As human beings, we are deeply social. The need to connect, belong, and cooperate is built into who we are. When children and teenagers feel safe and accepted, their curiosity opens, their motivation strengthens, and their capacity to learn expands.

Behavior management isn’t about control or punishment. It’s about helping young people learn how to manage themselves — to make responsible choices, cooperate, and respect others.

Preschool and school is a social laboratory where young people practice the art of living together. Helping them build empathy, communication, cooperation, and altruism—through modeled behavior, collaborative tasks, conflict repair, and daily rituals that make kindness visible—means helping them develop skills that remain long after grades fade away.

No single factor shapes wellbeing more than relationships. Trusting, caring bonds multiply joy, gratitude, and meaning—and buffer stress and loss. In classrooms and preschools, relationship skills are not “extras”; they are core learning.