Teamwork Is A Foreign Concept To Most Children
In fact, “Children are innately selfish,” explains Ian Brember, founder of Big Hat Bushcamp. Teamwork skills are not in their vocabulary. He goes on to say, “They’re born with the drive to have their basic needs for food and comfort met, and it’s only through the lessons they learn in childhood that they begin to move away from that viewpoint.” Chartered clinical psychologist and parenting adviser Claire Halsey agrees. She says, “They’re the center of their own world, and their needs come first: it’s very hard for them to put those aside to allow someone else’s needs to be met.”
Yet the “collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal” (Source: Wikipedia Teamwork), is important to the success of children of all ages and a building block of many things in life. Therefore, it’s important to help our young selfish children learn to hone their teamwork abilities to engage in others, accomplish more, and develop a sense of belonging to a community. Developing teamwork skills for children is a critical parenting skill that parents must not put on the back burner.
The Power Of Teamwork
Developing teamwork skills helps children communicate, interact better, and improve self-esteem and confidence. The ability to communicate well can dramatically increase the success rate of any individual much less children, and a key aspect of good teamwork is the ability to communicate with all members of a group or party. The better the “team” is at communicating, the greater their chance for success will be, which leads to added learning, positive emotions, and stronger relationships. Having strong self-esteem and undeniable confidence will enable a child to explore more, learn more, and develop more. Teamwork is a cornerstone of building all of these skills and strengths. Below are a handful of tips on how you can help your child develop their teamwork capabilities.
Social Exposure
First, make sure you expose your child to social situations where they can explore things with other children. Playdates, birthday parties, playgrounds, and play areas in malls are perfect places and activities for a child’s social exposure. The key here is to closely observe how your child interacts with the other children. Make sure your child is sharing and cooperating, instead of taking, pushing, arguing, or fighting. Active, rather than passive, parenting is critical for your child’s development of their teamwork skills.
Second, enroll your child in organized activities. Significant team-building opportunities can be found in activities like sports, music, dancing, and art. Your local community park district or school district should offer a variety of options for you to enroll your child in that provide structure and organization led by qualified individuals.
Having the right person of authority manage the activity is key to your child’s success as well as the teams’. This person – a coach, mentor, or instructor – should understand the difference between making or breaking a child’s confidence and ability to work with and bond with other teammates. Having a poor instructor who only focuses on winning and negative reinforcement will only hinder your child’s growth.
Competition against other teams, their teammates, and their own personal best will allow your child’s further development and growth. Having the right team lead is key to ensuring the activity your child is enrolled in caters to their interest. You shouldn’t force your child to participate in something they have absolutely no interest in. Otherwise, the results will be less than stellar and more likely harmful to their self-confidence.
Screen Time
In today’s world, kids of all ages are engaged in some kind of electronic screen time. Whether it is in the form of a computer, laptop, cell phone, tablet, or even television (old technology right?), controlling what children watch and spend time with can dramatically influence their ability to develop teamwork skills. Like most things technology is positive when provided in the proper amounts, but it becomes a negative when overdone. Don’t be a parent who just sticks their child in front of the T.V. or digital device for entertainment, when you could be out watching them participate in a team activity.
Shows
At every age level, there are appropriate shows that will allow your child to experience and learn about teamwork skills. For example, Wonder Pets, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Powerpuff Girls, and Paw Patrol are great shows for pre-schoolers to learn about the power of teamwork. Slightly older kids can watch Umizoomi or PJ Masks, while older kids can watch shows like the Avengers, Voltron, and Power Rangers. Of course, there are many more shows that kids can watch, but it’s up to you, as the parent, to monitor what your child is watching day in and day out. Children can watch a fun, educational show that helps them to grow and learn, or they can be on handheld tablets watching other people play Mindcraft or Fortnight.
Online Gaming and Videos
Regarding online gaming, beware! Kids online can be mean and there’s very little that can be done when negative things happen, other than to make sure your child knows the difference between playing with someone online versus being bullied online. Additionally, it’s not uncommon for adults to visit these online playgrounds and prey on vulnerable children. Again, it’s up to you as the parent to monitor your kid’s activities online for them to have the most effective use of their online screen time.
Books, Books, and More Books
And finally, there are several incredible books about teamwork that can get your kids off their digital screens and foster their imagination and develop teamwork skills at the same time. A great book about teamwork and planning is the classic Aesop fable The Ant and the Grasshopper. Here, the ants have to work together for the survival of all. A lesson well taught throughout the ages for all kids.
Taking the time to read to and with your children will produce exponential results, as they grow older. The time you spend with them reading is invaluable on multiple levels – especially when you read books that teach them important life lessons like teamwork.
Homelife
Lastly, enough can’t be said about having a home life that supports and fosters cooperation, teamwork, and working together. Children learn by example. When they see you doing something, they are going to copy you. If you do not show any desire for teamwork, neither will they. If you stay a recluse, so will they. On the other hand, you can be a shining example of what to do and how to do it. Your children will naturally learn to mimic you and your behaviors.
You are your child’s best teacher. If they have siblings, make sure everyone works together on family activities. Play board games as a family. Eat dinner together. Take walks together. The more you can do as a family unit, the more your children will learn the skills of teamwork.
The common acronym TEAM stands for “Together Everyone Achieves More.” In the proper setting, your child will learn and develop their problem-solving skills and be able to build defining character traits. And it all starts with you making a conscious effort to help foster those skills and put your child in the proper environment. When you take this on and provide your child with the right opportunities, they will naturally grow, develop, and learn skills that will aid them throughout their life.
Speaking of books that teach children about teamwork skills, check out my latest adventure Teamwork Makes The Dream Work where I learn that building the greatest snowman the neighborhood has ever seen is way harder than one would think. And that only through teamwork will my dream come alive.
