Even when they are at home, your children will be socially active all day long with these simple games that emphasise listening, conversing, and storytelling.
By being physically present with other kids, kids automatically pick up social skills. But what happens when children are unable to be with their friends because of illness or a school closing? How can they develop social skills at home to help them transition from elementary school to college?
How Do Social Skills Work?
Social skills are acquired aptitudes for appropriately interacting in various social circumstances. Making friends, resolving disagreements with others, communicating, and controlling one's emotions and behaviour are a few of these.
Around kindergarten age, social skills provide the foundation for how children learn to make sense of their surroundings. Here are a handful of the significant concepts kids learn in school:
- How to handle dissatisfaction
- expressing feeling
- How to react to those who aren't immediately family
- Turning over
- Maintaining gaze
- Without interjecting, listen
- Fair-playing and sharing
- Embracing success or failure (how to be a "good sport")
- Using polite greetings and etiquette
Character Play
Bring out many Peppa Pig or Barbie dolls or other character toys, and have the children pretend that they are having a conversation. Perhaps you have a play kitchen where your players can act out baking a cake and throwing a fake birthday celebration.
Say something like, "What do you say to a friend when it's their birthday?" After hearing your child's response, reply, "That's correct, we say happy birthday! I hope you have a fantastic day today!"
FaceTime or online dates
Although it may seem strange to "play" with a buddy over the phone or internet, there are many social activities that can be carried out concurrently from the comfort of your own homes and provide the sense of "togetherness" that your children yearn for. Your youngster can engage in activities with a friend at the same time by colouring or making crafts. They can talk about what they're working on and will probably also have tangential chats.
Treasure hunts
Virtual scavenger hunts can be conducted at home with your child and a friend or only with your child. Create a riddle that your youngster must answer with a buddy instead of instructing them to find objects that are hidden throughout your home. "I come in different shapes and sizes, can be found in the kitchen or bathroom, and can be adjusted to be hot or cold, what am I?" is one example of a riddle. (Response: a washbasin!)
Go through The Colour Monster.
In the book The Colour Monster, emotions are represented by colours, and each colour is given its own jar to keep it in so the monster may feel more at ease with all of his conflicting sentiments. When you reach to the page with the colours arranged in jars, try talking about each colour (for example, yellow represents happiness, blue represents melancholy, and green represents calm) and describing what made you feel "yellow" that day, then "blue" that day.
Go through The Colour Monster.
In the book The Colour Monster, emotions are represented by colours, and each colour is given its own jar to keep it in so the monster may feel more at ease with all of his conflicting sentiments. When you reach to the page with the colours arranged in jars, try talking about each colour (for example, yellow represents happiness, blue represents melancholy, and green represents calm) and describing what made you feel "yellow" that day, then "blue" that day.
Short story telling
With this activity, students can practise listening, following instructions, patience, taking turns, putting aside distractions, cooperating, and demonstrating empathy. Make a stack of flashcards with the tale subjects you want to talk about with your child first. Some concepts:
- cherished summertime memory
- Preferred holiday
- Best birthday party concept
. Here you can find lots of lovely short stories for kids. Click to read online here
