In this digitally saturated world, it is more important than ever that parents and teachers continue to recognize, value, and instill human interaction skills in preschoolers. Social interaction is very important for their holistic development and well being. There is a tendency to assume that toddlers learn social skills by playing with one another in a social setting but this is just a small part of a long process. Once children get into the Preschool Duarte, CA classroom, they need to strengthen their social skills through their interactions with the teachers and classmates. Teachers should plan different fun activities and games to promote social skills among preschoolers. They can stories, songs, puppets, and games to teach kids to interact with others. These skill-building sessions prepare them to be productive members of society later in life.

There are some of the important social skills adults should focus on and reinforce. They are as follows :

Expressing emotions :

Expressing their emotions and feelings using proper words and simple sentences is very important. As soon as possible children should verbally express their feelings instead of turning to other methods. For example, a child should learn to verbalize that he is upset or sad instead of start crying bitterly. They should know to distinguish at least the basic emotions like happy, sad, and angry. The more complex ones they can learn later. Once they learn to name the emotion, they can be taught how to cope up with that particular emotion.

Communication :

At different developmental stages, children are expected to be able to communicate at an appropriate level. A toddler must make eye contact with the person speaking to them. They need to learn early that making eye contact is polite and indicates that they are listening. In Preschool Duarte, CA, children should be trained to greet others and take turns in a conversation. The acquisition of communication skills is important as this will help them to integrate into society.

Listening :

There is no denying that developing listening skills is important, otherwise, children cannot learn anything new. Children are born with some listening skills but they need to be enhanced. Playing 'telephone game’ or 'whisper game' is one of the easiest ways to teach listening skills. In many preschools, teachers do 'circle time’ with kids to develop their listening and speaking skills.

Teamwork :

The earlier children learn to work in a group, the better they will behave in a group setting. Putting children into groups to play with toys as blocks or playdough provides them the opportunity to interact with others. Some children may struggle with this more than others but will eventually learn with loving and patient guidance of the Preschool Duarte, CA teachers.

Caring :

Children should learn compassion for others from an early age. It prepares them for relationships they will have when they grow older. They should learn that laughing at somebody's pain is not acceptable. They also need to learn to treat animals with care and compassion.

Non-verbal skills :

Nonverbal skills are the ability to read the facial expressions and body language of the people around us. It also incorporates interpreting the gestures they see, the tones of voice they hear, and the posture they observe. In preschools, children learn to interpret nonverbal cues through different fun games and activities.