A lot of people enjoy the idea of a career that involved working with children.

Not only will you be able to help educate the future generation but working with children is both rewarding and enjoyable.

You’ll watch as the children grow up before your eyes and help to guide them towards a love for learning.

However, to be a successful childcare worker or someone who works with children requires certain skills and personality traits.

Below, we are going to discuss the top skills needed to work with children.

This list will help you to determine whether or not you believe you are cut out for a career working with children!

Already working with children or in childcare?

Check out our article on answering common childcare interview questions!

In particular, we walk you through how to answer questions such as, why did you choose to work in childcare?

Patience

Perhaps, above all else, working with children requires patience

Children are, inherently, curious and will ask a million different questions about nearly every topic and issue. 

They are intrigued by the world around them and won’t hesitate to ask questions about the things they see and hear.

As a childcare worker, one of the top skills needed to work with children is an enormous amount of patience. 

You will need to not only be able to answer their questions patiently but also provide follow-ups to their original question. 

In addition, you will need to do so enthusiastically and willingly, not showing any signs of annoyance.

Working with children requires an innate level of patience and the ability to handle chaos calmly and appropriately.

Children will make mistakes, they will make messes, and they will touch things they shouldn’t.

As a childcare worker, you will need to be able to handle these situations delicately and calmly.

Top Skills Needed to Work with Children

Enthusiasm

In addition to patience, working with children requires maintaining certain levels of enthusiasm and excitement throughout the day.

Children, inherently, have a lot of energy.

They like to run, play, and tussle with one another and rarely if ever, get tired.

As a childcare worker, one of the tops skills needed is to be able to maintain a level of enthusiasm and excitement with the children.

That means that you need to be able to bring your A-game, every day.

Children will notice if your mood is off or if you are not excited and that can dampen their own mood.

If you are a naturally excited and enthusiastic person, then working in childcare may be one of the best careers for you.

You will be able to work with and enjoy the simpler things in life with the children.

Your enthusiasm will match theirs, making the day that much easier.

A Calm Personality

Let’s face it, children are messy, dirty, and often make trouble. 

While that is all normal, it requires a certain personality to deal with on a day-in and day-out basis. 

That means that one of the top skills needed to work with children is a calm and patient personality.

As a childcare worker, you will need to have a calm personality and be able to handle whatever road bumps occur during the day. 

Whether it’s dealing with a big mess, a crying child, or one who refuses to take a nap, you will need to remain calm and patient throughout.

A Love for Children

While this may seem obvious, it is actually one of the most important skills to have. 

Working with children is different than working with adults. 

Whereas adults can be left to their own and are responsible for themselves, children are not and require constant supervision.

If you are looking to start your career in childcare, it is important that you have a love for children. 

You will be required to deal with the good and the bad and having a predisposition for children will definitely make working with them easier and simpler.

Top Skills Needed to Work with Children

Communication Skills

As mentioned above, children are inherently curious.

They ask questions, they are intrigued by the world around them, and they want to know the answers to common issues and occurrences.

As a childcare worker, it is important that you have a high level of communication skills to be able to answer the questions they pose.

Not only will you need to answer their questions, but you will need to do so in a polite, calm, and careful manner.

Sometimes, children may ask questions that can be rude, politically incorrect, or slightly morbid.

As a childcare educator, it is your job to answer these questions in a careful and correct manner.

Conclusion

When it comes to the top skills needed to work with children, it is important to understand why these skills are so important.

The reason these skills are so important is that children are genuinely curious and trusting.

They look to their parents, family, and educators for answers and assurances.

As a childcare worker, you will need to be deft in your answers, patient in your manners, and calm in your actions.

You will need to be open to children asking questions and looking to you for support and guidance.

Working with children is one of the most rewarding careers and one that not everyone is particularly good at.

But, if you have the skills mentioned above, then you can make a great career out of it!


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