Learning to interact with others is an essential tool for kids to master. Here’s how you can help them improve their social skills.
In our videos for kids, you’ve all seen how Tim and I met several friends in our adventures. We’ve met Father Christmas, a ghost pirate, a scientist, and many more! It has helped me a lot to be a kinder and friendlier tiger. However, learning to be social may not be easy for kids. Watching videos on TV or playing on their phones has made children less socially active nowadays. It could also be frustrating for parents when their kids show difficulty making friends or adapting to social settings.
There are different ways grown-ups at home can help children improve their social skills. Here are some Tiger-certified tips!
- Encourage eye contact
Making eye contact with the person speaking to them is one way to help children become more effective in communicating with others. It can also build their confidence and be less shy when surrounded by others.
An excellent way to practice eye contact is to encourage your children at home when talking to you, another sibling, or another adult. Not only are they becoming better communicators, but they are also becoming confident and respectful friends.
- Ask questions about their interests
Teaching kids the art of conversation is a great way to help them become more social. They can learn from you by asking them interesting questions while in a conversation. Allow them to talk about their interests, such as their favourite shows for kids or what they learnt from watching our videos for kids!
When asking questions, stick to open-ended ones that would keep the conversation flowing. Through dialogue, you are teaching kids the importance of building connections with others.
- Teach appropriate greetings and responses
Social skills are first learned through simple greetings like ‘Good morning, ‘Good day, ‘Please,’ and ‘Thank you. These simple phrases are easy to understand, and through consistent practice, kids can get into the habit in no time.
For young children, they may need guidance on how to respond appropriately. Some kids may get shy around new people, so they need a little bit of practice and encouragement. There are many online videos for kids to learn more about how to overcome social anxiety that you can watch with them.
- Teach kids about emotions
Learning about different emotions helps kids not to be confused when mingling with other people. You can teach them through play, videos, or songs for kids about different emotions. Encouraging them to identify how they feel and communicate it to you is also a great practice. You can also do the same thing with them and be more open to talking about your emotions.
- Emphasize empathy
Another great social skill to learn for kids is empathy. It is one of the values I learnt from Tim and our videos for kids. You can teach them about empathy by talking about different situations or scenarios with your Tiger Cubs, then ask them how other people might feel when this happens to them. Having compassion is a great way for children to understand better how others feel, which makes them form positive bonds with the people they interact with.
- Be a good role model
It’s no secret that Tiger Cubs love to watch our learning videos for kids to know about the world. But children also learn effectively through observing others, especially grown-ups. An excellent way to improve their social skills is by observing how they interact with others. For example, kids can learn how to ask a question or take time to listen actively during a conversation by watching how they behave. To be an effective role model, you would need conscious effort and be mindful of your actions.
Our Tiger and Tim videos show how kids can positively interact with others, whether with a grown-up or with friends.
Socializing well with children and grown-ups is an important life skill that anyone can learn through our videos for kids (and adults, too!).
Tiger xoxoxo