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Participating in social skills group should be as engaging and fun as possible. My first groups were awful. Then, they became so fun that we were not covering much content. I have a come a long way towards making them interesting and valuable. Here are five things I will never be without when running my groups.
5 Must Haves for Running a Social Skills Group:
- Cranium Brain Break: I love this game! It has enough individual brain breaks for the entire school year, it is highly engaging and contained in a package small enough to live on the corner of your teacher desk.
- Felt Board & Scraps: In the beginning of the year, I have each student create their own character out of felt. We use these characters all year long to role play scenarios and build perspective taking skills. It is especially helpful when a conflict occurs within the group!
- Puppets: At least one. His name is Mike… Between me and you, Mike is kind of a jerk. He has unexpected behaviors. When he shows up he models bad behavior and gives the students a chance to teach him what is expected. In my experience, if you commit to it, bringing Mike to group works (even with 5th graders)!
- Picture Charades: A good opportunity to teach perspective taking and get students out of their comfort zones. Specifically choosing a charades game that requires no reading levels the playing field for your students who maybe reluctant to engage due to their limited reading skills.
- Mailbox: Yes, you read that right! A mailbox. Encourage students to write letters and notes to you and your paraeducators. They can leave anonymous questions or tell you something important that they may not want to say aloud. My mailbox guarantees my students the chance to connect one on one with me anytime. It gives me the chance to take the temperature of the group and assess the needs of individual students. I write letters back to individual students and address some as a group. My mailbox is a cornerstone of my classroom.
Teaching a Social Skills Group is the Best
Read more about how I run my social skills groups, help students have fun with following directions, and build relationships with my students!