Take an Acting Class to Boost Social Skills

We all know social skills are important for our kids to learn. Often we think a child will automatically receive stellar social skills from simply being in schools. It seems logical, they are around others all day, so they must be learning how to interact well with others. It is a theory of osmosis. Unfortunately, schools actually do very little purposeful instruction on how to interact with others. In reality, children spend most of the day not being allowed to talk or interact with each other. Yes, some teachers cover this skill with their stellar classroom management, but it is not a given.

So, your schooled child may or may not be learning all the social skills they need. What about those who homeschool? How will those children learn how to socialize? It is usually the first question we are asked and perhaps the most misunderstood thing about homeschooling. Many homeschoolers have more time in the day and in the week to spend interacting with others.

At the same time, whether or not your child attends public, private, or homeschool, we should be doing something to make sure they develop the social skills they need. On purpose. With clear intent. Just as with every other skill there are things you can do to practice social skills with your child. One of those things is enrolling them in an acting class.

An acting class may seem like a specialized class meant only for those who want to pursue an acting career, but basic acting classes go a long way in practicing social skills. Your child has the opportunity to try on various situations, voices, and even personalities as they interact with other students. They purposely practice human interaction. Acting class is an intensive for social skills, diving deeper into the subject of human interaction. This intensive study carries over into their everyday social life, just as studying math intensively carries over into being able to balance a budget.

I am a homeschooler and my children have always been exposed to and had a lot of time to interact with other people. But I saw a clear expansion and growth of their social skills after putting them in acting class for a year. This was true of both the extroverts who were more inclined towards socializing and the introverts, who definitely needed a boost in skills. Acting class has given my children a new level of ability, and therefore confidence in engaging with the people around them.