Raising a Socially Successful Child

Drawing on decades of original research, in Raising a Socially Successful Child, Dr Stephen Nowicki reveals how parents and teachers can equip children with the critical non-verbal skills they need to succeed socially in childhood and throughout their adult lives.Children used to be able to easily pick up social and emotional skills organically, whether through interactions in the classroom, on the playground, or at home. But today, our kids have fewer and fewer opportunities to practice appropriate behaviours, from knowing how far to stand from another child, how long to hold eye contact, or what they are unwittingly conveying through their tone or posture. Parents, teachers, and even children sense that something is wrong, but few of us know what we can do to help children's social abilities. Fortunately, it's not too late for children to learn these essential skills. Here, Dr Nowicki reveals how parents and educators can identify problem areas - and what to do about them. Through exploring the six non-verbal channels essential to social success, readers will discover how to help kids learn: How to tell the differences between one nonverbal cue and another; How to understand what is being conveyed by the non-verbal cues sent by others, and what they are conveying non-verbally themselves; How to apply what they have learned to any and all relevant social situations.Raising a Socially Successful Child is full of simple exercises - over a dozen for each of the six nonverbal channels - that parents and teachers can use to help any child get better at using nonverbal communication: what Nowicki calls the "language of relationships". They include: · Rhythm: Being in sync with others' movements and the pace of conversation· Facial expressions: How the eyes, mouth, and eyebrows are used to convey emotion.· Personal space: The area surrounding others that a child should not enter (unless invited)· Physical touch: Any physical contact that takes place intentionally or unintentionally· Vocalics: The pitch, volume, and speed of speech· Body Language: The signals we send with our movements, hand gestures, and posture.Full of Dr Nowicki's research and simple exercises, this is the perfect toolkit for parents and teachers to help bring the best out of children and equip them with essential tools for life.