Parents can help make sure their children get off to a great start, long before the first day of school. The way parents talk to their infants and the games they play together teach their babies skills they will need as students. Talking to babies during tasks such as diaper changing begin to establish patterns that children will use when they talk to others. When babies answer their parents or caregivers with what sounds like nonsense words or mere noises, they are laying the groundwork for speech and for learning words. Playing games with babies teaches them to share and take turns, skills that foster healthy social and emotional development.
Children who learn to listen and to take turns are ready for school. Students who don't pay attention to their teachers or don't take part in class activities may not have the necessary social and emotional development to participate fully in school. These students will not thrive in a classroom setting because they do not know how to behave as part of a group. Students who act out or who draw attention away from lessons may do so because they have not developed the skills to interact with others.
Students who do not answer questions aloud in class or take part in discussions may lose the chance to develop critical thinking skills. Activities such as working through math problems or developing theories about the outcome of an experiment help students learn key terms and ideas. This learning helps students when they work on homework or take tests, and might also be necessary to understand more advanced concepts in the future.
If students come to school without adequate social and emotional development, all is not necessarily lost. Some educators have begun to incorporate lessons that encourage students to express themselves rather than merely give a correct answer. Through team-building exercises and small group instruction, students without the skills necessary to be productive can begin to develop habits that will help them take their rightful place at school and eventually, in life.