How to Raise Kids with Social Skills - 3 Easy Parenting Tips

Many children don’t have a clue about social skills. They think bragging is the way to make friends. If this is a problem with your child, look inside to see how you can help and build character too.

“I’ll talk about what I do if other kids ask me, but I don’t like to brag about it.” – Hunter Gomez

If children learned this simple social skill, they’d be way ahead of other kids and they’d have a lot more friends. Why? Kids don’t like kids who brag. It makes them feel less important than the braggart.

3 Parenting Tips for Raising Your Child with Social Skills and Character:

First Parenting Tip – Teach your child to brag about his friend.

This means your child needs to notice the good things his friend does. He might say things like:

“Jason won the spelling contest today. Tom hit a homerun. Colby won the race.”

Bragging makes his friend feel important, especially if your child brags about him in front of other kids. This is very different from bragging about himself. Help your child see how this one simple act will make his friend like him even more.

Second Parenting Tip – Teach your child to think of fun things to do.

This means your child needs to notice what her friends enjoy doing. Get her to think up fun ways to promote her friend’s likes. If she knows her friend prefers art, she might suggest:

“Let’s draw pictures. Let’s build a shadow box. Let’s bake cookies.”

Creating fun ideas that both your child and her friend enjoy will deepen their friendship. She will have learned a valuable social skill too.

Third Parenting Tip – Teach Your Child to Give Suggestions Not Criticisms.

Ask your child if he likes to be criticized. He’ll probably say, “No way!” Discuss how friends don’t like criticism either. Help your child give compliments instead. He might say:

“Conner, I like how you play fair. Matt, you’re the best math student. Jason, will you teach me how to fix my bike too?”

Praising friends is a wonderful way to keep friends. It teaches your child to look for the best in people. Such an attitude is a gift to give others every day.

Conclusion for Raising Kids with Social Skills:

We are social beings. We need each other and we want to be liked. When you teach your child to brag about friends and not himself, he’ll learn an important social skill. Teaching your child to think up fun activities by noticing what others enjoy creates a special bond with friends. Helping your child realize kids hate criticism and love praise increases a friendly relationship with others.

Your thoughtful discussions about making friends will help your child win friends and become a positive person. You have the power. Take the time to teach your child the social skills he needs. You’ll be building character and your child will be happy too.