Interactive Games to Teach Kids Social Skills

Development of social skills is important to the growth of children. Social skills help them make friends, communicate and relate with other kids and adults, make decisions, solve problems, and learn to act appropriately.

One way parents, teachers and youth workers can help kids learn and develop social skills is by using interactive games. Kids learn best when allowed to apply and practice what they're taught in a playful, non-threatening environment. Incorporating games into lessons is an excellent way to do that. These interactive games to teach social skills to kids are ones I have found effective when teaching my own children and the kids in my youth programs.

Play a cooperative ball game. This social skills game helps kids develop their communication skills and work together as a team. The only supplies required are a few children and a soft rubber ball (a balloon will also work). The team players must keep the ball in the air without catching it or allowing it to hit the floor. They can throw it, tap it or kick it to each other. In order to keep the ball in play, the children must talk to each other and pay attention to the actions of the others. Divide the kids into pairs or play it as a whole group.

Play a game of Guess the Feeling. This game, which is a variation of charades, allows children to work on the social skills of empathy, self expression and reading body language. Beforehand, write a variety of feelings (like excited, angry, sad or scared) on scraps of paper and place them in a jar. Have each child take a turn drawing a slip of paper and trying to express the emotion written on it to the rest of the group, without using any words or sounds. The rest of the kids must guess the emotion being portrayed.

Play traditional children's games that require following directions. Games such as Follow the Leader, Simon Says and Red Light, Green Light teach kids to listen and follow rules. To allow children the opportunity to also practice giving clear directions, reverse the roles and let them call the commands.

Play the Statue game. Kids, much like many adults, struggle with the art of self control. This interactive game helps them practice controlling their emotions and actions. Allow the children to move around freely until told to freeze like statues. Select one child to be "it" that must try to make the other kids laugh. The first one to laugh becomes "it" for the next round of the game. A variation of this game I like to use is to have all the kids lie on the ground and remain quiet and still. When they move, they are out. The last child to move is the winner.

Sources:

"Social Skill Games for a 6-Year-Old," LiveStrong.
Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., "Social skills activities for children and teenagers: Ideas inspired by research," Parenting Science.
"Building Social Skills," Community Coordinate Child Care.

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