Teaching Social Skills to Support Children's Learning and Development

1. The Foundation for Supporting Children’s Learning & DevelopmentSection 7 – Social Skills Teaching Research Assistance to Childcare Providers

2. Social and Emotional Skills Children need these skills to: • Form relationships (Friendship skills) • Recognize and manage emotions (Self-regulation skills) • Identify emotions (Empathy Skills) • Handle difficult situations (Problem solving skills)

3. Stages to TeachingSocial-emotional Skills

4. Teaching Friendship Skills • Helping each other • Taking turns • Sharing • Organizing play

5. Friendship Skills:

6. Friendship Skills:Taking Turns

7. Practical Strategies Video

8. Teaching Empathy Skills Identifying Feelings Feeling empathy Responding

9. Teaching Empathy Concepts & Skills

10. Teaching Empathy Brainstorming Activity

11. Teaching Empathy • General Strategies • Adults…… • Label children's emotions • Validate children’s feelings • Praise children for labeling emotions • Model/talk about their own emotions

12. Teaching Empathy General Strategies (Cont.) • Model feelings using puppets • Draw attention to how others are feeling • Role play situations • Reinforce empathic behavior • Tell stories related to feelings at circle time

13. ALSO……….. Use visuals related to feelings in the classroom Happy Sad Mad

14. Teaching Self Regulation Skills Emotions are not the problem! What you do with emotions can be. Self-regulation = emotions & cognitive thinking

15. Teaching Self Regulation Skills Indirect Strategies Direct Strategies

16. Self-Regulation Strategies “Tucker Turtle” technique

17. Other Self-Regulation Strategies Stop, breathe, and think. Stop, count, and work out the problem How do I feel? Take three deep breaths. Count to five slowly. Say, “Calm down.” Talk to a grown up about it.

18. Teaching Problem Solving Skills

19. Problem Solving Skills Brainstorming Strategies

20. Problem Solving Activity