Boost your Child’s Social Skills in a Post Pandemic World
If you’re like the millions of parents around the world, you may be feeling unsure or nervous on how to support your little one’s social skills after a year filled with missed social opportunities and peer interactions. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about disruptions in our children’s social interactions by putting a pause on many vital sources of interaction. Whether it was a playdate, circle-time with peers, free play on the playground, or learning skills in the classroom such as cooperation, teamwork and trust, they have missed so much. While all of that may seem overwhelming, we were also beyond fortunate to get plenty of 1:1 time with our children, which provided them with so many social-emotional benefits. The pandemic also encouraged us to use interactive media, such as FaceTime and video calls to interact with friends and family, which has been shown to benefit children’s social and language development. It hasn’t all been negative, but boy do we feel the weight of world on our shoulders as parents, to help our kids recoup those missed social opportunities and connections.
As we slowly begin to transition back to more moments for social interactions, I want to share with you 3 ways to support social skills and build social resilience for your child:
Model It: As the caregiver, we have the opportunity to model a LOT of different social skills. Time and time again, research proves that showing, rather than telling, can be the best way for kids to learn a variety of new skills. You can model social skills in front of, or with, your child. Here are some of our favorites to model: Greeting others using a friendly wave and “hello”, asking “wh” questions when talking with your child, demonstrating appropriate personal space between you and your child, using manners, and turn-taking during play and conversation. The more you model these everyday social skills, the more your child will become familiar with them and in turn, begin to utilize them him/herself!
Play it Out: Use little people to act out activities such as “getting on the bus” or “saying hi to a friend”. Each person chooses a “character” and uses that character to act out a variety of social situations. Some of our favorite scenes to recreate are: sharing objects, playing circle time, getting hurt, asking a friend to play, and going to the playground. You may also choose to ditch the little people/characters and Role-Play using yourself! Parents can be the guiding light in the social scenario, helping your child navigate and problem solve during the scene. Some examples of social scenarios: asking a friend to play, asking a friend for help, teaching flexibility in play, and sharing ideas and listening to friends.
Use Books: Prep your child by reading plenty of books about school. Talk openly and directly about what the school day/schedule will look like, the emotions your little one may feel, and allow them the chance to ask any questions as they come up. I’ve compiled some of my favorite books for teaching social skills:
“I Can Share” by Karen Katz: A cute book for younger toddlers, focusing on teaching early sharing skills.
“How Do Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends” by Jane Yolen: Designed for preschool children, ages 3-5, focusing on a guide on playing nicely with peers.
“Join In And Play” by Cheri J Meiners: This easy to follow book, teaches the basics of cooperation, getting along, making friends, and being a friend. It is ideal for children ages 4-8.
“The Way I Feel” by Janan Cain: This book teaches children about emotions and feelings using clear and easy to understand language.
“Kindness Starts With You” by Jacquelyn Stagg: This book is great for introducing important concepts such as helping, inclusion, showing respect and empathy.
“What Should Danny Do? The Power Of Choices” by Ganit and Adir Levy: This book helps teach children the understanding that their choices will shape their days, and ultimately their lives into what they will be.
We have watched the youngest among us navigate challenging and uncertain times, demonstrating bravery and resiliency. As parents and professionals, we can help lay a strong social and emotional groundwork, in which they can foster a solid foundation for friendships and life skills for the future.
Worried about your child’s social development? Reach out for a consultation.