Mission: Our mission is to assist children who may need extra help
in developing social skills. We will provide a relaxed, engaging social
environment made up of small, age-appropriate groups in which
children will be taught basic socialization practices. The children
will then implement these skills while participating in games and
activities in a supportive, guided atmosphere.
About the background: Research has shown that children who
have good social skills grow to be the most successful adults.
For some children, these social skills are not innate and need to be
developed in a guided, nurturing environment through instruction
and play with peers. The children we are targeting are those in
mainstream classes who are finding it difficult to make and maintain
friendships for a variety of reasons. Instruction in social skills, however,
cannot be presented from a book, CD or video in an isolated manner.
Children must have a means to practice the skills they are taught in a
social environment with knowledgeable adults guiding them. Most
importantly, they must do so while having fun and being introduced to
other children with whom to share this experience.
About our program: We are setting up social groups with a maximum
of six children of similar age in each group. We will meet for a block
of six sessions with each session being one hour in duration. During
each session we will focus on a particular social skill. We will define
the skill and discuss it in an age-appropriate manner. We may use role
playing and various demonstrations to help children understand the
goal. Then we will have the children practice that skill during an activity,
game or similar experience. We will conclude with a review of the
day's learning and discuss how that skill may be implemented at home
and in school during the coming week. Each week will also include a
quick review of previous sessions.
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