OH NO! Are Your Children Shy?
Here’s How They Can Socialize During Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year is just around the corner. And what does that mean? Of course, you will have your yee sang, spend some quality time with your family and give those angpao to your children.
But it also means that your children have to socialize more! Why? Because they will be visiting your relatives and going from one house to another. This is the time for them to show off their social skills! 😉
Okay, we know talking can be daunting for some children because it takes a lot of effort and confidence. Not everyone has that social skills embedded within them.
So if your children happen to be shy or afraid to communicate openly with other children or even parents, then we have dedicated this blog just for you to help them!
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
A study conducted by the Center for Development & Learning evaluated that children can initiate and carry out conversations by asking questions. In fact, asking questions is the easiest way to get into a conversation.
Not only the children can ask questions, you as a parent can also start doing so with other children. This can increase the harmonious relationship in the house.
Questions like ‘Can I see your toys?’, ‘Can I play with you?’, ‘What are your hobbies’, and ‘Which school do you go to?’ can initiate a conversation that may possibly even go for hours and hours.
If better, encourage your children to ask questions that are open-ended. This means that the questions shouldn’t be answered with just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. It will make your children become more confident.
Teach Them Empathy
One excellent way for your children to be connected to others is if they have a better understanding of how others feel. You can watch Disney movies with your children and spot different situations that may spark conversations or lessons about sympathy and empathy. You should ask them what emotions they are feeling when each of these things happen.
In this way, your children can understand emotions better and learn how to actively listen to others. They can also respond more critically and eventually, positive bonds can be formed.
Playing Pretend
Uh-huh, it’s fun! Playing pretend is an awesome way for your children to actively practice their social skills. Not only is it fun, but it can also boost your children’s confidence to the next level.
Getting them to role play will let them understand human emotions and how to interact with different people. They will build ideas that every human is different and everyone will respond and interact in different ways.
Don’t forget to include body language like smiling, making eye contact and nodding to make sure your children acknowledge that every part of their body plays a significant role in socializing with other people.
Convince Them to Speak to Other Children
Most children have the tendency to hide behind you when visiting your relatives’ houses. They are not confident enough to greet the ones who invited your family to their house.
Before arriving, you can ask your children to be the one to greet the family. Saying’ hello’ or even ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’ is good enough, it will make everyone’s day.
By doing this, it creates a happy environment for everyone. Your children will be more confident to talk in front of everyone. You can also convince them to personally greet other children and mingle with them. It’s also an opportunity for them to know about your family tree.
Manners Maketh Man
Your children may be extroverted and outgoing, and sometimes, they are very excited and into the moment that they may step over the boundaries by overlooking the most basic thing; manners.
Teach them how to speak politely with everyone including kids of the same age. Make sure they understand the dos and don’ts when talking to other people. Not only that, they should also acknowledge all the dos and don’ts when eating or asking for something from family members older than them.
Written by:
Ian Firdaus
