Teach Social Skills
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:
(Items with footnotes link to external websites)
- A Social Skills Lesson: What Is A Friend 1
- Implementing effective social skill instruction across the continuum of SW-PBS supports 2
- Teaching Social Skills
To Kids Who Don’t Yet Have Them 3 - Do2Learn.com Schedules 4
- Elementary Etiquette: A Lesson Plan on Using Polite Words 5
- Embedding Social Skills Instruction Throughout The Day Presentation.ppt 6
- Hand Washing Song.pdf 7
- Behavior & Social Skills 8
- Personal Hygiene Lessons 9
- Reading Facial Expressions.pdf 10
- Reading Social Cues And Emotions.pdf 11
- Social Skills Activities 12
- Social Skills For Middle School Students 13
- Social Skills Instruction Presentation.ppt 14
- Social Skills Lesson Plan: Initiating Interaction With Peers 15
- The Deodorant Story.pdf 16
- Visual Schedules 17
- Your Emotions Impact Others Lesson.pdf 18
- Social Skills Stories, Games, Materials, & Resources 19
- K-5 Lesson Plans on Hygiene 20
- Social Skills 21
- Social Skills and Academic Achievement 22
- Social Skills/Pragmatics 23
- Social skills activities for children and teenagers: Ideas inspired by research 24
- Ideas for Educators Supporting Social/Emotional Language Skills 25
- Social skills Training & Aggression Replacement Techniques (START/STAIRS) 26
- Social Skills Worksheets 27
- Social Skills (TeacherTube.com Search) 28
- Great Social Skills Training & Tips Geared Toward Adults But Easily Adapted And Applied Toward Children & Adolescents
- 10 Ways to Improve Your Interpersonal Skills 29
- Activities People Do When They Hang Around Each Other 30
- Dealing with anxiety & shyness in social situations and relationships 31
- At Times It’s Socially Practical To Know Things Other People Care About 32
- Being Honest With Yourself About Your Social Problems 33
- Being Too Negative Can Hinder Your Social Success 34
- Generally Improving Your Social Skills 35
- Coping With Nervousness 36
- Dealing With Regrets Caused By Your Poor People Skills 37
- Thoughts On How To Make Conversation 38
- Getting Along With New Groups 39
- How Being Less Naturally Social Can Affect Your Interpersonal Success 40
- How To Be More Friendly And Social 41
- How To Be More Fun 42
- How To Meet People 43
- How To Talk To Shyer and/or Less Social People 44
- How Your Interests Can Affect Your Social Success 45
- Common Worries Shy Or Insecure People Have 46
- Is Bitterness Holding You Back Socially? 47
- Is It Okay To Hang Out With Another Guy One On One? 48
- Is Thinking You’re Better Than Other People Holding You Back Socially? 49
- Learning To Make More Eye Contact With People 50
- Little Social Annoyances That Will Never Go Away 51
- Loosen Up To Be More Socially Successful 52
- Making Plans With People 53
- Mistakes Lonely People Often Make 54
- My Experience With Becoming More Self-Confident 55
- Other People Often Aren’t As Shallow As They Seem 56
- It’s Very Tricky To Know What You Want Socially 57
- Reflections on Being Defensive and Secretive 58
- Reflections On Getting Over Low Self-Esteem 59
- Some Interpersonal Pitfalls More Intellectual Types Can Fall Into 60
- Some Thoughts On The Point Of Small Talk 61
- Some Tips On How To Be Less Quiet In Conversations 62
- Some Ways People Are Mentally Lazy About Judging Others 63
- The Importance of Getting Your Appearance In Order 64
- The Importance Of Simplicity And The Basics In Social Interactions… 65
- Meeting People & Making Friends 66
- Thoughts On How To Be Funny 67
- Thoughts On How to Be More Interesting 68
- Thoughts On How To Make A Conversation 69
- Thoughts on Seeming Less Weird 70
- How To Mingle And Talk To People At Parties 71
- Ways People Can Unintentionally Leave Friends Out Of Social Events 72
- When People Say “How’s It Going?”, “What’s Up?” or “What’s New?” 73
- When You Feel Like Your Friends Suck 74
- Why You Need To Directly Practice Your Social Skills And How To Do It 75
- When Your Friends Tease You A Lot 76
Footnotes:
- Webster, J. A Social Skills Lesson – What is a Friend: Launching a Unit on Friendship with Students with Social Deficits. [http://specialed.about.com/od/characterbuilding/a/Whatfriend.htm].
- Lewis, T., Ph.D., Powers, L., Ph.D. Implementing effective social skill instruction across the continuum of SW-PBS supports. [http://www.pbis.org/common/cms/files/pbisresources/lewispowerssocskillsforum.ppt].
- McIntyre, T. Teaching Social Skills To Kids Who Don’t Yet Have Them. [http://www.behavioradvisor.com/SocialSkills.html].
- Do 2 Learn. Schedules Overview . [http://www.do2learn.com/picturecards/howtouse/schedule.htm].
- CrunchingLeaves, Edited by: Cosmato, D. (2011). Elementary Etiquette: A Lesson Plan on Using Polite Words. [http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/16191.aspx].
- Lewis-Palmer, T. (2007). Embedding Social Skills Instruction Throughout the Day. [http://www.pbis.org/common/pbisresources/presentations/palmer0RPBS20307.ppt#1].
- Tin Snips. Hand Washing Song. [http://www.tinsnips.org/resources/PDF-social-skills/sshandwashingsong.pdf].
- WETA., LD Online. Behavior & Social Skills. [http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/behavior].
- Cybrary Man. Teaching Hygiene. [http://www.cybraryman.com/hygiene.html].
- WINGS for Kids. Reading Expressions Make it Fresh and Fun. [http://www.wingsforkids.org/files/HotWINGS-expressions.pdf].
- WINGS for Kids. Parade of Charades. [http://www.wingsforkids.org/files/HotWINGS-charades.pdf].
- Watson, S. Social Skills Activities. [http://specialed.about.com/od/characterbuilding/p/SocialSkills-2.htm].
- Contra Costa County Office of Education. Social Skills for Middle School Students. [http://www.cccoe.net/social/skillslist.htm].
- McIntyre, T. Social Skills. [http://www.behavioradvisor.com/SocialSkills.ppt].
- Webster, J. Social Skills Lesson Plan — Initiating Interaction With Peers: Brainstorming, Scripting and Rehearsal for Social Success. [http://specialed.about.com/od/characterbuilding/a/socialskillsinitiate.htm].
- Tin Snips. My Deodorant Story. [http://www.tinsnips.org/resources/PDF-social-skills/ssdeodorant.pdf].
- Cooperative Educational Service Agency No. 7. Visual Schedules. [http://www.specialed.us/autism/structure/str11.htm].
- WINGS for Kids. Teach Kids How They Impact Others with Their Emotions. [http://www.wingsforkids.org/files/HotWINGS-busDriver.pdf].
- Autism 4 Teachers. Social Skills. [http://www.autism4teachers.com/autism4teachers_008.htm].
- GOJO Industries, Inc. Lesson Plans: Hygiene. [http://www.gojo.com/united-states/market/k-12/resources/educational-materials/lessonplans.aspx?sc_lang=en].
- Pope, R. Social Skills. [http://www.angelfire.com/ky2/socialskills/].
- Steedly, K. M., Schwartz, A., Levin, M., & Luke, S.D., Evidence for Education, Volume III, Issue 2., Cover of the Social Skills publication., August 2008. Social Skills and Academic Achievement. [http://nichcy.org/research/ee/social-skills].
- Speaking of Speech.com, Inc. Social Skills/Pragmatics. [http://www.speakingofspeech.com/Social_Skills_Pragmatics.html].
- Dewar, G. (2009). Social skills activities for children and teenagers: Ideas inspired by research. [http://www.parentingscience.com/social-skills-activities.html].
- Kuzma, J. D. (2008). Ideas for Educators Supporting Social/Emotional Language Skills. [http://jillkuzma.wordpress.com/welcome-to-jills-social-thinking-blog/].
- Behavioral Institute for Children and Adolescents. Social skills Training & Aggression Replacement Techniques (START/STAIRS). [http://www.behavioralinstitute.org/START.html].
- Free Printable Worksheets for Teachers. Social Skills Worksheets. [http://www.theworksheets.com/s/Social+skills+Worksheets].
- TeacherTube.com. Social Skills (teachertube.com search). [http://www.teachertube.com/search_result.php?query=social+skills&type=all&safe=high&search-type=all&head_curriculum=0&head_content_area=0&head_subject=0&head_category=0&head_skill=0].
- All Business. Ten Ways to Improve Your Interpersonal Skills. [http://www.allbusiness.com/improve-interpersonal-skills/15606969-1.html
]. - Succeed Socially. Things To Do With Other People. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/activities].
- Succeed Socially. Dealing with anxiety & shyness in social situations and relationships. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/.search?results_page=searchresults.html&query=anxious+anxiety&name=Search].
- Succeed Socially. At Times It’s Socially Practical To Know Things Other People Care About. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/practicalskills].
- Succeed Socially. Some Ways People Can Excuse Their Legitimate Social Weaknesses. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/honest].
- Succeed Socially. Is Thinking You’re Better Than Other People Holding You Back Socially?. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/negativetoothers].
- Succeed Socially. Generally Improving Your Social Skills. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/index#socialskills].
- Succeed Socially. Coping With Anticipatory Nervousness. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/.search?results_page=searchresults.html&query=Nervousness&name=Search].
- Succeed Socially. Dealing With Regrets Caused By Your Poor People Skills. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/regrets].
- Succeed Socially. Thoughts On How To Make Conversation. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/conversation].
- Succeed Socially. Hanging Out With New People Who All Know Each Other. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/groups].
- Succeed Socially. How Being Less Naturally Social Can Affect Your Interpersonal Success. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/lesssocial].
- Succeed Socially. How To Be More Friendly And Social. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/friendly].
- Succeed Socially. How To Be More Fun. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/morefun].
- Succeed Socially. How To Meet People. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/meetpeople].
- Succeed Socially. How To Talk To Shyer and/or Less Social People. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/shytalk].
- Succeed Socially. How Your Interests Can Affect Your Social Success. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/interests].
- Succeed Socially. Common Worries Shy Or Insecure People Have. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/shyworries].
- Succeed Socially. Is Bitterness Holding You Back Socially?. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/bitterness].
- Succeed Socially. Is It Okay To Hang Out With Another Guy One On One?. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/oneononewithguys].
- Succeed Socially. Is Thinking You’re Better Than Other People Holding You Back Socially?. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/negativetoothers].
- Succeed Socially. Learning To Make More Eye Contact With People. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/eyecontact].
- Succeed Socially. Little Social Annoyances That Will Never Go Away. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/annoyances].
- Succeed Socially. Loosen Up To Be More Socially Successful. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/loosenup].
- Succeed Socially. Making Plans With People. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/plans].
- Succeed Socially. Mistakes Lonely People Often Make. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/lonely].
- Succeed Socially. My Experience With Becoming More Self-Confident. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/confidence].
- Succeed Socially. Other People Often Aren’t As Shallow As They Seem. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/relate].
- Succeed Socially. It’s Very Tricky To Know What You Want Socially. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/knowwhatyouwant].
- Succeed Socially. Reflections on Being Defensive and Secretive. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/defensive].
- Succeed Socially. Reflections On Getting Over Low Self-Esteem. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/selfesteem].
- Succeed Socially. Some Interpersonal Pitfalls More Intellectual Types Can Fall Into. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/intellectual].
- Succeed Socially. Some Thoughts On The Point Of Small Talk. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/smalltalk].
- Succeed Socially. Some Tips On How To Be Less Quiet In Conversations. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/quiet].
- Succeed Socially. Some Ways People Are Mentally Lazy About Judging Others. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/judge].
- Succeed Socially. The Importance of Getting Your Appearance In Order. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/lookbetter].
- Succeed Socially. The Importance Of Simplicity And The Basics In Social Interactions…. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/simplicity].
- Succeed Socially. Meeting People & Making Friends. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/index#makingfriends].
- Succeed Socially. Thoughts On How To Be Funny. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/funny].
- Succeed Socially. Thoughts On How to Be More Interesting. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/interesting].
- Succeed Socially. Thoughts On How To Make A Conversation. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/conversation].
- Succeed Socially. Thoughts on Seeming Less Weird. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/weird].
- Succeed Socially. How To Mingle And Talk To People At Parties. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/howtomingleatparties].
- Succeed Socially. Ways People Can Unintentionally Leave Friends Out Of Social Events. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/unintentionalleftout].
- Succeed Socially. When People Say “How’s It Going?”, “What’s Up?” or “What’s New?”. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/howareyou].
- Succeed Socially. When You Feel Like Your Friends Suck. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/suckyfriends].
- Succeed Socially. Why You Need To Directly Practice Your Social Skills And How To Do It. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/socialskills].
- Succeed Socially. When Your Friends Tease You A Lot. [http://www.succeedsocially.com/tease].