Five ways to develop children's interpersonal skills

Parents can help their children develop interpersonal intelligence. Here are some methods and activities. These suggestions are developmental, and some methods are particularly suitable for younger children, while others will be more effective with older children.

1. Spending time with others is necessary for developing interpersonal intelligence

It's as simple as people say: children need to be with others and need to know that people understand them. Parents need to put some effort into finding playmates for their children. This is also absolutely true. But sometimes it's something as simple as a daycare center or a corner of a playground that can provide a treasure for a child.

Tips

What is interpersonal intelligence?

Interpersonal intelligence is defined as “the ability to understand other people and relationships.” American celebrities with high interpersonal intelligence include Dr. Martin Luther King, leader of the human rights liberation war, former presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, and television talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

2. It is important to let children play the role of both leaders and those who are managed.

Some children, in particular, tend to switch back and forth between roles. It is important for children to both become familiar with the role of a leader and get used to being led.

Children as old as 6 or 7 years old can be taught these concepts and also have the need to experience both roles. Parents often want their children to play leadership roles and nothing else (and sometimes the children want this too); in fact, the best preparation for becoming a leader is to first become a good follower.

Tips

How important is interpersonal intelligence?

Consultants need strong interpersonal intelligence, just like teachers.

For this question, regardless of people's occupations, having strong interpersonal intelligence can increase work efficiency.

If a lawyer has strong interpersonal intelligence, he can feel what the judge is thinking and then make timely adjustments to win the case.

A foreman or a manager will plan production better if they understand their subordinates and know how to motivate them.

An accountant or software designer will do well if they can read the client's needs and understand their goals.

A salesperson will be successful if he knows the needs of his consumers.

In practically every field of work, having high interpersonal intelligence is valuable.

(iii) Using movies as a tool is a great way for children to think about and understand human behavior.

When we think about the thoughts and actions of characters in movies or on television, they are often more exaggerated, more ironic, and their motivations more obvious than in real life.

Watch the performances of the leading actors and actresses and think about these things. Whether it's Jack Cha, Sylvester Stallone, Harry Potter, or Meg Ryan, they can provide children with a simple and safe way to develop their interpersonal intelligence.

Tips

Why does high interpersonal intelligence manifest itself?

Higher interpersonal intelligence includes being good at observing, making inferences from people's behavior, reading their facial expressions and body language, and being a good listener. All of these converge into a single channel that makes people good at understanding others.

(iv) Using literature as a means to provide children with a safe way to begin observing and speculating in a similar way

After reading the story to the child, parents can ask, "Why do you think he thinks this way?", "What would you think in this situation?", "Have you ever thought this way? When?"

When your children are older, you can ask them to talk about the characters in the books or stories that are most similar to them, and then share with them some tips for dealing with things.

Tips

Children with high interpersonal intelligence tend to like:

Play with others

●Spending time with others (usually don’t like being alone)

● Pay attention to others, care for others and educate others

●Focus on cooperation rather than competition in games

●Join with the mentor and form a very special relationship

5. Sharing your own personal experiences with your children is very beneficial to them.

There are too many situations where children see adults or their parents behaving a little arrogantly. That is, children don't understand why their dad or mom feels so special or behaves so special. (Adults also often fail to explain their behavior to children.)

Whether this behavior is an expression of disappointment in someone else's behavior, frustration with one's own behavior, or happiness at having learned something, parents need to step back and talk to their children about why they think and act the way they do.

(Don’t say this to your child in a serious tone; we must remember that the dividing line between confidence and self-confidence is often not obvious to young children. However, by paying attention to these points, we can help our children learn from our experiences.)

An added benefit of this is that this openness and self-reflection can promote the development of parents' interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence.

Tips

Children with high interpersonal intelligence will like to grow up to:

●Build a team or promote relationships among peers

● Resolve conflicts or devise solutions that make everyone happy

●Speculate on other people’s thoughts and motives