Playing with their peers is one of the best ways your child can develop critical social skills.
Are you concerned about your child’s social skills? It is not uncommon for children to struggle on a social level. Sometimes, a child just needs a little push in the right direction. As a parent, there are all sorts of things you can do to increase your child’s social awareness and ability. Here are some of them!
Practice Eye Contact
Children need to learn the importance of making eye contact when speaking to others. Children sometimes have a knack for looking down when they are feeling shy. They will also look in other directions when they are uninterested in what another person is saying to them. It is important that your child can look at someone directly in the eye when they are speaking or listening to another person. For this reason, be sure to stress the importance of making eye contact with your child.
Play Dates/Sign Them For Activities
It is amazing how quickly children can make friends. Sometimes, children need to be given the opportunity to express themselves constructively. If you want your child to develop on a social level, you should allow them to have play dates with other children their age. Playing with their peers is one of the best ways your child can develop critical social skills. Another great route is to sign your child up for extracurricular activities such as sports, clubs, and camps. If your child is having fun, they are more likely to open up and be more sociable.
Spend Time With Adults
Children should learn how to interact with people of all ages. They shouldn’t only be interacting with children of their age range. For this reason, provide your child with opportunities to speak with adults. For example, if you are going to get lunch or dinner with a colleague, bring your child along and encourage your child to join in on your conversations.
The Connections Therapy Center
The Connections Therapy Center serves families of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs. We are a team of experts in the fields of pediatric speech, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and behavioral sciences. As a team, we offer intensive hands-on therapy for children and adolescents, as well as informative and useful resources for families. If you are interested in learning more about what we can do to help your family, visit us online or give us a call at (202) 561-1110 (Washington, D.C. office) or (301) 577-4333 (Lanham office). Want to get more information on how to help your child thrive? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.