Ultimate Guide To Social Skills Activities

by | Feb 1, 2020 | Social Skills Learning

Activities and social skills resources to help teach valuable social skills to children.

Social skills activities are great for teaching social skills to children. As children develop social skills they can better get along with others.

Social skills are the means by which individuals can communicate with others, share information and ideas, make known their needs and desires, and enter into and maintain relationships with others.

Many children are good at understanding and demonstrating effective social competencies. They are usually popular, outgoing and know how to communicate easily with other people.

Then there are those kids who are shy, they don’t speak much and they’re more reserved. They might get nervous when communicating with others, especially in unfamiliar territory.

Additionally, children on the Autism spectrum are also struggling with deficits in social skills.

Social skills activities give children a chance to learn and practice social skills in a non-threatening manner. Because these games are enjoyable it is an easy buy-in for children.

 

Why We Need Social Skills

We can connect and communicate with others through social skills. Such skills include verbal and non-verbal communication such as gestures, facial expressions, language of the body, and personal appearance. People who have social skills can:

  • Showing concern for others
  • Participate in group activities
  • Be compassionate
  • Communicate effectively with others
  • Problem solve and negotiate

A person with strong social skills knows how to act in social situations, and when communicating with others, understands both verbal and non-verbal signals.

 

Social Skills Needed For Success

Researchers identified ten social skills that children need to develop in order to be successful in school, based on two decades of classroom research and surveys by more than 1,000 school teachers: Their research findings indicate that children benefit greatly when they know how to:

1. Listen to others
2. Follow the steps /Follow directions
3. Follow the rules
4. Ignore distractions
5. Ask for help
6. Take turns when talking to others
7. Get along with others
8. Stay calm with others
9. Be responsible for their behavior
10. Do nice things for others

 

Benefits of Learning Social Skills

Being socially competent has numerous benefits. According to Lynch & Simpson, “the acquisition of social skills provides a vital basis for subsequent academic achievement as well as skills relevant to work.

Families and schools that create an environment that strengthens social skills, allow a greater opportunity for children to have meaningful short and long term results. As children develop effective social skills they will:

  • Develop a positive attitude about themselves and others
  • Communicate better with others
  • Develop more self-control and are better able to manage their behaviors and emotions
  • Manage conflicts more effectively
  • Learn to be empathetic and see other people’s perspective

 

Signs of Social Skills Deficits In Children

If tackled early on, deficiencies in social skills can become a lifelong problem for children. It’s critical, therefore, that we recognize and fix deficits as soon as possible. If a child is having social skills problems they might:

  • Have trouble making and keeping friends
  • Inconsistently make eye contact, look down at the ground, or they may stare at others
  • Have difficulties taking turns during a conversation, talk over others, interrupt, or offer irrelevant
  • input in a conversation
  • Have inappropriate boundaries and don’t recognize people’s personal space
  • Not understand the consequences of their actions.
  • Struggle to use good manners
  • Ask inappropriate questions
  • Be rigid in their thinking and can’t see other people’s perspective
  • Have trouble understanding sarcasm and take things literally
  • Have difficulty reading body language and non-verbal cues
  • Be unable to respond to teasing, anger, failure and disappointment appropriately
  • Have difficulty asking for help
  • Lacks empathy
  • Come off as conceited, self-centered, and/or entitled
  • Have a difficult time handling conflict
  • Not be able to handle failure

 

How to Help Children Improve Social Skills

The development of social skills in children is all about training them to effectively communicate by verbal and non-verbal means. “Teaching social skills can include a number of techniques, including direct instruction, peer learning, disruptive behavior intervention, and children’s books,” according to Ladd & Simpson, 2005.