Social Skills for Everyone

Social skills are critical to successful functions in life. These skills enable us to know how to make choices and behave in various situations. The extent to which children and adolescents possess good social skills can influence the academic performance, social behavior, and family relationship and involvement in extracurricular activities. Social skills are linked to school environment and school safety. Parent and family involvement have the most direct and lasting impacts in children’s learning and development of social skills competence. When parents are involved, students achieve more, exhibit more positive attitudes and behavior, and feel more comfortable in new settings. The impact of parent-child interaction on school readiness and social skills development for low-income African American children is critical. Low-income and African American children are at increased risk for school readiness deficits in terms of both cognitive and social development. Characterized as a structured and responsive child’s need, emotions were positively related to school readiness, social skills, and receptive communication skills development.