Survey Highlights The Importance of Teaching Children Good Social Skills

Posted on September 2, 2008

(ARA) – Your 4-year-old may already know how to tie her own shoelaces and spell out her first and last names. But as preschool looms around the corner, are you worried how well she'll fit in with the rest of the classroom?

According to a nationwide survey conducted of 1,000 parents by Mom Central Inc. on behalf of Hasbro Inc., the majority of parents feel the same way with 90 percent considering social skills to be vital to their children's happiness and confidence.

Nearly eight out of 10 parents also think social skills are more important than academic skills when it comes to their child's overall happiness. As a matter of fact, parents gave social skills a higher ranking than academic skills on the survey in nearly every area of child development.

"More than ever, our children must get along with others to function effectively," says Stacy DeBroff, chief executive officer of Mom Central, found at www.momcentral.com. "In this age of team sports and structured play, it has never been more critical for our children to master socialization skills. From children's play groups to collaboration in the classroom, kids today engage in significantly more structured group activities, raising the profile and the necessity for good social skills."

According to the survey, one in five parents feels overwhelmed with teaching social skills and more than one-third says that teaching social skills leads to frustration. In response, Stacy DeBroff has developed some tips parents can use to help their child learn social skills in a positive and reinforcing way.

Lead by example.

Children are excellent observers. If they see Mom and Dad using polite language, sharing, and being respectful, they will follow their parents' guidance.

Play with them in an educational way.

Children love to play games with their parents because it provides them with direct attention. Noodleboro by Hasbro is a new line of board games, which includes storybooks and audio CDs that nurture preschoolers' social skills through laughter and play.

Take a problem-solving approach.

If a situation becomes stressful, encourage your child to talk about the issues they might have with saying "please" and "thank you" or sharing their toys with their friends. By allowing children to talk, they often discover for themselves what's causing the problem while also coming up with unique ways in which they will be able to handle themselves.

"It's more than just manners… it's sharing, it's listening, and it's engaging with others. The Noodleboro games offer an innovative way to use a classic board game to reward and challenge kids as they learn valuable social skills," says DeBroff.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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