October 2021

Social skills for children are so incredibly important. They need these so they can grow up to be well-developed individuals who are able to communicate appropriately and form friendships and relationships. Kids can learn social skills from their parents at home or from schools, preschools, and therapists. At the preschool where I work, each and every year the educators run a really great research-based social skills programme called PALS. PALS was developed in Australia by clinical psychologists and early childhood educators for use in early childhood centres. It is a fun programme that teaches kids important social skills by using stories, songs, and puppets. So What Are Social Skills? Social skills are also known as interpersonal skills and they refer to the skills we use each and every day to communicate and interact with others. These skills are used to communicate both verbally and non-verbally. They involve things like facial expression, eye contact, speech, gesture as well as body language. Benefits Of Good Social Skills Children can communicate effectively When Children have good social skills they are able to enjoy good positive relationships with their peers. Children are able to make friends easily and can also sustain friendships. Children who have the skills to form friendships are also generally happier at school and this leads them to be able to learn better in the classroom. Good social skills are skills that children will carry on into adulthood Cooperate with others They are able to share and take turns with others Children are able to adapt to various situations Ask for help when they need to Important Social Skills For Children Good Manners Kids need to know that it is important that we are respectful to others. They need to learn how to ask for things appropriately by using the words “Please” and “Thank You”. When requesting something from someone they should also be able to make eye contact and use the other person’s name. Using Words To Ask For What They Want It’s essential that children know how to ask for what they want. We should encourage children to verbalize their requests instead of using tantrums, whingeing, and grunting as a means of communicating. Of course, toddlers who are learning will often resort to these methods as a way of expressing their needs and wants. It’s up to us to patiently teach them the appropriate skills they need to be able to communicate effectively. Sharing As children get older they need to be able to share in order to play and form positive relationships with other children. Sharing is vital for getting along with others and children need to learn and understand this so they can make and keep friends. It’s no fun playing with a friend who won’t share their space or toys. Winning And Losing Children need to learn that they can’t win all the time. Throwing tantrums and getting angry will make it difficult for other children to want to play with them. As hard as it might be to watch our kids get upset by a loss. We are doing them no long-term favours if all they ever experience is winning. Communicate Effectively Children need to be able to know how to have reciprocal conversations with others. They should know how to ask questions, take turns when speaking and listen to ideas and suggestions from their peers. They also need to know how to form boundaries by learning appropriate ways to say “No”. What Can Parents Do Parents can help their children by teaching them important social skills. As we all know children are always watching and learning by our example. So it’s really important that we are good role models for them. Children need to play with other children in a variety of settings so they can learn good social skills. Parents can facilitate this by organising and encouraging these valuable play opportunities. The good news is that parents can also try a variety of fun activities at home that will give children the opportunity to develop and improve their socials skills. Games When you play board games with your kids make sure to give them opportunities to experience both winning as well as losing. By doing this they will be better prepared for times when they experience losing while playing with their peers outside of their home environment. Turn-taking games such as Uno and Snap are also great for teaching kids to understand who’s turn it is by saying “My turn” “Your turn”. Role Play Practice different scenarios with your kids at home. For example, you could pretend to be a child at preschool who wants to play with a toy another child is playing with. Make up a list of different things you could politely say to ask for a turn. Using puppets is also a great idea and one that we use at preschool. We role-play endless possible scenarios that kids may come across in different social settings. And we teach them how to respond in a socially acceptable way. Visuals You can make up a chart that shows clear step-by-step pictures of appropriate ways of interacting with others. These visuals could include simple pictures of making eye contact, smiling, and saying hello. You can then use these visuals to discuss with your child how to interact in a socially appropriate way. We use visuals for everything at preschool and it’s such an effective tool when it comes to teaching social skills because kids respond so well to them. Singing There are traditional songs like “If you’re happy and you know it claps your hands” that teach emotions. You can also sift through YouTube to find songs that teach social skills. Some of these are catchy and easy for children to remember. In Conclusion Don’t forget that children need time and patience from nurturing parents, carers, and educators to learn and develop good social skills. Even as adults we are constantly finding ways to improve our social skills based on our own

Here are some fun and simple gross motor activities for your child that you can easily do at home with them. These activities can help equip your child with good gross motor skills which are important for them to be able to perform everyday tasks. What Are Gross Motor Skills? Gross motor skills are those which require movements of the whole body (arms, legs, and torso) to perform activities such as jumping, climbing and sitting. All of these activities are necessary for everyday life at school, work, or home. If gross motor skills are poor these tasks will be much more difficult to perform. Simple Gross Motor Activities For Your Child Different Types Of Animal Walking Using animals to practice gross motor skills is a fun and easy activity that can easily be done at home. Bear Walk- This is when the child walks using their hands and feet making sure their bottoms are up high just like a bear does when he walks. Penguin Walk- Ask kids to keep their arms straight down by their sides and waddle using their heels like a penguin. Crab walk- Children use their hands and feet to scuttle sideways. Make sure their hips are high off the ground so their core muscles get a good workout. Slide like A Snake– Children can lie on their stomachs with their arms to their sides. They then inch forward to ‘slide’ along the floor like a snake. Kangaroo Jump-  Kids keep their knees together with their hands perched up like a kangaroo. Encourage them to get down as low as they can and then spring forward. Set up An Obstacle Course At Home You can use the lounge room for this fun and beneficial activity. Use furniture rugs and pillows and get the kids to climb under over and around obstacles. Trampolines Trampolines will help your child to improve their balance. Mini trampolines at home are just as effective if there is not enough space for a regular-sized one in the backyard. Playing In The Park Find a park that has good, safe, and challenging equipment. Swinging on the swings can help children to improve and develop their balance. It will also help them with their coordination because they need to work on moving their legs back and forth at the same time as shifting their weight to be able to swing back and forth. Some parks also have equipment that encourages children to climb and use their trunk muscles. Wobble bridges and ladders where they have to swing like monkeys to get across the play equipment are not only fun but very effective for strengthening and developing gross motor skills. Ball Games Ball games such as kicking throwing and catching are excellent for coordination and gross motor skills. Tug Of War You can play this with your child by getting them to hold one end of the rope and you the other. The aim is then to try and pull each other over. Another great upper body and leg workout. Hopscotch This game is full of lots of jumping, hopping, and balancing. A fun and simple game with excellent benefits. Target Practice Set up a target for children to aim at and throw bean bags. Balance Beam Use masking tape to make a line on the floor and challenge your child to walk along the tape. Dancing Dancing is not only great fun it also gets children to practice balance and coordination as well as motor planning skills. They can dance freely or you can challenge them with following song movements like”Head, shoulders, knees, and toes”. See how fast they can go! Pulling and Pushing Wheelbarrows, Trucks, and pretend baby strollers are great for gross motor skills. You can even hold your child’s legs so they walk using their hands and they can be the wheelbarrow. Playing with Bubbles Children love chasing and popping bubbles. Trying to track down a bubble is not always easy and that’s great because it means children have to run, jump, dodge and make their way around shifting their balance. Riding Tricycles, Peddle Pushers and Bikes Perfect for working on core and leg muscles as well as improving coordination and strength. The Importance Of Gross Motor Skills Cognitive Development Participating in physical activities that encourage the development of gross motor skills can improve academic performance. Confidence and Self-Esteem Children with good physical ability will be more likely to engage in sporting activities. Sport helps children learn about participating in a game and the satisfaction of knowing the effort they have contributed. Good For Children’s Health Children practice their gross motor skills when they are involved in physical activities. This is beneficial for their flexibility, joints, bones, and muscles. As well as keeping children fit, maintaining a healthy weight and good posture. Ability to Assess Risk This is an important skill that children will carry on into adulthood. On A Final Note Activities such as these are simple and can be extremely beneficial for your child to develop good gross motor skills. Having good gross motor skills will help your child’s self-esteem, classroom learning, and overall health and well-being. Links https://childdevelopment.com.au/resources/child-development-charts/gross-motor-development-chart/ Other Beneficial Activities For Children’s Development https://playworkeatrepeat.com/benefits-of-sandpit-play/