Effective social skills are critical to success in adult life. It is oftentimes referred to as emotional intelligence described as the combined ability to understand and handle one’s emotional condition as well as those of other people. In most cases, parents of children who are perceived to be intelligent are more inclined to focus on developing the young minds’ cognitive skills and spend little time in coaching children for social skills. As the kids grow, they have underdeveloped abilities to interact and build interpersonal relationships not only among their peers, but with other types of people.
Children who are too preoccupied in enriching their intellectual aptitudes lose their interest to socialize with people and tend to isolate themselves, not only because they do not have the skill, but also due to their underdeveloped sense of respect for people around them. While highly intelligent children can make their parents proud, other kids whose parents see the importance of coaching children for social skills are more appreciated for their ability to communicate, reciprocate, understand, and interact with almost anybody.
General Social Practices
Irrespective of social class, the need to train children on proper social skills is highly important because as they grow older, they are getting more exposed to people and situations. Although it is usually more difficult to be engaged in coaching children for social skills, especially for those with disabilities and those coming from the lower echelon of the society, the same general rule and basic components of social practices apply to them in the same way for those intelligent and well-to-do youngsters. Initially, they may need to be taught on appropriate greetings to make them understand the propriety of acknowledging people with reference to relationships, age, position and other social status. Training them on basic social skills such as the polite ways to make requests and express gratitude can transform them into socially acceptable individuals who know how to properly address adults, shake hands, patiently wait for their turns, know how to share and cooperate in different circumstances.
Coaching Children with Disabilities
Training minors on inter-personal social skills is best advantageous for those diagnosed with emotional or behavioral disorders. Oftentimes, these children exhibit uncontrolled behaviors such as tantrum fits or aggression when they feel frustrated. They typify immaturity and lack of skill to handle their own conduct and emotions. In similar condition, children with autism spectrum disorders are likewise experiencing deficiency in self-regulating their emotions. In coaching such children to develop their social skills the emphasis is on the importance of emotional literacy, a technique that teaches the ability to differentiate emotions by looking at faces, learning the root cause and consequences of emotions, and knowing how to manage personal emotional conditions. Children with emotional disabilities are often lacking the skills to build and maintain friendly relationships. Thus, an important component to be included in their social skill training is teaching them the basic concept and importance of friendship in any relationship.
Training children at their early age about appropriate social skills can greatly help them to adjust to different social situations as they mature. Even children with learning disabilities can benefit from the process once their communication skill is developed to enable them to express themselves and be easily understood by others. Coaching children for social skills that include even the most basic elements of social convention can effectively transform them into responsible and competent individuals who can be responsive to the needs of others within the social context. With proper training, they are able to build and sustain relationships and manage their own emotions even in situations when social misfits reject their offer of friendship.