Social skills
If your children show these attitudes and behaviour towards others, they are more likely to get a positive response in return.
- Empathy
- respect for others
- kindness
- fairness
- honesty
- cooperation
You can teach them by example to:-
show care and concern to people who need support
accept people’s differences,
be friendly and kind, not mistreating or bullying others
Joining a group activity or sports team gives your child:-
A better chance of developing positive connections
The ability to make and keep friends
A sense of belonging
Sort out conflict within safe boundaries
Co-operate with others
Accept constructive criticism.
Helpful and optimistic thinking.
Try to teach your child to:-
be realistic,
think rationally,
look on the bright side,
find the positives,
expect things to go well
move forward, even when things are bad.
When your child’s upset, you can help him keep things in perspective by focusing on
facts and reality.
For example, you could try gently asking,
‘Does this really matter as much as you think it does’?
‘Is it worth getting upset about this’?
‘On a scale from 1-10, how bad is this really?’
Try changing the way your children speak, so that for example if they say
‘I’m scared of reading aloud in class today’
you could suggest they tell themselves
‘reading aloud isn’t my favourite thing, but I will be able to cope’.
Your child’s more likely to feel positive if he can see that difficult times are a part of life, that they’ll pass, and that things will get better.
Keeping things in perspective
Try to help your children understand that a bad thing in one part of his life – say, a poor exam result – doesn’t have to flow over into all parts.
Problem Solving
Finding solutions together can help your child be more resilient.
Having a problem-solving method is one way for young people to feel they have the power to get through bad times.
Why not discuss various ways of solving a problem when it arises, listen carefully to their way, which may not be your own.
Discuss the possible outcomes of their perceived ‘solution’
do not judge or criticize
Remember You are a role model for your child.
Let him see and hear you being positive and optimistic.
M.A.S.H 