Social development is an extremely important part of growing up, and every childhood experience reinforces the things they are learning as they go.
When children are going to school, interacting on the playground or attending playdates, social skills are something they are developing all the time—but what about when you’re experiencing a quiet time in life and your children are at home? The good news is, there are still ways to help your kids build their social skills, even when they aren’t necessarily being social themselves!
Ideas for Building Children’s Social Skills From the Home
Considering the perspectives of others. Watching TV or movies as a family is a great way to spend quality time together, especially when you add in this perspective-building activity. During scenes between characters, hit the pause button and ask your kids to postulate at what the characters are feeling. This allows them to think about perspectives and can help them develop empathy toward others’ experiences.
Get in character. Starting an activity that involves you and your child getting into different characters is a great way to boost his or her social skills and drama skills in one fell swoop. Come up with exciting characters with your child and act out different social scenarios each scene. This is a subtle yet effective way to reinforce etiquette and manners while still allowing your child to guide the game.
Play “Would You Rather?” Playing rounds of “Would You Rather?” is an effective and versatile tool, as you can do this nearly anywhere. Your kids will stay entertained as they weigh the pros and cons of each scenario, and you can encourage them to think through their answers with followup questions for explanations.
Create short story prompts. Make a list of story prompts that involve memories or events your child can tell you about—think topics such as a favorite holiday or best summer memory. Pick a prompt, set a timer and have your child tell a story. Once it is over, provide him or her with a summary to show you were actively listening, and react to specific emotions brought up in the story to provide an example of empathy and understanding.
With our virtual classes, your child can practice drama and social skills from the safety of your home! Contact us to learn more about enrollment options.