Why a Child’s Social-Emotional Skills are So Important

The ability to delay gratification and regulate our emotions and behavior is a key component of a set of skills often referred to as social-emotional skills. In a world where academic skills are often viewed as the priority, social-emotional skill development may not always be on the forefront of most parents’ and teachers’ minds. However, research has shown that social-emotional skills are crucial for children to become successful both socially and academically.

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What are the key social and emotional skills?

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning has identified five core skills that are widely recognized as critical social-emotional skills:

• Self-awareness is the ability to recognize your emotions and understand the links between emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
• Self-management is the ability to regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
• Social awareness is the ability to take other’s perspectives and demonstrate empathy.
• Relationship skills are the ability to build and maintain healthy relationships.
• Responsible decision making is the ability to make good choices about your behavior and interactions with others.

Why are social-emotional skills important?

Early social-emotional skills are related to how socially, emotionally, academically and professionally skilled we are later in life. For example, having higher social-emotional skills in kindergarten is related to important outcomes at age 25 (Juhi, Green Crow, 2016). 

These outcomes include:

• Educational success, such as completing a college degree
• Career success, such as an increased likelihood of being employed
• Other key life outcomes, such as being less likely to have problems with the police

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Social-emotional skills help children to persist on challenging tasks, to effectively seek help when they need it and to be thoughtful in their actions.

Importantly, social-emotional skills can be taught. This was highlighted in a large review of research on social-emotional skills in 270,034 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The review found social-emotional learning programs in schools not only improved social-emotional skills but also increased positive attitudes toward school, positive social behavior and academic performance. These programs also decreased the likelihood of kids getting in trouble or experiencing emotional problems.

Nidhi Batra

Zain Educations