top of page

Social Skills
and Play

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”

— Mister Rogers

Social Skills

Our ability to engage and communicate with one another through gestures, body language, facial expressions, and outward appearance is referred to as social skills. These skills help a child to engage appropriately with others during play and conversation as well as help a child to develop and maintain friendships at school and in community. ​Social skills aid in helping a child to behave appropriately during interactions with familiar people and unfamiliar individuals and increase their awareness of social norms. Examples of social skills are: taking turns in a conversation, using appropriate eye contact, verbal reasoning, understanding figurative language.

​​

Play

Play is a child's primary occupation! Types of play include pretend, symbolic, cooperative, dramatic, and constructive, to name a few. Play is often highly imaginative and creative and is less rule bound, more child driven, and intrinsically motivated. It is important for development of not only social skills, but problem solving, executive functioning, and motor skills. 

Common signs your child has difficulty with Social Skills Play

  • ​Poor eye contact

  • Not be able to take turns when talking to their communication partner.

  • Struggle with using appropriate body language (e.g. stands too close/far to another person).

  • Interrupt others frequently.

  • Be unable to maintain a topic of conversation 

  • Be unable to adjust or modify their language appropriately according to the communication situation.

  • Lacks empathy 

  • Lacks imagination, repetitive or non purposeful actions

  • Talk ‘at you’ in a conversation as opposed to engaging in a two way conversation ‘with’ you.

  • Does not engage in variety of play 

  • Show little or no interest in what the other person has to say and tends to talk about topics of their own interest 

  • Appear unaware of others and fail to read other people’s feelings based on their verbal and non-verbal cues.

  • Be unable to respond to teasing, anger, failure and disappointment appropriately

bottom of page