🤝🤝Developing social skills in toddlers

So I have this overly social little gentleman ( right in the pic) who wants to meet and greet everyone he comes across- young or old. Though I like his gestures of touching feet of elders, doing namaste and shaking hands with little kids & hugging them - sometimes it is just too difficult for me to handle his personality ( as I may not in a mood to entertain everyone all the time ;))

😘😘Today when I see my little bomb self learn the art of adapting himself to the social norms and getting settled, I feel really good. I can see him standing apart from the mob of his Age at times and those are the moments of utmost pride !
So does the credit go to my efforts of trying to bond with him while inside the womb ( refer my last post on bonding with the baby in womb) or his genes which he has got from me ( his mom who loves to meet people and offer the best of hospitality) ?
👩‍👦👩‍👦Well watching and infant grow into a well mannered and socially behaved toddler is something like a treat to watch.

🗣🗣Here I share some tips which might be of help to my fellow moms who wish their toddlers to learn social skills :

💥💥Model Social Skills : Mirror yourself

One of the best ways to teach appropriate social skills to your toddler is to model them yourself. Use each outing as an opportunity to show your toddler how to interact with others. Show them that you can greet someone who you don't even know. Express other ways to say hi so your child can see multiple interactions.
When my kid sees me talking to people and greeting them nicely , personally or over the phone, he has picked a lot of gestures and uses them in his day to day life.

💥💥Teach Through Play

While playing with your little one, verbalize specific social skills as you are using them Say, "I'm going to share this toy with you because that's a nice thing to do when you're playing." Point out how to take turns by saying, "I'm waiting for my turn until you are done." Use puppets, dolls or action figures to show other skills, such as how to invite a friend to play or how to respond to a child who behaves aggressively.

💥💥Practice with Family

Involve extended family in helping your child learn and practice social skills in a safe environment. If he makes a mistake or has difficulty, teach him and keep practicing until he develops a better understanding. It's not recommended telling the child exactly what to do. "Instead of telling your child, 'Say namaste to grand ma"give him an open-ended command. Say, 'Please come give grandma a nice greeting.'" By leaving it open-ended, you allow your child to think for himself and develop a better understanding of the skills, versus simply repeating what you say.

Arrange playdates with other toddlers

Plan a playdate with another toddler, but provide a structured activity that gives the toddlers an opportunity to engage in some parallel play. "Make a toy box to share with a friend," . Fill two identical boxes with toys and tell your toddler to invite the other child to play with him. "Most toddlers love to be invited to play. This age group often does parallel play, so having two boxes of the same thing allows each toddler to play, and yet they might have social interactions while playing,Stay close by while they're playing and help them interact successfully.

💥💥Unstructured Activities

Toddlers don't necessarily need to go to play schools and day care just for socialization purposes, Instead, look for opportunities near by say your building society or the park or play ground that can offer your child social interactions. Encourage participation in unstructured activities rather than structured by going to the playground or a children's park or a play station. Prompt your child to greet other children. Provide coaching with specific skills, such as sharing and taking turns.

💥💥Encourage eye-contact

When talking to somebody, encourage your children to look into their eyes and talk for effective communication and to build confidence. Your toddlers may need practice every day to master this art. tell your children to talk to their soft toys, or tell you stories looking into your eyes.

💥💥 Allow Them To Figure Things Out

In order to learn how to share and constructively interact with other kids, there will be some bumps in the road. There will be stealing of toys, crying, and maybe even hitting. If you step in every time one kid takes a toy from another, you’re hindering their ability to figure social situations out for themselves.

💥💥 Trust Your Kid
Ultimately, you know your child. Every kid will be different in social situations — some will be assertive, some will be aggressive, some will be shy, others will cling to you. Don’t push your child to do things so far out of their comfort zone that you risk them never wanting to try again, and let your child guide you on your journey.

So practice , practice and practice! - the mantra
#momathon2 #noidamommy #smarttoddlers