Mental Moment-Kids Need to Develop Teamwork Skills
Teamwork is an important concept to master. Teamwork means collaborating with others toward a common cause. As a performer you learn a lot through teamwork. If kids don’t learn how to be a part of a team, chances are they will struggle as an adult. The concepts learned from being part of a team are the foundation to being an effective, efficient adult.
Teamwork helps young performers learn how to get along with others, to communicate, cooperate, work together, share, trust, lead, etc. There are so many skills inherent in teamwork that are important to kids performance but also their life. these skills are the foundation for how they move through life and their ability to function as an adult. I’d go so far as to say that people who weren’t a part of ‘team’ growing up probably don’t learn these skills as well as though who did. I can see it in my young clients. The ones who really struggle, for example, to work on school projects with other kids that haven’t been part of a ‘team’ don’t function as well. They don’t know how to communicate as well. They are afraid to give input. They don’t know how to work well with others. Some of them shutdown in group situations because they don’t know how to deal with the group characteristics. If they don’t learn how to deal with them as kids, what do you imagine will be the results for them as an adult in the working world?
Besides missing some of the above macro characteristics, I’ve also seen my younger, non-team clients struggle more with confidence, anxiety, focus, motivation, etc. Kids don’t directly learn how to deal with mental states or emotions by being part of a team but they do indirectly (for good or for bad) learn how to develop and deal with these things. This doesn’t mean that kids (adults) who were part of a team don’t struggle with any/all of these things because they do but not to the degree or sometimes intensity of those who haven’t been part of a team.
Do kids need to be a performer to be a part of team? A child does not necessarily need to be a part of a sports team, dance troupe or band to learn teamwork skills. Social organizations such as Girl/Boy Scouts and 4-H are also good teamwork organizations. All of these provide an opportunity for growth in character however the former also allows kids to learn how to deal with pressure and competition which are also important characteristics to have dealt with and conquered before adulthood.
All of these characteristics are important for adults to have in social settings, family environments, love and business. Whether you didn’t get any of them or you got some of them: you can develop them and I can help.
Happy start to the week!
Dr. Michelle
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