We often hear about soft skills in relation to issues of self-development, career, life and professional success. These are components of a person's adult life, so the question may naturally arise: what kind of soft skills can children need ?!

With some stretch, we can say that certain soft skills - creativity, creative thinking, the ability to bring what has been started to the end - develop classes in creative studios: art, vocal, dance. But even here there are reporting concerts, regional competitions, exhibitions of drawings with awarding prizes, so hard skills are needed to participate in all of the above , i.e. specific and quite professional skills.

Then what are soft skills for children? Yes, the same as for adults! So we are looking for analogies and develop the younger generation as much as possible.

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And now in more detail about each of the soft skills and how to develop this or that skill in a child.

Communication skills

Communication is an important element of socialization. More precisely, without communication skills, the child simply cannot adapt to society. He should learn to communicate not only with his parents and grandmother, but also with other adults: a teacher, a coach, parents of friends, a salesman in a store, as well as his peers, older and younger children.

This is usually not difficult if the child attended a kindergarten and at least one sports section before school. In any other case, parents will have to put in extra effort to teach communication skills .

If you yourself are not so sociable as to travel with friends to nature, or your friends, by the will of fate, have left for another city or country, then you should think about an additional collective activity for your child - team sports, classes in a dance ensemble, handicraft mugs.

Emotional intellect

Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive the feelings of others and to control your own emotions. If children understand quickly enough with the ability to perceive the emotions of other people - small manipulators instantly feel someone else's weakness, but it is difficult for children to take control of their emotions.

First, in childhood, the physiological ability to control one's feelings - fear, anger, joy - is not yet fully formed. Secondly, children are not yet aware of the need to control their emotions. The classics of the genre are traditional tantrums in shopping centers with shouts of "want" and "buy". How to deal with child tantrums is a separate topic.

But explaining to a child the rules of behavior in a public place, teaching them to adequately express their emotions is a systematic work, and adults should do it. Of course, adults in this case should themselves be a model of behavior, politeness, culture of communication. And also carriers of information about how exactly the child should act if he needs something.

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Correct speech

Correct speech is a guarantee that the child in the future will be able to correctly convey his thoughts to others, will be heard and correctly understood.

The ability to logically and consistently formulate your thoughts is, first of all, the ability to think logically . Thinking and speech abilities are directly related to the development of fine motor skills of the fingers. It should be developed from an early age: Lego constructor, modeling from plasticine, drawing, at an older age - embroidery and, possibly, knitting.

Students should be encouraged to read in every possible way, including by example. If a child has never seen how dad or mom read, it is difficult to expect that he will grow up to be a book reader and generally a versatile personality.

Time management

Yes, children also need to learn how to manage time. Firstly, it will help them to keep up everywhere: do homework, play sports, chat with friends, read books. Secondly, parents will be spared the “I'm bored” nagging, because the child will always have something to do. But for this, time management skills need to be instilled from a very early age.

What is the best way to do it? To begin with, a child should always have time in a day, which he can dispose of at his own discretion. This does not in any way contradict the need to observe the daily regimen and adhere to the set time for getting up, breakfast, lunch, walk, daytime sleep, dinner. You just need to add, as they say in the army, "personal time" to the regime, and observe how the child will dispose of it.

Creativity and creative thinking

Whether a child wants to become a web designer in the future, or wants to be a home appliance repairman, whether he be a lawyer or an auto mechanic, creativity and creativity will always come in handy for him.

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Yes, creativity is needed not only when designing websites and applications, but also when looking for interchangeable parts for equipment in the absence of the necessary spare parts in stock. By the way, some parts from cars are quite suitable for washing machines and water heaters. But, in order to start looking for details for the "washing machine" at the car market, you need to be free from limiting thinking and stereotyped patterns of behavior .

These are some of the basic soft skills that children need to develop, and the sooner the better. And remember that children are, first of all, children, so do not ask too much of them. Remember also that no one has canceled the power of personal example, so constantly develop yourself and learn something new.

Good luck and health to you and your children!

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