Social Skills and Relationships

Kristijan Musek Lešnik
Nov 19, 2025
2 min read

Healthy relationships shape how children see themselves and others. When they feel safe, connected, and accepted, their confidence and curiosity grow — laying the foundation for lifelong learning, empathy, and well-being.

“Children thrive when they feel seen and valued.”

Why Connection Matters

No child or teenager grows alone. Every moment of learning happens within a web of relationships — with parents, peers, and teachers who reflect a simple message: You belong here. You matter.

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.

In today’s world, where much of children’s communication happens through screens, real connection matters more than ever. Relationships teach empathy, trust, and belonging in ways technology cannot replace.

Why Social Development Deserves Our Attention

Social skills and relationships are not “soft skills” — they’re life skills. They form the foundation of emotional well-being, resilience, and success in school and beyond.

Research shows that relationships are among the strongest predictors of lifelong well-being. The social and emotional skills children and teenagers build in their formative years profoundly shape their happiness, health, and relationships as adults.

For teachers and educators, nurturing social skills means creating classrooms where children feel seen, respected, and supported — places where they can try, fail, and try again.

Growing Together: Social Development by Age

Each developmental stage brings its own needs, challenges, and opportunities. Let’s look at how teachers can meaningfully support social development throughout childhood and adolescence.

Infancy (0–3 years): Trust is the foundation. Every calm, caring response teaches a child the world is safe.

Teacher’s role: Offering warmth, predictability, and gentle presence.

Preschool (4–6 years): Children learn to cooperate, share, and care.

Teacher’s role: Guiding play, helping name emotions, modeling kindness.

Early School (7–10 years): Belonging and fairness become important.

Teacher’s role: Encouraging teamwork, celebrating strengths, and fostering inclusion.

Tweens (11–13 years): Friendships deepen, and identity takes shape.

Teacher’s role: Providing space for reflection and open dialogue.

Teens (14–18 years): Relationships become central to self-understanding.

Teacher’s role: Offering respect, authenticity, and guidance toward responsible choices.

Impact for Students, Teachers, and Families

When we bring social and emotional learning into education, children and youth gain empathy, confidence, and communication skills that last a lifetime.

Nurturing social skills and relationships in schools builds communities of belonging — places where young people feel safe to be themselves and inspired to grow.