People skills for little people
Emotional Intelligence is the new term for 'people skills'and is leading the way we do business. So if you can teach your kids the essential ‘EQ skills’, they will be way ahead of the pack when it comes to this vital career and life requirement.
The skills you can teach your child are just as useful in the playground and are based on respect for others, communication and tolerance.
Encourage your kids to respect other children – share, play nicely and look out for one another [and particularly look out for the smaller kids]. Even encourage your children to help other kids with their schoolwork if they’re having difficulties, and listen to everyone’s ideas when at play or in the classroom.
Don’t tolerate bullying behaviour from your kids and teach them tolerance of other kids and their beliefs – let them know that everyone is allowed to think differently about certain things and that it’s OK to have a different opinion.
Of course, all children are different and you’ll find that some are naturally better at dealing with people than others – so the first thing to do is get a handle on your child’s personality and go from there.
Go through the section on ”About YOU” on the NavBar – the behaviour profile is equally applicable to children as it is to adults, and armed with this information, you will get a better idea of what makes your child tick! This will allow you to focus on what they are good at and what they may need to improve.
Try the DOPE Test in the ToolBOX [under the FREE Life Planning Workbook] with your kids – you may have to reword some of the answers so they understand the questions. The DOPE test is great kids as they can relate to the birds.
And if they fit the profile of a couple of birds, you can get them to name their own bird species – for example, if your child has traits of an ’Eagle’ and an ’Owl’, they can call themselves an ’Ow-gle”. If they are good at drawing – get them to draw their bird.
One you know what bird they are, you can help them develop their people skills by building on what they are naturally good at, and helping them improve their weaknesses as follows:
Kids who are Eagles are often domineering over other kids and can be intimidating to shier children. Encourage Eagles to think of other children’s feelings and be more sensitive to the needs of others.
Kids who are Doves are the sensitive ones and can be shy and retiring. Encourage Doves to stand up for themselves and get involved in class activities, and try to get them to be less sensitive to teasing.
Kids who are Peacocks are often accused of talking too much and hogging the limelight. Encourage them to stand back and give everyone a fair go.
Kids who are Owls are very methodical and well organised and often do very well academically. They can also see everything in black and white, so encourage them to think laterally as well.
And most importantly, let your children live by the motto “do as you would be done by” as a means of getting them to think about their actions and their people skills for kids.
Do you have a story or some advice that could help kids with their people skills? Write a page on it and help kids get ahead…
Related Topics:
Articles by Winsome Coutts:
- How to Raise Happy Kids
- Playing with Your Child – How to Start It, Why It’s So Important
- How Goal Setting can Help Your Kids
- Kids and Goal Setting, Why is it So Important
