Social Intelligence In Children
According to Daniel Goleman, a world-famous psychologist and writer, emotional intelligence is “the ability to recognize one’s own feelings and those of others, to motivate oneself, and to properly manage relationships .
Thus, this type of intelligence can be divided into two others: intrapersonal intelligence and social or interpersonal intelligence. Along the following lines we will talk about the latter and how it developed in childhood.
To begin with, you should know that social intelligence refers to the ability to relate to other people effectively, understanding their intentions, motivations and desires. It is about showing empathy and putting certain social skills into practice in order to establish healthy social relationships.
Social intelligence in children
Children begin to develop social intelligence from the moment of their birth, with the family nucleus being the first agent of socialization. In the beginning, babies interact constantly with their main caregivers, usually parents, to meet their basic needs.
Little by little, this relationship becomes increasingly complex and the family environment becomes key for the education and optimal development of the children.
Thus, the family has the function of providing appropriate emotional guidelines, values, examples of behavior, etc. All this within a climate of positive coexistence in which communication, affection and mutual respect prevail.
In addition, the school must also take charge of working on emotional and social aspects with children, teaching them, in a practical way, skills to relate, collaborate and cooperate with their peers.
It should not be forgotten that both the school and the family are the first two social contexts in which the little ones interact. Therefore, they have a privileged position when it comes to promoting the development of children’s social intelligence.
Social skills that children should learn
During childhood, there are several competencies related to social intelligence that children must acquire. Some of the most prominent are the following:
- Have the ability to share emotions, feelings, thoughts, opinions, and beliefs with others.
- Develop communication skills.
- Learn to put active listening into practice.
- Know the rules and social norms.
- Have the ability to understand the emotions of others.
- Being able to adapt to the different social situations of everyday life.
- Develop self-regulation and self-control of behavior.
- Know how to identify conflicts and deal with them appropriately.
- Have the ability to anticipate the attitudes and behaviors of others.
The importance of developing social intelligence in childhood
According to primary school teacher Lidia Guevara Gómez, children who develop high emotional intelligence and, therefore, also a high degree of social intelligence, have
- More friends.
- Greater predisposition to learn.
- Less behavioral problems.
- Greater security and self-confidence.
- A positive self-esteem.
- Greater resilience capacity.
- More empathy.
- Better resources to solve conflicts.
- Less likely to resort to self-destructive behavior (drugs, alcohol, etc.).
- Greater ability to control impulses.
In short, as stated by the aforementioned Daniel Goleman:
Therefore, it can be said that social intelligence is as important for the full development of children as any other type of cognitive ability. So you have to give it the relevance it deserves, trying to take great care throughout the childhood of the children everything related to the emotional and affective aspects.
After all, human beings are social by nature and have an innate need to interact with other people. Therefore, it is logical to think that children must acquire certain social skills as soon as possible to be able to properly relate to the environment and enjoy it.
