Games and activities for socialization are an amazing way for your kids to learn ways to behave and present themselves around peers, whether they are toddlers, preschoolers, or simply kindergarteners.
Games can teach your child how to manage their emotions, teach body language and take turns while performing an activity.
Benefits of Social Skill Games for Kids
Games that focus on social skills can have a number of benefits for kids.
Social skills games can:
Helping children learn to follow rules and share
Social skill games can help kids learn to take turns, share, and follow rules. These are important skills that will help them succeed in school and in social situations. Following rules and sharing can be difficult for some kids, so playing games that focus on these skills can be very beneficial.
Encouraging cooperation and teamwork
Games that require cooperation and teamwork can help kids learn to work together. This is an important skill that will come in handy in school and in many other aspects of their lives. Being able to work together and as a team is a valuable skill that will help them succeed in many different areas like academics and sports.
Fostering communication and listening skills
Communication is an important skill that will help them in all areas of their lives. Listening is also a very important skill and one that many people have difficulty with. When children play social games, they have to communicate and listen to each other in order to play the game. This can be very beneficial in helping them learn these important skills.
Helping children express their feelings
For some kids, it can be difficult to express their emotions. Games that focus on emotion can help kids learn how to express their feelings. This is especially helpful for kids who refrain from expressing themselves or do so in an unhealthy way. Social games can help these kids learn how to express their emotions in a healthy way.
Encouraging positive behavior
Many social games encourage positive behavior. Games that focus on sharing, taking turns, and following rules can help kids learn to be more polite and have better manners. Positivity is an integral attribute that a child must develop during the early years of their lives. Thus, social games can be extremely beneficial in this aspect.
Discouraging negative behavior
Just as social games can foster positive behavior, they can also help discourage negative behavior. Certain games offer a clear distinction between good and bad actions, guiding children toward making better decisions. However, it’s important to steer clear of aggressive or violent games, as they can unintentionally endorse negative behaviors. Selecting social games for your child requires careful consideration to ensure they promote positive interactions and discourage harmful actions.
Helping kids develop problem-solving skills
Many social games require kids to use problem-solving skills. They have to figure out how to win the game or how to cooperate with other players. This can be very beneficial in helping them learn how to solve problems. Problem-solving is a skill that they will need in all areas of their lives.
Teaching Social Skills for Healthy Relationships
There are many social skills that kids need to learn in order to have healthy relationships. Games can be a great way to teach these skills. Some of the social skills that games can teach include listening, sharing, taking turns, and expressing emotions.
All the skills mentioned here are important for kids to learn so that they can have healthy relationships with others.
Effective Social Skill Games For Kids
There are numerous social skills activities to improve social skills in order to help many children who struggle to develop these critical life skills.
Social games can be segregated according to the social skills they intended to teach.
Social Skills to Improve Listening
Listening Mats
This game requires the player to listen to instructions and follow them accordingly. In the game, there are a number of different mats with different instructions. The player has to listen to the instructions and follow them. This game can be played by a group of kids or by one child.
The Telephone Game
This is a classic game that has been around for years. The game requires the players to sit in a circle and one player starts by whispering a message to the person next to them. The message is then passed on from person to person until it reaches the last person in the circle.
The last person then announces the message out loud. The object of the game is for the message to remain the same as when it was first whispered. This game requires good listening skills as well as verbal communication skills.
Social Games That Teach Kids How to Handle Emotions
Emotions Scavenger Hunt
In this game, the players have to find objects that represent different emotions. The emotions can be happy, sad, angry, afraid, etc. This game can be played by a group of kids or by one child.
The Emotions Game
This is a card game that is designed to teach kids about different emotions. The game contains a deck of cards with different emotions on them. The object of the game is to match the emotion on the card with the correct facial expression and body language.
Emotional Bingo
This is one of the most fun group games. The object of the game is to identify emotions that are being expressed by other kids. The first person to get five in a row wins the game.
Emotion Dominoes
The domino is an amazing game when it comes to teaching emotion to kids. In a domino game, each card has a different emotion on it. The object of the game is to match the emotions on the cards.
Emotion Charades
This is a classic game that can be played with a group of kids. The object of the game is to express emotions by body language without using any words. The other kids have to guess the emotion that is being acted out.
Social Skills Games That Encourage Positive Behaviour
The Manners Game
This is a board game that is designed to teach kids about good manners. The game focuses on teaching kids how to be polite and have good table manners. Good manners are a great way to encourage positive behavior in kids.
The Gratitude Game
Gratitude is a great game for kids to learn about being thankful. In the game, each player takes turns saying things that they are grateful for. The object of the game is to make the other players feel good about themselves.
The Friendship Game
This is a game that teaches kids about the value of friendship. The game can be played by a group of kids or by one child. The object of the game is to make as many friends as possible. So, it starts by teaching kids how to be a friend and how to make friends.
Social Skills Game to Practice Eye Contact
Eye Pointing Game
You would want to start playing the game in small groups. To start playing the game, each member of the group will need to stand in a circle. One member of the group will start by making eye contact with another member and then pointing to one object in the room.
The next person will then need to make eye contact with another member and point to another object. The game will continue until every member of the group has had a chance to point to an object. The object of the game is to make sure that everyone in the group makes eye contact with each other.
Look In My Eyes Train Engineer
This is a game that can be played with a group of kids or by one child. The object of the game is to make sure that everyone in the group makes eye contact with each other.
The game starts by having everyone in the group sit in a circle. One member of the group will start by making eye contact with another member and then saying the word “engineer”.
The next person will then need to make eye contact with another member and say the word “conductor”. The game will continue until every member of the group has had a chance to say a word.
Social Skills Games Occupational Therapy for Younger Children
Occupational therapy utilizes a variety of social skills games designed to aid younger children in their interpersonal interactions and foster social skills development.
A couple of notable games that are often employed in occupational therapy include:
I Spy
A game that accommodates a single child or a group, ‘I Spy’ emphasizes observation skills and turn taking within the group. The game commences with everyone sitting in a circle. The first player starts the game by making eye contact with another member and stating, “I spy with my little eye something…” and describing something they can see. The other players then take turns to guess what the first player spied.
These games exemplify the range of social skills activities employed in occupational therapy. There’s a vast array of other games and activities available to help children enhance their social skills, facilitating their ability to interact effectively with others and setting them up for a successful life.
Conclusion
These are just some examples of social games that can be used to teach kids essential skills. There are many more games out there that can be used for this purpose.
It is important to choose games that are appropriate for the age group of the kids.
It’s also crucial to motivate kids to practice social skills from early childhood following directions to be able to communicate effectively and build positive relationships with other children.
Remember, social games are not just for entertainment purposes. They can also be used to teach valuable life skills. Have fun!
Resources:
20 evidence-based social skills activities and games for kids. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/social-skills-activities-and-games-for-kids
17 kid-friendly social skills games for kids. Proud to be Primary. (2021, October 14). Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://proudtobeprimary.com/social-skills-games/
Evidence-based social skills activities for Children & Teens (W … (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://parentingscience.com/social-skills-activities/
