This month, five lucky readers will win I Can Learn Social Skills! Poems About Getting Along, Being a Good Friend, and Growing Up. This colorful collection of playful poetry teaches basic social skills in a lighthearted way.
To Enter: Leave a comment below describing your favorite strategy for teaching social skills to kids.
For additional entries, leave a separate comment below for each of the following tasks you complete:
Each comment counts as a separate entry—that’s four chances to win! Entries must be received by midnight, November 30, 2018.
The winners will be contacted via email on or around December 3, 2018, and will need to respond within 72 hours to claim his or her prize or another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Winners must be US residents, 18 years of age or older.
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My favorite way to teach social skills is to share with children that “Everyone is different.” With that foundation, I lead the class (or at home with my daughters)and share about the diverse world we live in. I instill in them a mindset of having respect for all. I explain and role model that foundation by how I interact with others (children, adults and through everyone I encounter). I teach them about what a gift it is to be different, that it’s okay to be different and to be proud of who they are. I model through all that I do how even though people may have different opinions and ideas and beliefs, how everyone should still be treated with respect, empathy and understanding.
My favorite strategy for teaching social skills to kids is to read a book that showcases the skill. I prefer it when the protagonist is a make-pretend character. Then I encourage students to discuss the skill and how they would handle the situation.
I have several strategies I like to use: First-Then statements and using books to talk about issues we see in the classroom.
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I like the utilize the Collaborative Problem Solving Strategy by Dr. Ross Greene. Works for all ages and can be used to teach nearly any skill!
I try to practice this every day with my own 3 and 5 year olds by talking, modeling and practicing. I am a Mental Health Clinician and this is a big part of my work with little ones as we learn how to read facial expressions and social cues to determine how one’s actions affect others’ feelings. I use a lot of books, figurines and play to demonstrate appropriate responses.
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My favorite strategy to teach social skills to kids is to use social stories in small groups, and to have students use role plays to practice new skills.
When possible, I have other students model the best ways to behave and
The inappropriate behaviors. The children enjoy seeing their classmates act.
I also use videos. Each class in our school makes one on a theme like respect and
Responsibility. To reinforce the desired behaviors, I give the students dittos to draw
or match the pictures, i.e. 1st and 2nd grade.
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I love the conflict resolution method, stating the problem , listening to each sides view and then asking them to come up with the solution all scaffolded by the teacher. Also social stories for many things.
Using puppets that “need” help in solving a social problem
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The power of puppets is always amazing. Having them get into sticky situations with the same materials the children use just makes the role play more personal and easy to connect with when problem solving and kind choices mirror real life.
Talking about emotions and modeling
When I see a student make a social stumble, I quietly remind them of the proper way and why it is the appropriate way to act.
Discussing current issues in the classroom in general terms and using modeling and role play to practice with students for making better choices and reflecting on past choices
Role playing and modeling
I ask parents to provide me with weekly updates and situations their child struggled with in the past week. I then readdress the situation in session and role play with the child alternative possible solutions to managing the social interaction in a positive manner.
Books, personalized social stories, drawing/sketching situations; identifying specific lagging skills and explicitly teaching to that skill
I like to teach the children I work with good old fashioned manners. Teaching them that a single hello to another child or Teacher in the hallways could make their whole day take a change for the better. Nothing like good old fashioned manners, holding a door open for someone is a big thing for me. The next generations needs to get back the manners that I had when I was a little girl. It starts with one one child, one change, and than it could be a chain reaction of good old fashion manners brought back to life.
Modeling!
I teach kids how to work in groups and with partners. I teach kids new words to use to communicate with peers more effectively. I role model and empower the kids to be problem solvers.
Games, role plays, and books!
I read books such as Friendshapes and other books to start a discussion and activity to exercise and strengthen social skills.
I like teaching social skills in small group activities in a fun and interesting way.
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Role playing, modeling, and books! Too hard to pick just one!
My best of teaching social skills is modeling and noticing Verbally when kids are using social skills
I like to teach social skills during choice time
I always have an older child with a smaller child so they can teach them how to socialize
Video modeling
Role play
I use role play as a way to teach social emotional skills to students. Why try out different responses to different scenarios to determine what would be the best course of action. Using authentic texts would be another great way to reinforce social emotional skills in my classroom!
I have two favorite strategies for teaching social skills. They are: social stories and pivotal response teaching. When teaching children with autism these strategies are effective and the students can incorporate them in their learning.
I work in a childcare center so we have a great deal of training in challenging behavior and social emotional skill development. What seems to work best is good modeling and guidance When children become upset. Get close to them and at their level, calmly ask about the problem, validate their feelings and talk about how the other person in the conflict is feeling to encourage empathy. Reflect on the problem and suggest different ways to solve the situation. Then, when you witness a child using a newly acquired skill, notice it and say, “good for you, you did it.” (Ex: “I see that you shared your blocks, that was a nice thing to do. What a good friend you are.”). With patience and consistency, this can help encourage better social interactions and a develop a sense of belonging to a classroom community… caring about the needs of others.
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I love teaching social skills through books, because they are also learning reading skills at the same time.
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I like to use technology and videos to teach social skills, along with role play.
I use books a lot and love to hear the kids’ ideas. It’s a non-threatening way of talking about difficult topics. I might ask, “If you could be the hero in this story, how would you have handled the problem?”
I like to role play social scenarios with students.
My favorite way to teach social skills is by creating a parody. It seems like a song can get stuck in a kids head and it helps them remember. Also little finger rhymes.
Have the children brainstorm ways to deal with certain scenarios is a favorite, but going into to classroom to coach them through real world problems is probably the most effective (and often least appreciated).
Creating videos in which the student teaches the skill they are working on.
I love to have my student practice the particular skill and then present it as a skit to the class.
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modeling, redo’s and talking it out in the moment
I like to practice role plays of each skill in small groups and read together in groups and discuss how we would take suggestions or examples to use with our friends in the classroom.
My favorite way of teaching social skills is by reading literature the students love. We have rich discussions, label emotions of the characters. act them out, draw pictures and reenact with props or puppets we make.
Peer Buddies help in all aspects of Social and Emotional skills.
I love to do role playing with the younger students and ask teachers to provide “real” examples they are seeing with students. I also use the Social Thinking curriculum in classrooms and small groups. Our school also has a “word of the month” related to social skills such as; cooperation, respect, kindness. I provide teachers with activities related to the “word of the month” to reinforce in class.
Once a week our Life Skills class comes to the Media Center for book exchange. I love seeing things through their eyes. Today I read while laying on my back looking at the clouds through the sky light. The students loved it.
Role modeling
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I love playing card games-there is taking turns, being patient, learning how to lose, learning how to win, and using appropriate comments.
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I like to have a special lunch for the kids who are having trouble with social skills and work with them interacting with one another and learning table manners at the same time
My favorite strategy for helping young children learn social skills is during counseling classroom lessons and small counseling groups; whereas the Kelso Choices program is implemented, Popcorn Park character education program is learned, and Auto-B-Good character education program sparks children’s awareness of social skills.
We work on using your whole body to “listen” (eyes looking, body facing speaker, hands/mouth quiet, etc.).
I take a sheet of red Bulletin Board paper and wrap it around each student (from under their arms to the bottom of their bottoms). This is our RED ZONE. No one (except the nurse) can touch your red zone at school. Of coarse, when I have to help students in the restroom – I teach it differently.
Social stories and modeling
I love using picture books to talk about how the characters are feeling. How do we know? If this happens, will they still feel the same? How would you feel if _____happened to you?
My favorite strategy is to run Lunch Bunch groups where the kids can practice talking and playing with each other.
I often “pretend” I am having a tough time (mad, sad, frustrated) and demonstrate ways to deal with it appropriately (deep breaths, apologizing, using sensory toys, etc.)
I teach Mindful Attitudes and Mindful Actions to my students in my Learning Centre and then reinforce it on the playground and throughout the school environment. I also read social stories from the Learning to Get Along and Being the Best me series. Works great!
I always get good vibes and responses from the “Pat on the Back” activity. Each kiddo has a piece of paper to write their name on top in large letters. Then they can tape their paper to their back and everyone walks around and writes nice things about each other on each others backs. At the end, everyone has a whole page full of compliments from their classmates, and I always see bright smiles on their faces!
Interactive modeling is a wonderful way for students to practice new social skills! It provides for guided practice with immediate feedback. We teach new academic skills this way….and it’s also very appropriate for social and behavior learning.
I love to role play – I let them decide if it is a good behavior or a bad one and if it is bad, how could it be changed to a good one. Depending on the age, they take turns doing good or bad behavior that they have drawn out of a bowl.
We work on joint attention and co-regulation to start with.
We did away with timers for taking turns. Instead of saying “You have to share,” we say “You have to ask.” The child has the right to play uninterrupted. By empowering the child that has the toy and taking away the threat of losing the toy, the child often voluntarily shares and takes turnes rather than being forced.
My co-teachers and I are always on the lookout for ‘teachable moments’ — when we see a scene that isn’t going well, we ‘re-enact’ it in an over the top manner to get the children’s attention. We play up that there is a problem and ask ‘what can we do to solve this?’ or ‘what should I/we do?’ The more over the top we are, the more the lessons seem to ‘stick’.
I like to act out challenging social situations with puppets. The children respond well when the focus is on these fun characters.
I like to use Conscious Discipline to teach empathy and social skills.
I would use the book in my work providing training to teachers and administrators in various areas such as social/emotional/behavioral skill. Particpants in training always want to have practical information and excellent resoruces to use with their students! And expected social skills areso very needed in society !
Students love to discuss and then act out social skills-both the expected and unexpected side of each skill. They REALLY love to act out the unexpected behaviors of each skill and are very adamant that students should not do it that way:)
I like reading social skill type books and having students act out appropriate ways to respond to conflict.
Modeling appropriate social interactions is a great strategy. Using books & stories and discussing the social interactions of the characters is another way to teach young children.
I love the Second Step Curriculum! Also, simply pointing out emotions and describing facial expressions has been very effective with my own children!
I run different groups on social skills for different ages. Some of the time, we play games and discuss taking turns, sharing, sportsmanship, etc. through those games.
I love playing social skills games! Students get really into it by asking questions of each other and discussing real-life situations.
I would love this in social skills groups! One favorite strategy to teach social skills is sharing scenarios via role play for group members to problem solve together.
I like using games to help students learn to interact with each other!
I would use the copy I won to read to parents in my parenting classes and purchase additional copies to give the parents in my classes to use with their children at home. it would be a great addition to the other books I give to improve their home library.
I would use this for my counseling/social skills groups!
I like to meet with children in a lunch group and use questioning techniques to get other students to share how they react in social situations. Then I share how I would react as part of the discussion.
Social Skills have always been the “backbone” of kindergarten readiness. Ichild can know all the letters of the alphabet and count to 64 standing one foot, but if he doesnt have social skills, he will not be able to funtion at his full potential. I love using the solution cards for social problem solving from TACSEI strategies.
I love to have parents come to our play and learn socialization so they can start getting used to not only being around other children but to also play beside them.