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Kids' Health

Published: March, 2008 Being nice is a good thing Social skills are important to a child’s success in school

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Researchers have found that 10 basic social skills – such as taking turns, listening and simply being nice – are just as important to children’s academic success as the subjects they study.      “If we increase social skills, we see commensurate increases in academic learning. That doesn’t mean that social skills make you smarter. It means that these skills make you more amenable to learning,” says Stephen Elliott, an education and psychology researcher at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. “We found that elementary kids and teachers value cooperation and self-control. When we teach and increase those behaviors, we reduce problem behaviors and maximize learning time.”      Vanderbilt researchers have identified the following top 10 skills that students need to succeed, based on surveys of more than 8,000 teachers and more than 20 years of research in classrooms across the country: [1.] Listen to others [2.] Follow the steps [3.] Follow the rules [4.] Ignore distractions [5.] Ask for help [6.] Take turns when you talk [7.] Get along with others [8.] Stay calm with others [9.] Be responsible for your behavior [10.] Do nice things for others Sounds like good skills to learn for the classroom and for life.

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