Building Social Skills Article Archive

• Increase Your Child’s Emotional IntelligenceHelp your child navigate the school halls with more confidence by making sure she has a grasp on a few essential social skills.
• Help Your Child Fit In at SchoolFor some kids, the school social scene can be just as challenging as academics.
• Help Your Child Adjust SociallyFinding the right niche can help your child feel happier at school.
• Pen Pals Offer Teens Friendship, UnderstandingHaving a pen pal doesn’t just boost writing skills.
• Conversation Tips Can Help Your Child Make New FriendsKnowing how to start a conversation—and keep one going—is critical to making new friends.
• Dealing with the Tough Issues . . . Popularity and Friendship ProblemsSome children have no problems making friends.
• Peer Pressure Can Often Be More Positive Than NegativePeer pressure has a bad name.
• Teach Your Preteen To Value Compassion Over PopularityBeing popular might be more important to your child than you think.
• Help Your Child Get Over Hurt FeelingsSome days, your child may feel as though you are the only friend she has. That’s especially true if members of a clique are teasing her or rejecting her.
• Parents Can Help Ease the Pain of Feeling UnpopularToday, popularity is just as important to kids as it was in the past. And when a child feels unpopular, it’s painful. Here are some ways you can help.  
• Teach Your Middle Schooler How to Get Along With OthersEven popular kids can be awkward in middle school.
• Teach Your Child The Importance of Valuing DiversityIt is likely that your child goes to school with children of many different cultures, religions and backgrounds.
• Middle Schoolers Need Your Support When Making FriendsFriendships are especially important in middle school.
• Teach empathy to help your child relate to othersHaving empathy—being aware of how others feel—will help your child in school and in life.
• Help Your Child Get Through Tough Social Times at SchoolMiddle school is the time when children develop real cliques.
• Accept Children’s Friendships Without Feeling Left OutDuring middle school, friends become more important to children.
• What Should You Do When Your Child is Just Too Shy?There’s nothing wrong with being shy.
• Friendship Skills Are Survival Skills for Middle SchoolersIn middle school, friendships become especially important to kids.
• Help Your Child Cope With the Middle School Social SceneSo many changes are happening during middle school that even the best adjusted children can feel disoriented.
• Make Sure You Set a Good Example Against Peer PressureMiddle schoolers are known for “going with the crowd." Even when doing so goes against their parents’ rules and values.
• Help Your Child Make and Keep Friends at SchoolNew research shows that there are academic, as well as social, consequences when children don’t make friends.
• Help Your Teenager Survive Typical Friendship ProblemsLast week, Tonya was your daughter’s best friend. Now your daughter is furious with her because of a comment Tonya made to another friend.
• Take Action if Shyness Affects School SuccessYour child has always been quiet. Lately, things seem to be worse. He doesn’t have anyone to play with. His teacher says he won’t speak in class, even when he knows the answer.
• Teach Tattlers Better Ways to Solve Problems, Get AttentionWhen toddlers tattle, they do it just to report the events of a day. But when elementary-age children tattle, it’s more serious.
• Work With the Teacher if Your Child Is the Class ClownIt’s great to have a sense of humor. But it’s no laughing matter if a child constantly disrupts class with jokes and rude body sounds.
• What Should You Do if Your Child Is Being Bullied?Victims of bullying often develop serious problems.
• Help Your Child Be a Good Sport and Develop CharacterNot long ago, sports and sportsmanship went hand in hand.
• Use the Six E’s To Teach About ResponsibilityYou can help your child develop the trait of responsibility by using the six E’s.
• Ask Your Child Questions When Problems AriseNo matter how well-behaved children are, they’re bound to disagree at times.
• Group Activities Are Good for Preschooler Interaction, LearningPlay groups are wonderful because they give children— and parents—the chance to interact.
• Your Child’s Social Skills Will Change Fast in These Early YearsAs babies grow into toddlers, their social skills improve dramatically.
• Make Sure You Do Not Allow Your Child to Learn Violent BehaviorViolence is one of the scariest problems in society today, especially for parents.
• Use a Kitchen Timer to Teach Your Child About SharingIt’s not easy for young children to share.
• Talk About, Practice Politeness With Your ChildAll parents want their children to be polite.
• Learning to Make Friends Can Be A Long, Hard Process for SomeAs children move from just playing alone, to playing side by side, to actually playing together, there will be some conflicts.
• Don’t Dominate Your Child’s Playtime—Just Play for FunChildren learn so much when they play with their peers.
• Give Your Child Plenty of Practice Sharing, Waiting & Taking TurnsOnce in school, your child will be expected to share toys and materials, let others go first sometimes, and wait until the teacher calls on her before she gets help or attention.
• Praise & peers can help your preschooler learn social skillsHelp your child improve her social skills by giving her opportunities for social interaction.
• Parents Can Help Their Shy Children Enjoy Group ActivitiesSinging, dancing and putting on plays are pure joy to many preschool children.
• Start Teaching Your Children Manners When They’re YoungTeaching your child manners is a process that begins at birth.
• You Can Help Your Child Learn How to Develop FriendshipsIt’s frustrating when your child has trouble making friends.
• You Can Teach Your Child About CompassionWhen you think about the traits you want your child to develop, compassion is prob- ably one of them.
• Love, Supervision Important in Raising Non-Violent ChildrenChildren learn what they live.
• Get Your Child Ready for School By Developing Key Social SkillsMany young children are not yet able to consider another person’s needs, wants and feelings.
• Now is the Time to Teach ‘Sharing’ to Your Child at HomeToddlers and preschoolers are not naturally generous.
• Help Your Child Tune In to the Feelings of OthersAs people interact, they let each other know how they are feeling through words and facial expressions.
• Parents Can Help Their Children Make FriendsSome children are naturally social.
• Expect Peers to Have a Strong Influence on Your PreschoolerPreschoolers are too young for “peer pressure.
• What Should You Do When Your Child Lies?Your four-year-old tells you that he saw a huge monster in his room last night.

Getting Along With Others

• Divorce: How To Help Your Child at Home and at SchoolDivorce can wreak havoc on a child’s world and affect her life at school. How much information should a parent give a child’s teacher and other adults in the child’s life, and how should the child tell her friends? Our experts provide tips and guidance for parents to help their children navigate this difficult life experience.
• Angry Reactions Can Be ControlledEveryone feels angry sometimes, but not everyone expresses anger the same way.
• Dealing With Children's Shifting Friendships It is the nature of childhood friendships that they often come to an end. Interests change, groups form and reform.
• Teach Your Child To Take Control of RelationshipsSteps to help your child resolve conflict.
• Parents Can Help Children Get Along With TeachersStudents do better in school when they have a good relationship with their teachers.
• Help Your Child Succeed When Doing Group ProjectsGroup projects teach students how to work together.
• Teach Empathy To Eliminate Name-Calling“Nerd.” “Sissy.” “Fatso.” “Geek.” Kids have called each other names for centuries. They put someone down in front of a crowd to look cool to onlookers.
• What If Your Child Doesn't Like a Teacher?When children are very young, they usually adore their teachers. But as they get older, they may find there’s a particular teacher they just don’t like.
• Help Your Child Understand, Deal With EmotionsHandling feelings is an important skill when learning to get along with others.
• Gently Nurture Your Shy Child in Social SettingsBeing shy isn’t a problem in itself.

View all 'Getting Along With Others' articles.