The PBIS World Book

Teach Social Skills

Why should I do it:

  • Many students lack basic social skills
  • Increases instructional time
  • Improves student interactions
  • Increases student productivity
  • Helps students improve daily social functioning
  • Helps students make friends
  • Teaches students essential life skills
  • Helps students to fit in
  • Helps students to function better in classes
  • Teaches students to follow rules, expectations, procedures, etc
  • Increases self confidence, self concept, and self esteem
  • Gives students a common “language”

When should I do it:

  • It is important to teach all students appropriate social skills with any and all opportunities
  • When students have poor hygiene
  • When students seem out of place, ostracized, or isolated
  • When students exhibit poor social routines, like taking turns, sharing, waiting in line, shaking hands, poor eye contact, etc
  • When students are rude, short, pushy, etc
  • When students demonstrate poor personal care habits, like blowing nose, using a napkin, etc
  • When students appear socially awkward, weird, out of place, etc
  • When students are perceived as weird and strange by the class
  • When students do or say weird, silly, inappropriate, or out of place things

How do I do it:

  • IMPORTANT NOTE!
    • At the Tier 1 Level, think of doing social skills lessons and interventions for the whole class or groups
    • At the Tier 2 level, think of doing social skills lessons and interventions for groups and individuals
    • At the Tier 3 level, think of customizing specific social skills lessons and interventions for specific students
  • In the realm of social skills, there is a broad range of skills and topics, as well as a good deal of overlap with other skills, like interpersonal skills, coping skills, etc
  • Some common areas for social skills instruction include:
    • Hygiene
    • Manners
    • Listening
    • Being polite
    • Being considerate
    • Being respectful
    • Sharing
    • Taking turns
    • Appropriate words
    • Appropriate touch
    • How to behave in the halls, lunchroom, during instruction, etc
    • Etc
  • Please refer to the supports and resources below for lesson plans, ideas, and strategies

Resources & Support for technique: