IF IT’SSUMMER,IT MUST BEALEXANDERCAMP!2021ELEMENTARYCAMP &PRESCHOOLSUMMERMONTESSORIPROGRAMJUNE 21 - AUGUST 13BOYS AND GIRLSAGES 3-12TEL: 305.665.6274ALEXANDERMONTESSORI.COMAMPRIVATESG-HALFPAGE.indd 13/9/21 2:59 PM4 l SUMMER CAMP FUN / 2021
Reinforcing Social Skills WhileSocial D i s t a n c i n gMany parents are expressing concern about their children's social development at a time when socializingis limited. Understandably so since developing social skills is linked to success in school. But before they canlearn academics, children need to know how to interact with others, control and express their feelings, andtake care of basic tasks independently. Developing social skills prepares children for a lifetime of healthyinteractions in all aspects of life.Social skills are the skills we use to communicate andinteract with others, both verbally and non-verbally.They facilitate interactions through tone of voice,volume of speech, body language, and gestures.Social skills can be taught, practiced, and learned witheffort, and helping children refine these skills requiresa different set of strategies in each stage of theirdevelopment. This process of internalizing and learning(or teaching) the norms and ideologies of society iscalled socialization, and it is paramount for the overallwellness of our community and culture. Many variablescan influence the development of social skills in children;gender, birth rank, number of children in the family, andwhether they attend daycare or preschool all influencesocial development. The pandemic has created yetanother challenge no one saw coming-social distancing.How do you teach and practice these social skills whensocial interaction is limited?Although opportunities to be physically near others arelimited, opportunities for socializing are everywhere.Because of the need for physical distancing, it doesrequire more effort than arranging a playdate, but withan open mind and some outside-the-box thinking, youcan help your child keep working on their social skills.Even while distancing, parents can continue to build onthese skills by filling the voids and looking for teachablemoments. For example, family members can be greatteachers for conflict resolution and negotiation.Play is important work. For young children, playing ishow they learn to think, problem-solve, and investigatethe world. It is through play that children discover thatlearning is fun and become enthusiastic lifelonglearners. Playing requires a lot of socialthinking skills, sharing, and turn-taking.Take the opportunity and designateat least one night of the week as agame night with your family.There are plenty of goodgames you can buy that target critical social-emotionallearning skills. However, you may already have somethat actually require a lot of social thinking skills. Gamessuch as Apples to Apples (the way better and cleanerversion of the game Cards Against Humanity) requiresperspective-taking skills. It is a game in which playerstake turns being the judge. The judge gives a one-wordprompt, and players have to pick from a set of cards intheir hand which one best matches the prompt based onwho is judging each round. Players have to think aboutwhat they know about the judge to predict how theywill react and choose their favorite answer. It requiresturn-taking and encourages asking for clarification,accepting/rejecting an idea, and accepting rejection.Choose games that involve communicating, sharing,and turn-taking. Talk your child through the steps oftolerating frustration and rejection. A child that canlearn to lose gracefully will be a lifelong winner.Perhaps as beneficial as play, reading is a great wayto teach children about different social situations,empathy, and social problem-solving skills. Readingis known to improve focus and concentration inacademics. That same focus is also essential to socialinteraction. Children are not born with the ability to feelempathy. They learn this skill through social interactionwith family, friends, and society. Some research hasshown that reading fiction can increase empathy byputting the reader inside the mind ofanother person. It allows thereader to feel what thecharacter feels and understand their thoughts andemotions. Reading immerses children in every emotion,triumph, and adversity of their favorite characters. Inaddition to learning empathy, books provide examplesof situations and social interactions that teach effective– and ineffective – ways to handle conflict. It allowschildren to experience a range of moods and emotionsin an environment that allows for space and time tothink about how they might react in a similar situation.Start a family book club and talk about characters, whatthey felt and how their actions affect other charactersin the story. Talk about different social situations andencourage your child to share how they might reactsimilarly or differently.You may be surprised to hear that television-whenused correctly-can also be a great tool to help childrenunderstand emotions and behaviors. Explainingsarcasm, irony, and humor may be difficult for themto grasp, and understanding social cues take practicefor kids. Using television is a fun way to observe socialinteractions that are often exaggerated to make a point.Actively watch a show with your child and point outsocial cues and appropriate behavior. Practice howthey read and respond to other people and explorethese interactions. Discuss empathy and talk about howthey might feel if faced with a similar situation. Childrenthat learn to associate certain words with emotionscan use those words to express their own feelings.This transition from interpreting feelings to talkingabout feelings can help them communicateeffectively and avoid acting out in frustration.Television can be a tool that helps childrenand adolescents better understandthemselves and others.Continued on Page 82021 / SUMMER CAMP FUN l5
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