How to Target Important Social Skills with Early Games
Social skills are important to target in young children, especially if there are concerns of an autism spectrum disorder. Try early games!
Humans are social creatures.
And social behavior starts early. Waving and smiling. Giggles and babbles. Imitating and pointing and showing.
But learning social skills is not so easy for some little ones. It’s not so seamless. It takes a little extra support to engage some children in social communication. If your child has an autism spectrum disorder, intervention may be necessary to turn on the switch for social skills within him. (1)
It’s important to start early!
Did you know that the brain is most moldable when children are young? Babies’ brains are wired to learn and ready to change! Time you spend interacting with your child now will have a tremendous positive effect on future behavior, including social skills. (2)
And early intervention is important because human interaction is essential for the learning of everything. Not just learning about other people, but learning about the world! Kids who struggle with social skills may miss out on skill-building opportunities across areas of development. They may begin to show delays in other areas: motor skills, academics, thinking skills, and more. Delays may give rise to further delays.
Studies show that social skills may be related to other important characteristics, too, like confidence, readiness for school, and family involvement. (3)
And, finally, early games that target social skills actually increase brain levels of oxytocin. Oxytocin is a chemical messenger that works to make humans more social and to make little ones bond with their caregivers. Double bonus! (4)
Early Social Skills for Kids
Maybe you’re looking to develop some social skills in your child that seem to be limited or absent. Maybe you have concerns of an autism spectrum disorder, and you want to narrow in on your child’s areas of need. Or maybe you’re just searching for fun activities to keep your little one entertained through the long winter. In any case, these early games are the way to go!
Eye Gaze
Eye gaze is an essential skill to build because it’s one major way most children take in the world around them. Is your child looking into your eyes? Is he looking back and forth between you and important items around him? If he’s not, he’s likely missing information from his environment.
Focus on eye gaze while playing an early game like I’m Gonna Get Ya. Move your fingers as if you’re going to tickle your child and say, “I’m gonna get ya!” Then pause. Does your child make eye contact? Does he shift his gaze to your fingers and back to you? If he’s struggling, try to grab his attention by making your voice and facial expressions more dramatic. Make sure you’re at his level, and move closer if he’s distracted by others things nearby.
Seek Social Involvement
You want your child to want to interact with you! It’s important that kids learn to seek out other humans for enjoyment and entertainment. If your little one is only getting your attention for the things he needs (like food), try to prompt similar behaviors for the purpose of being social
Peek-a-Boo is an all-time favorite game, and it’s the perfect framework to develop this skill. Play it with a blanket or simply your hands. Does your child try to start a round of Peek-a-Boo with you? Does he cover his head or yours with a blanket himself? If not, try to prompt him. If you know he’d like to play a round (or another one), wait expectantly and see if he makes any movements (like grabbing the blanket).
Gestures
Humans communicate through nonverbals much of the time. One of the ways we do this is with gestures. You might recall that gesturing is an important communication skill for late talkers. Kids use gestures in a number of conventional ways: waving “bye-bye,” reaching for “up,” and clapping. They also gesture to describe things around them. If your child isn’t getting communicating with you through gestures, you can target them specifically.
So Big is a fun early game, and it’s perfect for working on gestures. Ask your child, “How big is baby?” Does he respond to your question by stretching his arms wide or high? If not (or if you’ve never played this game before), make a gesture for “big” yourself and say “So big!” Hopefully, your child will imitate the gesture. If he’s still struggling, take his hands and gently make the gesture together.
Showing
Does your child show you items of interest? Does he point out things he finds exciting (like that airplane in the sky)? We want to see children showing and sharing things with the people around them. (Maybe later, they’ll share their ideas within a conversation!)
Practice this skill with the early game Look! When you have your child’s attention and there’s something motivating that he doesn’t yet see, say, “Look!” and point at it dramatically. Then, engage with the motivating item together. Talk about it or play with it. Model this frequently, and your child may begin to point and show you things. To up the chances, place items of high interest within sight but out of your child’s reach.
Make Social Skills a Priority
Teaching social skills doesn’t have to be hard! After all, you’re a social creature, too.
Start with the easy games I’ve shared here! And when you’re needing more, check out our Play Skills Parent Handout. It has twelve early games PLUS movement games, classic toys, and DIY toys. The handout includes the instructions for the play as well as checklists so you won’t forget important targets. You’ll be set for lots of fun and learning.
Last, make it your mission to engage your child during the day’s mundane tasks. Early games are an option, even on the go. For example, tickle your little one and giggle together as you’re strapping him into his car seat.
Give your child the gift of social skills this year!
