How Can One Inculcate Social Intelligence In Preschoolers?

Preschoolers are generally quick to notice and adapt to social norms - they gradually gain the ability to verbalize their emotions, which is the perfect opportunity for parents to inculcate healthy social habits into their children. This will not only help them grow but also grant them valuable emotional tools. This helps hone social skills and prepares children to tackle diverse social situations. Also, preschool admissions in Gurgaon often hinge upon a child’s creative and social intelligence. Here are some ways in which you can instil the same:

1. Sensitize your child to worldly experiences
Sensitivity for the world is a key ingredient for healthy child development. It is absolutely essential for a child to be able to develop empathy for the world around him/her. One can only wade through the complications of the social world when they are capable of reading certain social cues. As per research, observant kids who are able to pick up on social rules easily are readily accepted to any group, compared to those who do not. Hence, it is essential to teach your child to be observant and well-versed in important social cues.

2. Encourage your child to adopt problem-solving for the greater good
Many kids grow up to be problem-solvers - however, only a few of them develop the ability to find solutions that benefit everyone involved. Although this kind of notion can prove to be idealistic in certain scenarios, as it is impossible to keep everyone happy at the same time, one can try and be an empathetic problem-solver who keeps everyone’s interests in mind.

This can be inculcated during play: for instance, if your child’s friend wants to play with cars, and your child wishes to play with robots, you could teach him/her to arrive at an understanding and aim to incorporate both cars and robots into the play session.

3. Teach your child about the evils of bullying
It is important to keep in mind that preschoolers are perpetually in the process of discovering power dynamics at school. While doing so, they might end up getting what they want by hurting others, without understanding the repercussions of the same. For instance, your preschooler might have often said: “I will not share my crayons with you if you do not give me your lunch”, etc. This is a classic instance of disturbance in the status quo, wherein negotiation is trumped by the assertion of power. Don’t hesitate to teach your child about bullying, and stop them when the need arises. The best preschools in Gurgaon do train their children against bullying and are ready to help when such instances occur.

4. Discourage your child from acting upon violent impulses
Children often tend to express their anger/resentment by shouting, screaming, and hitting others. Discourage the same and explain to them that they cannot become physically violent, no matter what the circumstance. In case another child provokes them and they aren’t able to diffuse the situation, it is best to seek adult help and supervision. You can enforce the same with the help of frequent role play.

5. Teach them to take turns
During play, certain situations might arise wherein another child might want to play with your kid’s toys. During such situations, your child should be able to exercise the ability to take turns. Your child can ask their friend to wait until he/she finishes playing with the toy, and then take turns sharing the same. This will help establish a couple of things:

(a) your child will be able to experience empathy and generosity, which is a wonderful thing
(b) this, in turn, will encourage them to experience these emotions again via daily social interactions
(c) your child will learn the importance of waiting for their turn, which will enforce patience and the act of sharing

We hope that these measures will help your child attain social intelligence and flourish in multifarious ways.