Post by healthy11 on Jul 19, 2015 22:20:55 GMT -5
www.yahoo.com/parenting/the-skills-that-make-kids-more-likely-to-grow-up-124343021577.html
Encouraging young children to share, cooperate, and show kindness may play a more important role in adult success than anything else....A 20-year study found that kindergartners who displayed these social competence traits were more likely to have graduated college, stayed out of trouble with the law, found full-time jobs, and avoided drug and alcohol problems by the time they reached age 25....
....“Parents today are so focused on academic and athletic achievement, but equally important is the ability to get along with others and show empathy and compassion.”
It’s never too late for parents to encourage their kids to build these crucial skills, says Walfish. “The most important thing moms and dads can do is model this behavior themselves: Be kind, cooperate, show compassion. Kids learn by the experience of watching their parents,” she says.
And if you overhear your child demonstrating kindness to a friend or volunteering to share her toy, show her the right kind of praise. “Instead of saying, ‘Good job,’ tell her, ‘You must feel really good about yourself for sharing,’” suggests Walfish. “This sends the message that sharing is important not because it pleases you but because the behavior itself is so rewarding.”
Encouraging young children to share, cooperate, and show kindness may play a more important role in adult success than anything else....A 20-year study found that kindergartners who displayed these social competence traits were more likely to have graduated college, stayed out of trouble with the law, found full-time jobs, and avoided drug and alcohol problems by the time they reached age 25....
....“Parents today are so focused on academic and athletic achievement, but equally important is the ability to get along with others and show empathy and compassion.”
It’s never too late for parents to encourage their kids to build these crucial skills, says Walfish. “The most important thing moms and dads can do is model this behavior themselves: Be kind, cooperate, show compassion. Kids learn by the experience of watching their parents,” she says.
And if you overhear your child demonstrating kindness to a friend or volunteering to share her toy, show her the right kind of praise. “Instead of saying, ‘Good job,’ tell her, ‘You must feel really good about yourself for sharing,’” suggests Walfish. “This sends the message that sharing is important not because it pleases you but because the behavior itself is so rewarding.”
