As parents and adults who work with youth, we can positively impact kids’ lives through helping them build good social skills, which are, I believe, more important than academic or athletic skills. At school, very little—if any—time is spent teaching these important skills, but for youth who struggle with social skills deficits, this attention is vital.

Deficits in social skills are linked to a myriad of problems for youth and adults, while healthy social skills are associated with many positive life outcomes. Therefore, it behooves us to teach social skills to youth.