for Children - Book Now | Role Models

1. Confidence

We help children to believe in themselves and feel positive and empowered. All of our courses and sessions focus on different areas of self-confidence, from believing in your own abilities to overcoming setbacks. Our Collaboration and Brilliant Me & My Confidence courses specifically focus on confidence. We want to empower every child to feel proud of what they can do and to believe in their potential. Confidence Courses for Children - Book Now | Role Models

Why should we teach social skills?

As mentioned, social skills are becoming more and more important in the workplace and in navigating the complexities of the modern world. The workforce of tomorrow need more than just academia to enable them to be successful. Social skills are also linked to good mental health. A study published in the International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences highlighted that childhood relationships and friendships are good for children’s mental health and wellbeing. The ability to connect, communicate and understand each other are skills that are fundamental in forming healthy relationships. Furthermore, children need the resources not only to enable them to make friends, but they need social skills to support them in navigating rejection, managing conflict, losing/being a good sport, peer pressure and anxiety. At Role Models, we believe it is absolutely possible to provide meaningful ways to teach social skills to kids.

Teaching these skills focusses on not only modelling good behaviour but enabling children to apply these skills in a nurturing and supportive environment. It is important to enable children with the opportunity to practice and master these social skills. Our online and offline courses provide children with the right conditions in order to test and improve their skills. Groups are a great place to learn social skills because they typically provide direct instruction, modelling, role-playing, team building activities, and positive reinforcement.

At Role Models, we provide fun, engaging and meaningful ways for children to learn, develop, apply and embed these crucial social skills.