problem solving social skills lessons

Social Skills Training for Adults: 10 Best Activities + PDF

Struggles with social skills in adulthood can cause avoidance of social situations and interfere with building long-lasting relationships.

Providing social skills training to clients with anxiety, fear of public speaking, and similar issues could ensure more optimal functioning.

This article provides strategies and training options for the development of various social skills. Several resources to help target specific struggles related to the development of social skills in adults are also included, and the approaches can be tailored to improve social responses in specific domains.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

Social skills training for adults explained, social skills coaching: 2 best activities, role-playing exercises: 4 scripts & examples, top 2 resources & worksheets, 4 insightful videos & podcasts, positivepsychology.com’s helpful tools, a take-home message.

Social skills training includes interventions and instructional methods that help an individual improve and understand social behavior. The goal of social skills training is to teach people about verbal and nonverbal behaviors that are involved in typical social interactions (“Social,” n.d.).

Social skills training is usually initiated when adults have not learned or been taught appropriate interpersonal skills or have trouble reading subtle cues in social interactions. These instances can also be associated with disorders that impede social development, such as autism.

Therapists who practice social skills training first focus on breaking down more complex social behaviors into smaller portions. Next, they develop an individualized program for patients, depending on what social skills they need to work on, and gradually introduce those skills to their patients, building up their confidence through gradual exposure.

For instance, a person who has trouble making eye contact because of anxiety in social situations might be given strategies to maintain eye contact by the therapist. Eye contact is the foundation for most social interaction, and interventions will often start with improving the individual’s ability to maintain eye contact.

During therapy, other challenging areas will be identified such as starting or maintaining a conversation or asking questions. Each session will focus on different activities that typically involve role-play and sometimes will take place in a group setting to simulate different social experiences.

Once confidence has been built up during therapy or social skills group settings, these social skills can be brought into daily life.

Useful assessments: Tests, checklists, questionnaires, & scales

Before engaging your clients in social skills interventions or any type of therapeutic intervention, it is important to determine if social skills therapy is a good approach to help them with their current situation.

The Is Social Skills Training Right for Me? checklist is a self-assessment opportunity for clients to determine if social skills therapy is appropriate for their specific situation or if another approach will be more beneficial.

However, self-assessment activities can sometimes be unreliable, as the individual might not fully understand the treatment models that are available to them. Additionally, if a client has issues with social skills, they may not be aware of their deficiencies in social situations.

In these situations, therapists should ask clients about the issues they are having and encourage them to engage in self-questioning during sessions.

9 Questions to ask your clients

Prior to starting social skills training or activities, the therapist and client should narrow down which areas need help. A therapist can do this by asking the client a series of questions, including:

• Where do you think you are struggling?
• Are there any social situations that make you feel anxious, upset, or nervous?
• Do you avoid any specific social situations or actions?
• Have you ever had anyone comment on your social behavior? What have they said?
• What do you think will help you improve the skills you are struggling with?

Clients can also ask themselves some questions to determine if the social skills therapy process is right for them.

These questions can include:

• What aspects of my life am I struggling with?
• Are there specific social situations or skills that I struggle with?
• Do I have trouble keeping or maintaining relationships with friends, family members, and coworkers?
• Am I avoiding specific social situations out of fear?

Getting clients to ask these questions will help determine if this process will benefit them. Having clients “buy in” to the process is important, to ensure that the approach is right for them and increase the likelihood that they will be engaged to complete activities with a reasonable degree of efficacy.

It is estimated that adults make eye contact 30–60% of the time in general conversation, increasing to 60–70% of the time when trying to form a more intimate relationship (Cognitive Development Learning Centre, 2019).

Giving people who are struggling socially the tools to make more eye contact is usually the first step in social skills training exercises.

The Strategies for Maintaining Eye Contact  worksheet provides some practical strategies and tips to practice making eye contact.

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Often, one of the most prominent struggles for people lacking social skills is starting a conversation, especially with people they are not familiar with.

Fleming (2013) details a helpful method for people who struggle with starting conversations. The ARE method can be used to initiate a conversation and gain an understanding of the person’s interests to facilitate a strong relationship.

• Anchor: Connect the conversation to your mutually shared reality (e.g., common interests) or the setting in which you encountered the individual.
• Reveal: Provide some personal context to help deepen the connection between you and the other person.
• Encourage: After giving them some context, provide the other person with positive reinforcement to encourage them to share.

This worksheet Starting a Conversation – The ARE Method guides participants through each step in the ARE process. It also provides examples of how the ARE method can be incorporated into a typical conversation and used as a workable strategy in social skills training activities.

A Guide to Small Talk: Conversation Starters and Replies  provides an outline of conversation ideas to help start any conversation, no matter the setting.

After developing the ability to start a conversation, being able to project assertiveness and understand one’s limits is essential in ensuring clear communication.

These worksheets on Different Ways to Say ‘No’ Politely and Using ‘I’ Statements in Conversation  facilitate assertive communication and give clients the confidence to set personal limits.

A lack of opportunity to learn coping strategies and difficulty with emotional regulation have been associated with anxiety and low problem-solving abilities (Anderson & Kazantzis, 2008).

An individual’s lack of ability to problem solve in social situations significantly affects their ability to come up with reasonable solutions to typical social problems, which in turn, causes them to avoid more difficult social situations.

Practicing social problem solving is a key component of social skills training. This worksheet on Social Problem Solving allows your clients to define the problems they are facing and rate the potential solutions from low to high efficacy.

Based on the rating, therapists can instruct clients to practice their social reasoning during sessions. Practicing these skills builds clients’ confidence and increases the likelihood that they will access these solutions under pressure.

Similarly, the Imagining Solutions to Social Problems worksheet implements a related process, but challenges participants to engage in a visualization activity. While engaging in visualization, participants have the opportunity to imagine what they would say or do, and reflect on what they have learned and why the solution they chose was best for that particular problem.

Supplementing modeling and practical activities with interactive audio-visual aids, such as podcasts and videos, is an essential practice in ensuring that patients seeking social skills training are getting multiple perspectives to develop their social intelligence.

Below, we have provided resources to help your clients with different social skills and situations.

An introvert’s guide to social freedom – Kaspars Breidaks

This TEDx talk focuses on providing guidelines for self-identified introverts. In this video, Breidaks frames introversion as an opportunity, rather than a weakness.

Based on his experiences moving from a small town to a big city and eventually starting improv comedy, he developed a workshop to help integrate principles of improvisation into social skills training.

His workshops focus on creating connections through eye contact and breaking through shyness by training the small talk muscle. Because of his experience, he recommends you say yes to yourself before saying yes to others. Breidaks theorizes that only by developing our awareness of our own true emotions and thoughts can we become more comfortable interacting with others.

This video is helpful if your patients need workable tips to improve their interactions with strangers and is an excellent complement to some of our worksheets on developing skills for small talk.

10 Ways to have a better conversation – Celeste Headlee

This TEDx talk is focused on tactics to have more effective conversations. In her TED talk, Headlee emphasizes the importance of honesty, clarity, and listening to others as well as yourself.

Headlee shares her ideas about how to talk and listen to others, specifically focusing on sustaining clear, coherent conversation and the importance of clear, direct communication.

She argues that technology has interfered with the development of interpersonal skills, stating that conversation is an art that is fundamentally underrated and should be emphasized more, especially among young children.

The main point Headlee tries to get across is to avoid multitasking and pontificating during conversation. Individuals who are struggling with active listening and keeping a conversation going would benefit from the tips she offers in this video, as she uses a lot of the same principles when interviewing her radio guests to ensure that she is getting the most out of their appearances.

She specifically emphasizes the importance of being continually present while talking and listening to someone, which is strongly emphasized in social skills training.

How Can I Say This – Beth Buelow

Each episode also provides techniques or approaches to help listeners become more confident when dealing with different social situations. The podcast also takes listener questions about dealing with social situations and issues.

If your clients are struggling with introducing themselves to new people, they may benefit from the episodes on talking to strangers and how to have difficult conversations.

Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts .

Social Skills Coaching – Patrick King

King focuses on using emotional intelligence and understanding human interaction to help break down emotional barriers, improve listeners’ confidence, and equip people with the tools they need for success.

Although King’s expertise is centered on romantic relationships, this podcast provides strategies to improve one’s emotional awareness and engage in better communication.

People engaging in social skills training would benefit from the episode on social sensitivity, which examines the social dynamics of the brain. It also explains why our brains are programmed to respond more to specific traits (e.g., warmth, dominance) and why people with those traits are often elevated to higher positions within the social hierarchy.

Available on  Apple Podcasts .

17 Top-Rated Positive Psychology Exercises for Practitioners

Expand your arsenal and impact with these 17 Positive Psychology Exercises [PDF] , scientifically designed to promote human flourishing, meaning, and wellbeing.

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There are several resources available on our website to complement the social skills training that you are providing to your clients.

Our Emotional Intelligence Masterclass© trains helping professionals in methodology that helps increase their client’s emotional intelligence.

The client workbook has several exercises that practitioners can give their clients to develop an awareness of their emotions and, subsequently, understand how those emotions might contribute to interactions with others.

Our Positive Psychology Toolkit© provides over 400 exercises and tools, and the Social Network Investment exercise, included in the Toolkit, focuses on reflecting on a client’s current social network. By further looking into the amount of time and investment devoted to the members of their social network, clients can further identify who is supportive of their endeavors and who negatively affects experiences.

With this knowledge, relationships can be analyzed before devoting even more time and investment that might not facilitate positive emotions.

People who struggle with initiating conversation might also have trouble talking about their emotions. Our exercise on Asking for Support , also in the Toolkit, can provide assistance to someone having trouble communicating their emotions.

It also provides strategies to practice asking for help when needed. This exercise also gives you the opportunity to identify any personal barriers that are impending your ability to seek help from others.

You might be interested in this sister article, Social Skills Training for Kids , which provides top resources for teachers. To enhance your knowledge, our Social Skills Books for Adults & Kids  is a must-read selection of top books.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others enhance their wellbeing, this signature collection contains 17 validated positive psychology tools for practitioners. Use them to help others flourish and thrive.

Improving social skills is an important skill to develop for anyone trying to facilitate professional and personal connections.

However, sometimes clients might not even realize they need targeted interventions to help with their social skills, and they might approach a therapist with other challenges around anxiety entering new situations.

For that reason, we hope this article provided valuable options for the development of social skills, with useful activities and social skills worksheets to be incorporated into your sessions.

We encourage you and your clients to explore these exercises together and engage in goal-setting tools to target areas that will benefit their daily lives, relationships, and communication.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

• Anderson, G., & Kazantzis, N. (2008). Social problem-solving skills for adults with mild intellectual disability: A multiple case study. Behaviour Change , 25 (2), 97–108.
• Cognitive Development Learning Centre. (2019). Training eye contact in communication . Retrieved May 4, 2021, from https://cognitive.com.sg/training-eye-contact-in-communication/
• Fleming, C. (2013). It’s the way you say it: Becoming articulate, well-spoken and clear (2nd ed.). Berrett-Koehler.
• Social skills training. (n.d.). In  Encyclopedia of mental disorder. Retrieved May 4, 2021, from http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Social-skills-training.html

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What our readers think.

Hello, I am trying to open the link to the ARE-method but am unable to.

Please try to access the worksheet here .

If you experience further issues with accessing the link, please let me know!

Warm regards, Julia | Community Manager

Sounds so good for my young adult. Do you know of any in person sessions, workshops, which would benefit him being in person.

I would like to know what the best book to get for my husband for him to learn social skills conversations. Thank You

check out our article “ 12 Must-Read Social Skills Books for Adults & Kids “.

Hope this helps!

Kind regards, Julia | Community Manager

Are there any online classes for people suffering with anxiety, Aspergers and a lack of social skills? This is a great article, but there are no therapists who teach social skills. These are skills that come from parents. Like me, when you have no parent or friends to teach you, what do you do? Please make an online course. I would pay to watch a course and even buy materials.

Thank you for your thoughtful comment and interest in an online course addressing anxiety, Aspergers, and social skills. I understand how challenging it can be to find the right resources, especially when traditional sources of support may not be readily available.

While we don’t currently offer an online course, we are happy to recommend a helpful resource that cater to individuals experiencing similar difficulties: Psychology Today has a great directory you can use to find therapists in your local area. Usually, the therapists provide a summary in their profile with their areas of expertise and types of issues they are used to working with.

I hope this helps.

Hello, I just found out about this website today and this is the exact type of service I need. I unfortunately cannot find any one like this that is near me or accept my insurance. And I need this fast since my quality of life is so bad, I have severe social anxiety, and never had friends or a relationship.

Hi there a lot of the links don’t work in this article? How can I access the resources?

Thanks for your question! We are working on updating all the broken links in our articles, as they can be outdated. Which specific resource are you looking for?

Maybe I can help 🙂

Kind regards, -Caroline | Community Manager

Living socially isolated, getting told I have autism ad the age of 33, I found out that I have a lot to learn about being social with people. Now knowing what my “ problem” is also gave me the drive to improve my people skills. Fearing I willing never fully understand feelings ( not even my own) all help is welcome. And this was a very helpful article. Living in a world with tips and tricks to look normal will never be easy. But you sure help me .. thank you..

AMAZING work.. .as always. Thank you !

Thank you Gabriella social skills have been a real issue for me for my whole life. There are so many helpful avenues to explore thanks this article.

Steven Cronson My brothers didn’t consider me an Aspie and made a pact to ignore me , block me I hadn’t even learned many social skills my brother a psychiatrist tried by giving me ptsd and gad a Divorce to try to get me to end my life. My wife proudly fought back and figured out how better to understand me. And I fought the awful had medicine Lexapro that I consider the devil in a pill that made me flat and losing my superpower focusing ability. I hope a producer latched on to my fascinating story of greed, over good, attack on my very life and a brother doctor that should never been one. My dad a psychiatrist made me a DDS to be respected and listened to but not even work and married off in a fake but better life. They accused me an Aspie blind to empathy. B

I’m sorry to read about your challenges with your family. It’s good that you have what sounds like a supportive ally in your wife. And indeed, medications don’t work for everyone — or it may be the case that a different medication may suit you better. Definitely raise these concerns with a trusted psychiatrist if you feel medication could help you.

As you note, it’s a harmful myth that those on the autism spectrum don’t feel empathy. And this myth unfairly stigmatises members of this community. I’m sorry to read about these accusations from your family.

On another note, if you’d like to work on your social skills, consider reaching out to support groups for those with Aspergers in your area, or seeking the support of a therapist with expertise in this area. Psychology Today has a great directory you can use to find therapists in your local area. Usually, the therapists provide a summary in their profile with their areas of expertise and types of issues they are used to working with.

I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best.

– Nicole | Community manager

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71+ Free Social Problem-Solving Scenarios

Do you have kiddos who struggle with their social problem-solving skills? Teach your students the simple process of how to solve a problem along with having them review how well their solution worked or didn’t work.

Why Teach Problem Solving Skills?

Learning to problem solve is an essential skill that is used not only throughout childhood but also into adulthood. Social problem solving is the ability to change or adapt to undesirable situations that arise throughout our day.

On a daily basis, a child will encounter social problems that they will need to solve.

Anything from:

• arguing with another student
• to hurting a friend’s feelings
• to having a difficult conversation
• working with others

Start with Small Problems

Many of the “problems” children encounter are often small problems which the child may be over-reacting to, such as wanting a different coloring crayon or wanting to be first in line, however, these small problems are still very real to the child.

Practicing problem-solving with these small problems can be a great learning opportunity. Children can practice problem-solving with a small problem which can help them learn how to handle bigger problems in the future.

Problem Solving Importance

Social problem-solving skills are critical to a child’s social interactions, personal and professional relationships. A child’s ability to handle change, cope with stress, and handle challenges improves with a child’s ability to successfully solve social problems.

The ultimate goal is that the child will be able to solve social problems all on their own, but until they can independently solve a problem they will need to learn how to communicate and self-advocate to positively solve their problems.  

Steps to Problem Solving

Children can be taught how to problem solve through a guided process of breaking down the problem and using simple steps to solve the problem.

Learning specific steps to problem-solving can allow children to remember how to solve a problem when they become overwhelmed or stressed.

Although learning to solve a problem independently can take some time and practice it is well worth the investment to have a child who can eventually solve most social situations in a positive manner on their own.

What we learnt about solving problems is don't freak out, if one thing doesn't work , try something else out. And work together as a team. #melthammathsweek #MELTHAMPUPILVOICE @problemsolveit pic.twitter.com/iVm1Im4Aue — yr6melthamce (@yr6melthamce) February 4, 2019

Problem Solving Form

Teach your students the 4 steps to becoming a social problem-solver.

• Identify the problem. For instance, start by having your student identify the social problem.
• Create three solutions. Also, have your student come up with three different solutions that they could use to solve the problem that they identified.
• Identify the consequences. Then, identify the consequence for each individual solution.
• Pick the best solution.  Lastly, have your student identify which of their three solutions is the best choice Then have your student put into words why they think that solution is the best solution.

Problem Solving Review Form

After your students go through the social problem-solver have them use the social problem-solving review form.

• What happened.  For instance, after your student tried their solution have them explain what happened next.
• Review the results. Also, have your student identify whether or not their solution got them the results they wanted.
• Use this solution again. Furthermore, have your student identify whether or not they would use this solution again in the future to solve the same or similar problem.
• What would you do differently? Finally, have your student explain what they would do differently if they didn’t get the results they wanted or if they wouldn’t use that solution again in the future.

71+ Social Problem Scenarios + 6 Blank Scenarios

Use the 71 social problem-solving scenarios to have your students get great experience practicing how to solve a social problem.

Also, included are 6 blank scenarios. Then laminate them so you can use them over and over again. Therefore, create social problems that the student experiences and needs help solving.

Wordless Video teaching Problem Solving

Watch this super cute wordless animation with your students and have them discuss the problem they see and how to best solve the problem.

Use this as a fun practice example to get your students started towards learning how to problem-solve.

Demonstrate Through Modeling

Model and discuss empathy.

First and foremost, children need to understand how another person might be feeling in a given situation in order to become a good social problem solver. The student needs to learn how to “stand in someone else’s shoes” for a little bit.

One way you can work on this skill is during the reading time you can focus on how a particular character in the story might be feeling.

Ask questions, such as:

• “How do they feel right now?”
• “How would you feel in that same situation?”
• “Why do you think they feel that way?”

Model Problem-Solving Skills as the Teacher

When you are faced with a problem you can solve the problem by thinking aloud for the students to hear how you solve a problem.

You can state the problem, then come up with possible solutions, then identify the possible consequences to each solution, then pick and explain why a solution is the best option.

For example, you could say, “I was hoping to take the class outside for a stress walk around the track before the reading test, but the problem is that it is raining outside. I could still take you outside, but then you will get wet, or we could walk the halls, but then we’d have to be really quiet because there are other classes learning, or we could just skip the walk and take the reading test, but then you might not do as well on the test. I think based on all of those solutions the best solution will be to walk the hallway, but you guys will have to promise to be quiet so that we don’t disrupt other classes.

Modeling the problem-solving process can be very helpful for the students to watch, observe, and later implement themselves.

Teach Communication

Have students communicate how they are feeling.

Teaching your students to share their emotions in a respectful way can improve their ability to problem-solve.

Have students use an “I” sentence frame, such as, “I feel _____ (insert feeling word) when _____ (identify what made you feel that way).”

For example, “I felt sad when Jackson broke my favorite pencil” or “I was mad when I wasn’t picked to be first in line.”

This way students can communicate how they are feeling using honest and open communication. Teaching students to appropriately communicate their emotions can help solve some social problems from the beginning.

Encourage Independency

Encourage your student to problem solve.

If your student is struggling to problem solve independently encourage them to do so using open-ended questions.

• “How could you fix this problem?”
• “What would be a fair solution?”
• “What would happen if you used that solution?”

Let the Student try to Problem Solve Independently

Give your students the space to try and solve their own problems using the guided strategies. Try not to come running to their rescue for every little problem.

Some problems are small and a great opportunity for the student to learn and practice. If an adult does all of the problem solving for a student then what are they really learning?

Give your students the time and space they need to practice solving small problems on their own. Of course, if it is a bigger or more serious problem then have an adult help guide the problem-solving process.

Tell an Adult

Remind your students that there are still some problems that are too big for them to solve on their own and that it is okay to get help from an adult to solve big problems.

For example, if the student doesn’t feel safe, someone is being hurt physically or emotionally, or if they tried to solve a problem independently but it didn’t work and they need help. Let them know that it’s okay to tell an adult.

Teach How to Disagree and How to Make Up

Discuss how to disagree respectfully.

Remind your student that they won’t always agree with their teacher, friends, classmate, or parents and that’s okay. Even the people we like might have different opinions, interests, and likes than we do.

However, even if we disagree with someone we should still treat them with respect. Treating someone with respect means to not call them names, ignore them, yell or hit them. It means that you do try to create solutions that both parties can agree with and to apologize when we hurt others’ feelings.

Role-Play How to Make Up

Practice in everyday life how to make up after a social problem .

Students are really having to stretch their brains today. It's @NSPCC #NumberDay and @problemsolveit are challenging Y9 and 10 to solve the escape room boxes. It's not as easy as it looks! The promise of a few sweet treats for the winners seems to be helping though! pic.twitter.com/AxRRJnJIv2 — CongletonHS (@CongletonHS) February 2, 2018

Be sure to get your free social problem solver today below! I hope you and your students love this freebie.

Have your students use task card scenarios to help them identify how they and others might feel in different social scenarios. Be sure to discuss the problem, identify possible solutions, identify the consequences of those possible solutions, and then based on those consequences pick the best solution.

Make social problem-solving a game by telling the students that they are social detectives and that it is their job to use what they know about social rules to help them identify the possible and best solutions.

Start practicing today with 71+ free social problem social task cards! Do your students need more practice?

Be sure to check out my other freebie for 31 wordless animated videos to teach problem-solving and so much more.

Make Problem Solving Easier with this Freebie!

Download yours today to get started.

Get More Problem Solving Time Saving Materials

Next, be sure to check out the following time-saving materials to continue to teach your students how to solve their social problems in addition to this freebie.

Weekly Social Pragmatics Homework

• Weekly problem-solving.   Send home a  weekly homework page  that includes a problem-solving scenario plus an idiom and a conversational practice scenario.

Restorative Justice Problem Solving Flip Book

• Restorative justice graphic visual.  Use this graphic visual to help your student  restore a social relationship  after a social problem.

Self-Advocating Role-Play Scenarios

• Self-advocating in high school.  Teach your high schoolers the process to  self-advocate  for what they need.

5th-12th Grade Life Skills Problem Solving

• Life skills problem-solving.  In addition, this  life skills differentiated bundle  includes a problem-solving lesson plan.

I recommend you read Problem Solving Wheel: Help Kids Solve Their Own Problems , 61+ Free Fillable SLP Planner Pages 2020-2021 , 430+ Free Multisyllabic Words List Activity Bundle , or 432+ Free IEP Goal Bank to Save You Time posts because they include freebies as well and who doesn’t want more freebies!

Got questions? Leave a comment. Let’s chat!

Monday 30th of January 2023

Hello! I have entered my name and email twice (yesterday & today) to receive to 71+ Free Social Problem-Solving Senarios, but I have not received anything yet. Not even an email back to mine in order to subcribe. Thanks for your help! Tracy

Melissa Berg

Tuesday 31st of January 2023

Hi Tracy, Thanks so much for reaching out! Sorry about that. We went ahead and sent you an email with the PDF attached. Wishing you all my best, Melissa

Problem Solving Skills

Tuesday 30th of August 2022

I truly love your site. Excellent colors, theme and writing. Thanks for sharing.

Laura Ricca

Monday 11th of April 2022

Tuesday 12th of April 2022

Hi Laura, I'm glad you found this resource helpful. Melissa

Modified Mental Health and Suicide Prevention - Speech Therapy Store

Monday 11th of May 2020

[…] 71+ FREE SOCIAL PROBLEM-SOLVING SCENARIOS […]

Problem Solving Wheel: Help Kids Solve Their Own Problems - Speech Therapy Store

Monday 4th of May 2020

[…] 71+ Free Social Problem Solving Task Cards Scenarios […]

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What do we mean when we say, "social thinking?" We have a lot of information to share. Here are three ways to understand how we use the words "social thinking:"

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Over time, our teachings can help people cultivate relationships and improve performance at school and at work. For 25 years our experts have been a guiding resource for schools, clinics, and families around the world, and we’re here for you, too. Whether you're teaching individuals with ADHD, autism spectrum (levels 1 or 2), social communication disorders, or an entire mainstream class-our strategies can help you help them.

This has been a game changer for helping general education teachers.  We have been using the Social Thinking Methodology with our students, they are making friends, are more successful academically, and generally happier in all they do. Thank you! - Jennifer, Special Education Teacher

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Social problem-solving might also be called ‘ problem-solving in real life ’. In other words, it is a rather academic way of describing the systems and processes that we use to solve the problems that we encounter in our everyday lives.

The word ‘ social ’ does not mean that it only applies to problems that we solve with other people, or, indeed, those that we feel are caused by others. The word is simply used to indicate the ‘ real life ’ nature of the problems, and the way that we approach them.

Social problem-solving is generally considered to apply to four different types of problems:

• Impersonal problems, for example, shortage of money;
• Personal problems, for example, emotional or health problems;
• Interpersonal problems, such as disagreements with other people; and
• Community and wider societal problems, such as litter or crime rate.

A Model of Social Problem-Solving

One of the main models used in academic studies of social problem-solving was put forward by a group led by Thomas D’Zurilla.

This model includes three basic concepts or elements:

Problem-solving

This is defined as the process used by an individual, pair or group to find an effective solution for a particular problem. It is a self-directed process, meaning simply that the individual or group does not have anyone telling them what to do. Parts of this process include generating lots of possible solutions and selecting the best from among them.

A problem is defined as any situation or task that needs some kind of a response if it is to be managed effectively, but to which no obvious response is available. The demands may be external, from the environment, or internal.

A solution is a response or coping mechanism which is specific to the problem or situation. It is the outcome of the problem-solving process.

Once a solution has been identified, it must then be implemented. D’Zurilla’s model distinguishes between problem-solving (the process that identifies a solution) and solution implementation (the process of putting that solution into practice), and notes that the skills required for the two are not necessarily the same. It also distinguishes between two parts of the problem-solving process: problem orientation and actual problem-solving.

Problem Orientation

Problem orientation is the way that people approach problems, and how they set them into the context of their existing knowledge and ways of looking at the world.

Each of us will see problems in a different way, depending on our experience and skills, and this orientation is key to working out which skills we will need to use to solve the problem.

An Example of Orientation

Most people, on seeing a spout of water coming from a loose joint between a tap and a pipe, will probably reach first for a cloth to put round the joint to catch the water, and then a phone, employing their research skills to find a plumber.

A plumber, however, or someone with some experience of plumbing, is more likely to reach for tools to mend the joint and fix the leak. It’s all a question of orientation.

Problem-Solving

Problem-solving includes four key skills:

• Defining the problem,
• Coming up with alternative solutions,
• Making a decision about which solution to use, and
• Implementing that solution.

Based on this split between orientation and problem-solving, D’Zurilla and colleagues defined two scales to measure both abilities.

They defined two orientation dimensions, positive and negative, and three problem-solving styles, rational, impulsive/careless and avoidance.

They noted that people who were good at orientation were not necessarily good at problem-solving and vice versa, although the two might also go together.

It will probably be obvious from these descriptions that the researchers viewed positive orientation and rational problem-solving as functional behaviours, and defined all the others as dysfunctional, leading to psychological distress.

The skills required for positive problem orientation are:

Being able to see problems as ‘challenges’, or opportunities to gain something, rather than insurmountable difficulties at which it is only possible to fail.

For more about this, see our page on The Importance of Mindset ;

Believing that problems are solvable. While this, too, may be considered an aspect of mindset, it is also important to use techniques of Positive Thinking ;

Believing that you personally are able to solve problems successfully, which is at least in part an aspect of self-confidence.

See our page on Building Confidence for more;

Understanding that solving problems successfully will take time and effort, which may require a certain amount of resilience ; and

Motivating yourself to solve problems immediately, rather than putting them off.

See our pages on Self-Motivation and Time Management for more.

Those who find it harder to develop positive problem orientation tend to view problems as insurmountable obstacles, or a threat to their well-being, doubt their own abilities to solve problems, and become frustrated or upset when they encounter problems.

The skills required for rational problem-solving include:

The ability to gather information and facts, through research. There is more about this on our page on defining and identifying problems ;

The ability to set suitable problem-solving goals. You may find our page on personal goal-setting helpful;

The application of rational thinking to generate possible solutions. You may find some of the ideas on our Creative Thinking page helpful, as well as those on investigating ideas and solutions ;

Good decision-making skills to decide which solution is best. See our page on Decision-Making for more; and

Implementation skills, which include the ability to plan, organise and do. You may find our pages on Action Planning , Project Management and Solution Implementation helpful.

There is more about the rational problem-solving process on our page on Problem-Solving .

Potential Difficulties

Those who struggle to manage rational problem-solving tend to either:

• Rush things without thinking them through properly (the impulsive/careless approach), or
• Avoid them through procrastination, ignoring the problem, or trying to persuade someone else to solve the problem (the avoidance mode).

This ‘ avoidance ’ is not the same as actively and appropriately delegating to someone with the necessary skills (see our page on Delegation Skills for more).

Instead, it is simple ‘buck-passing’, usually characterised by a lack of selection of anyone with the appropriate skills, and/or an attempt to avoid responsibility for the problem.

An Academic Term for a Human Process?

You may be thinking that social problem-solving, and the model described here, sounds like an academic attempt to define very normal human processes. This is probably not an unreasonable summary.

However, breaking a complex process down in this way not only helps academics to study it, but also helps us to develop our skills in a more targeted way. By considering each element of the process separately, we can focus on those that we find most difficult: maximum ‘bang for your buck’, as it were.

Continue to: Decision Making Creative Problem-Solving

See also: What is Empathy? Social Skills

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Social Skills Activities that Teach Kids Problem-Solving

September 22 , 2021.

​​ Social skills activities are important for children of all abilities. With this in mind, We Rock the Spectrum’s Social Skills Blog Series aims to provide insight into activities and practical tips that help instill social skills in children. In this article, we focus on the importance of problem-solving skills in children and introduce five fun and educational activities that can enhance their problem-solving skill set. 

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disability in which children find it difficult to socialize and interact with others. Although autism comes in a variety of forms, many 

kids have difficulty developing problem-solving skills. The combination of diminished communication, emotional, and self-regulation skills, all contribute to the child’s reduced skills. To be able to become well-rounded individuals, children of all abilities need to be given the opportunity and resources to learn proper problem-solving skills so that they can face challenges head-on later in life. With this in mind, we have put together a guide on the importance of problem-solving skills for both neurotypical children and children with autism.

Why is Problem-Solving Important?

Problem-solving deals with the ability to make decisions in tough or challenging situations. Children of all abilities need to learn how to properly handle each situation with problem-solving in order to become more independent and resilient. Having good problem-solving skills allow children to gain the patience and self-confidence they need to develop into capable individuals.

Problem-solving activities help children develop the skills they need to efficiently and effectively deal with complex issues and situations. In life, children will run into a variety of situations with differing contexts. Having the proper problem-solving skill set will allow children to learn how to handle every situation with ease. Once a child is able to effectively problem-solve, they will be able to better navigate their own personal problems and those of others as well. Additionally, a child will be able to identify a problem, develop different solutions, test different solutions, and analyze the results.

It is essential for parents or guardians to help boost problem-solving skills through a variety of sensory strategies. Here is a list of 5 fun activities that will teach children of all abilities how to build their problem-solving skills.

5 Activities that Teach Problem Solving

1. problems in a jar.

Problems in a Jar is a fun and creative way for children to explore different situations that can occur in the real world. This activity is designed to help kids generate solutions from one problem or circumstance. To begin, an adult will write one situation on a small sheet of paper, fold it, and place it in a jar. This continues until the jar is full. The child then picks a paper and reads off the problem. He/she must then come up with the best solution that solves the challenging scenario. This helps children think thoroughly about each possible solution independently.

2. Scavenger Hunt

Everyone loves a game of scavenger hunt! This group activity prompts children’s deduction skills based on clues and hints, which in turn, enhances their problem-solving skills. To start, divide children into groups of 2-3 and have them come up with a plan on which members look for which items. Children can also brainstorm together on where each item is located. This helps kids work together towards one goal while also nourishing their communication. Parents can also reward kids with small treats for every item they find on the scavenger hunt.

3. Impromptu Skits

Impromptu skits are a fun and engaging way for kids to think independently and with quick reactions. In this activity, children are given one situation wherein they have to reenact how the situation unfolds and how to solve the issue. This allows children to think about how to deal with each situation and see how it can be solved efficiently. After the skit, ask the children to explain their thought processes and correct them if there were any actions that were unnecessary. Children watching the skit will also be able to learn and understand how to best act in certain circumstances. 

Puzzles are one of the best ways a child can stimulate their mind. Puzzles have multiple pieces that are all jumbled together. To solve a puzzle, children need to sort the pieces out and place them in their proper areas to be able to put the puzzle back together. This helps children develop memory recall and thought organization. To start off easy, children can work on puzzles with fewer pieces. Once they get the hang of it, they can move on to more difficult and complex puzzles to build their skill set. 

5. Play With A Purpose TM

Having a space where your children will feel safe experimenting is vital to developing problem-solving skills quickly. We Rock the Spectrum’s Play With A Purpose™ stimulates and exercises a child’s sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch, vestibular system, and proprioception through positive physical, emotional, and social development. At We Rock the Spectrum, kids are able to play and interact together through arts and crafts, classes, our sensory equipment , and more to strengthen their problem-solving skills in an inclusive, sensory-safe environment.

Key Takeaways

Equipping all children with the proper problem-solving tools and resources at an early age will ensure they develop the skills they need to become versatile individuals. Children who are able to hone their problem-solving skills at their most important phase of development will be able to become more independent and know how to acclimate best to a multitude of situations in the long run. We Rock the Spectrum is a kids gym franchise that offers a wide range of fun and inclusive problem-solving activities through its specialized sensory equipment and Play With A Purpose™ program. Discover more about our mission by getting in touch with us today !

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The Pathway 2 Success

Solutions for Social Emotional Learning & Executive Functioning

100+ Free Social Emotional Learning Resources

June 1, 2018 by pathway2success 5 Comments

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Social and emotional learning, often known as SEL, is the process that helps kids learn critical skills, attitudes, and mindsets for social and emotional success. These skills cover five major areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships, and responsible decision-making. It’s actually difficult to describe in just one sentence because SEL covers everything from building confidence and managing emotions to making friends and understanding ethical decision-making skills. These are truly the foundational skills that help kids to be successful in and out of school.

It’s important to note that SEL isn’t just one activity. It’s a philosophy that educators, administrators, and entire schools must adopt in order to help all kids build mental and emotional strength. Simply put, incorporating social emotional learning into classrooms helps kids thrive. Many educators might at first feel there is not enough time to add one more thing into the school day. Again, that’s why it’s important to think of SEL as something we integrate into what we’re already doing rather than something that gets “added on”. I created this list to help educators and schools have a starting point for integrating free SEL strategies and resources into their already-busy days. If you aren’t sure where to start, just choose one or two things. Help your learners build their confidence, learn strategies to cope with tough emotions, discuss what true friendship is, identify strategies for solving real-life problems, and so on.

Here are free social emotional learning resources:

PRINTABLE RESOURCES:

Self-Awareness:

• Social Emotional Learning Journal – Prompts focusing on understanding individual strengths and challenges.

• Positive Affirmations List – A list of 101 positive affirmations to build positive confidence and positive self-talk.

• Gratitude Activities – Quick activities that help kids recognize what they are thankful for.

• The Power of Yet Posters – Encourage students to use a growth mindset with these positive posters.

• Growth Mindset Task Cards – Use these task cards to help students learn they can accomplish their goals with hard work and grit.

Self-Management:

• Coping Strategies Challenge – Have students learn 30 coping strategies in 30 days to teach about managing emotions.

• Emotions Check-In – Worksheets for daily emotions check-ins.

• Coping Strategies Notebook – A tool that helps kids to practice and use their coping strategies when they need them.

• Anger Management Worksheets – An anger log to help kids track their triggers for anger.

• Calming Posters – Simple calming posters for a calm down area that remind kids to relax and breathe.

• Motivation Workbook – Workbook to help students learn strategies for motivation and completing tasks.

• Homework Binder – Resource that helps students organize their binders and have a dedicated spot for homework.

• Coping Strategies List – List of 100 different coping strategies kids can use to manage emotions.

• Executive Functioning Workbook – Set of workbook pages that target skills like time management and organization.

• Mindfulness Coloring – Free coloring worksheets to help encourage mindfulness.

• Executive Functioning Poster – Visual reference to help kids and young adults remember critical executive functioning skills, including organization and planning.

Social Awareness:

• Kindness Activity – Quick lesson and kindness challenge to promote a positive climate.

• Conversation Skills Lessons – Lessons for teaching and practicing conversation skills.

• Perspective-Taking Lessons – Lessons focusing on teaching how to perspective-take and develop empathy.

• Tolerance and Acceptance Pledge – Have students take a pledge to help them learn to accept others who are different from them.

Relationships:

• Getting to Know You Questions – Free list of over 30 questions to help kids get to know each other and build positive relationships.

• Conversation Starters – Over 20 printable cards to start meaningful discussions.

• Working with Others – Teach students explicitly how to effectively work with others in partners and groups.

Decision-Making:

• Social Problem-Solving Task Cards – Task cards that highlight real social problems for kids to discuss and identify ways to solve.

• Student of the Month Awards – Awards that help build your classroom community by helping kids feel recognized.

• How Big is My Problem Task Cards – Activity cards and situations that help students identify problems and challenges.

BLOG POSTS:

• Teaching Social Emotional Skills with a Journal
• 25 Ways to Integrate Social Emotional Learning
• Art Activities for Social Emotional Learning
• Helping Kids with Social Emotional Needs
• How to Make a Coping Strategies Wheel
• 13 Ways to Avoid Power Struggles
• Why Positive Self-Talk is Worth It
• Teaching Social Problem Solving with a Free Activity
• 10 Mindfulness Activities You Can Try Today

APPS & WEBSITES FOR KIDS:

• Everyday Speech Social Skills Games (social awareness, relationships, decision-making) – Interactive online games for social skills, including conversation skills, school behavior, problem solving, and more.
• Breathe, Think, Do (self-management, decision-making) – Use with younger learners to help practice deep breathing and problem-solving skills.
• Go Noodle (self-management) – Hundreds of videos to help kids take a brain break and practice mindfulness.
• Headspace: Guided Meditation & Mindfulness (self-awareness, self-management) – This app provides meditation exercises with a coach that helps you learn as you go.
• The Mindfulness App (self-awareness, self-management) – A mindfulness app that helps you become more present in your daily life with guided and silent meditation sessions.
• Learn Social Skills (social awareness, relationships) – Use video lessons and readings to help kids learn skills.
• Aware (self-awareness, self-management) – This app leads you through daily mindfulness meditation techniques, including energizing activities and breathing practice.
• Stop Breathe & Think: Meditate (self-awareness, self-management) – Tailored to your specific emotions, this app helps you take a break and reduce stress through meditation.
• Listening Skills (social awareness, relationships) – Strategies for becoming an active listener.
• MyCalmBeat (self-awareness, self-management) – This app provides training and practice in slow, deep breathing for stress reduction.
• Breathe (self-management) – An app that assists in controlling your breathing.
• Gratitude Journal  (self-awareness, self-management) – This app helps you focus on the positive by identifying what you are thankful for each day.
• Kids Coping Skill Puzzle (self-management) – Build a puzzle while sorting between positive and negative coping skills.
• Affirmation Reminder  (self-awareness) – Select from a list of positive affirmations or make your own to add as reminders.
• ColorMe (self-awareness, self-management) – Free coloring app to help reduce stress.

WEBSITES FOR EDUCATORS:

• CASEL – Everything from basic information to detailed research surrounding SEL.
• Edutopia – Several articles and ideas for integrating SEL into the classroom.
• Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning – Tons of free resources to get you started.
• Education Week Webinar – Detailed information about how teachers can build social-emotional learning skills.
• Social and Emotional Learning Standards – Detailed information and links about which states have adopted SEL standards.
• NoVo Foundation – Information and strategies for SEL.
• Social Emotional Learning: What Is SEL and Why It Matters
• Social Emotional Learning: Trish Shaffer Ted Talk
• The Heart-Brain Connection: The Neuroscience of Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning
• 5 Keys to Social and Emotional Learning Success
• The Five Social and Emotional Competencies
• An Introduction to Social and Emotional Learning
• Social and Emotional Learning: A Schoolwide Approach
• Social and Emotional Learning in Action

CLASSROOM STRATEGIES:

• Hold a morning meeting. Use this time to check-in with students, review expectations, and start the day.
• Do a check-in and check-out with specific students in need to monitor their social-emotional needs.
• Build strong relationships from the start.
• Model and discuss social skills, highlighting them throughout the day.
• Use literature to highlight social and emotional skills.
• Incorporate consequences that give back to the community instead of punishments.

READ ALOUDS:

Note that these books aren’t free, but it is always free to borrow from your local library, so I wanted to share them!

• How Do I Feel? by Norma Simon (ages 2 to 7)
• Today I Feel Silly & Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee (ages 3 to 8)
• Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman (ages 4 to 8)
• Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell (ages 5 to 8)
• When I Feel Frustrated by Marcia Leonard (ages 2 to 6)
• Super George and the Invisible Shield by Laurie P. Mendoza (ages 7 to 11)
• Know and Follow Rule by Cheri Meiners (ages 3 to 6)
• There Might Be Lobsters by Carolyn Crimi (ages 3 to 7)
• When I Care About Others by Cornelia Maude Spelman (ages 5 to 7)
• Can You Tell How Someone Feels by Nita Everly (ages 3 to 6)
• Hugo and the Bully Frogs by Francesca Simon (ages 3 to 7)
• Can You Be a Friend? by Nita Everly (ages 3 to 6)
• We Are Best Friends by Aliki (ages 4 to 7)
• You’re All My Favorites by Sam McBratney (ages 5 to 7)
• I Did It, I’m Sorry by Caralyn Buehner (ages 5 to 8)
• The Decisive Dolphin by Efrat Haddi (ages 3 to 8)
• Someday by Eileen Spinelli (ages 4 to 8)

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Follow these boards, hashtags, and people for information on SEL:

• Pathway 2 Success – FB is one of the first places I share new ideas!
• School Psyched, Your School Psychologist – Great social and emotional ideas for all educators.
• Social Emotional Learning – Public FB group focused on sharing SEL ideas.
• Pathway 2 Success – Many of my boards target SEL skills.
• Books for Social Emotional Learning – A board focused on reading materials for SEL.
• Social Emotional Learning – Entire board focused on emotions, social skills, and more.
• Social Skills Group – A collaborative board with resources for social group ideas.
• Social Emotional Resources for Elementary – Another collaborative board focused on elementary kids.
• Pathway 2 Success  – I love sharing ideas, resources, and freebies on IG!
• #socialemotionallearning – Follow this hashtag for SEL ideas and more.
• Pathway 2 Success – Twitter is a great professional network to share ideas.
• Brain Mendler – Amazing educator and presenter who brings on thoughtful conversations.
• #socialemotionallearning – Follow this hashtag for SEL ideas and strategies.
• #sel – Another hashtag to follow.

If you love this list, make sure to share!

Share this:

October 21, 2018 at 5:18 pm

Looks interesting.

November 4, 2018 at 9:30 pm

I can say enough about how incredible this is! We have a built in SEL time at my school this year and can’t wait to try many of these FREE activities. Thank you!

March 19, 2020 at 11:24 pm

Thank you for this amazing collection of resources!! I really appreciate all of your hard work and willingness to share!!

July 23, 2020 at 3:31 pm

Thank you for the resources. PK has been doing SEL for a few years now through Frog Street Press and it is amazing.

September 6, 2020 at 3:17 pm

I am a 50 year old first year teacher and these resources are incredible. I am truly grateful. Thank you for your hard work.

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⭐ Kristina 💖 SEL & Executive Functioning 💻 Blogger at www.thepathway2success.com 👩‍🏫 Special Educator turned Curriculum Specialist Links here 👇

• ELEMENTARY TEACHING , SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM

SEL Problem Solving: How to Teach Students to be Problem Solvers in 2024

If you are an elementary teacher looking to learn how to help your students solve problems independently, then you found the right place! Problem solving skills prepare kids to face dilemmas and obstacles with confidence. Students who have problem solving skills are more independent than students who do not. In this post, we’ll go into detail about what problem solving skills are and why they are important. In addition, we’ll share tips and ideas for how to teach problem solving skills in an elementary classroom setting. Read all about helping students solve problems in and out of the classroom below!

What Does Solving Problems Mean?

Solving problems means brainstorming solutions to the problem after identifying and analyzing the problem and why it occurred. It is important to brainstorm different solutions by looking at all angles of the problem and creating a list of possible solutions. Then you can pick the solution that fits the best.

Why is it Important for Kids to Solve Problems?

It is important for kids to solve problems by brainstorming different solutions so that they can pick the best solution. This teaches them that there can be many different solutions to a problem and they vary in effectiveness. Teaching kids to solve problems helps them be independent in making choices. 

How Do I Know If I Need to Teach Problem Solving in My Classroom?

The students in your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th grade classroom would benefit from problem solving lessons and activities if any of these statements are true:

• Student confidence is lacking.
• Students are getting into conflicts with each other.
• They come to you to solve problems they could have solved on their own.
• Students are becoming easily frustrated.
• Recess is a hard time for your class.

5 Reasons To Promote Problem Solving In Your Elementary Classroom

Below are 5 reasons to promote problem solving in your elementary classroom.

1. Problem solving builds confidence 

Students’ confidence will grow as they learn problem solving skills because they will believe in their own abilities to solve problems. The more experience they have using their problem solving skills, the more confident they will become. Instead of going to others to solve problems for them, they will look inside themselves at their own abilities. 

2. Problem solving creates stronger friendships

Students who can problem solve create stronger friendships because they won’t let arguments or running into issues stop them from being friends with a person. Instead they work with their friend to get through their problem together and get through the bump in the road, instead of giving up on the friendship. 

3. Problem solving skills increase emotional intelligence 

Having emotional intelligence is incredibly helpful when solving problems. As students learn problem solving skills, they will use emotional intelligence to think about the feelings of others involved in the conflict. They will also think about how the problem is affecting others. 

4. Problem solving skills create more independent kids

Students who can problem solve become more independent than kids who cannot because they will try to solve their problems first instead of going to an adult. They won’t look at adults as being the only people who can solve their problems. They will be equipped with the skill set to tackle the problems they are experiencing by themselves or with peers. However, it is important to make the distinction with kids between problems they can solve on their own and problems they need an adult for. 

5. Teaching problem solving skills causes students to be more reflective 

Reflecting is part of the problem solving process. Students need to reflect on the problem and what caused it when deciding how to solve the problem. Once students choose the best solution to their problem, they need to reflect on whether or not the solution was effective. 

5 Tips and Ideas for Teaching Problem Solving Skills 

Below are tips and ideas for teaching problem solving.

1. Read Aloud Picture Books about Problem Solving Skills 

Picture books are a great way to introduce and teach an SEL topic. It gets students thinking about the topic and activating their background knowledge. Check out this list of picture books for teaching problem solving skills !

2. Watch Videos about Problem Solving Skills 

There are tons of free online videos out there that promote social emotional learning. It’s a fun and engaging way to teach SEL skills that your students will enjoy. Check out these videos for teaching problem solving skills !

3. Explicitly Teach Vocabulary Related to Problem Solving Skills 

Vocabulary words can help students develop understanding of problem solving and create connections through related words. Our problem solving SEL unit includes ten vocabulary cards with words related to the SEL topic. It is important for students to be able to see, hear, and use relevant vocabulary while learning. One idea for how to use them is to create an SEL word wall as students learn the words.

4. Provide Practice Opportunities

When learning any skill, students need time to practice. Social emotional learning skills are no different! Our problem solving SEL unit includes scenario cards, discussion cards, choice boards, games, and much more. These provide students with opportunities to practice the skills independently, with partners or small groups, or as a whole class.

5. Integrate Other Content Areas

Integrating other content areas with this topic is a great way to approach this SEL topic. Our problem solving SEL unit includes reading, writing, and art activities.

Skills Related to Problem Solving

Problem-solving, in the context of social emotional learning (SEL) or character education, refers to the process of identifying, analyzing, and resolving challenges or obstacles in a thoughtful and effective manner. While “problem-solving” is the commonly used term, there are other words and phrases that can convey a similar meaning. These alternative words highlight different aspects of finding solutions, critical thinking, and decision-making. Here are some other words used in the context of problem-solving:

• Troubleshooting: Identifying and resolving problems or difficulties by analyzing their root causes.
• Critical thinking: Applying logical and analytical reasoning to evaluate and solve problems.
• Decision-making: Considering options and making choices to address and solve problems effectively.
• Analytical problem-solving: Using data, evidence, and systematic thinking to address challenges and find solutions.
• Creative problem-solving: Generating innovative ideas and approaches to overcome obstacles and find solutions.
• Resourcefulness: Finding effective solutions using available resources and thinking outside the box.
• Solution-oriented: Focusing on identifying and implementing solutions rather than dwelling on problems.
• Adaptability: Adjusting strategies and approaches to fit changing circumstances and overcome challenges.
• Strategic thinking: Planning and organizing actions to achieve desired outcomes and resolve problems.
• Systems thinking: Considering the interconnectedness and relationships between different elements when solving problems.

These terms encompass the concept of problem-solving and reflect the qualities of critical thinking, decision-making, and finding effective solutions within the context of social emotional learning (SEL) or character education.

Download the SEL Activities

Click an image below to either get this individual problem solving unit or get ALL 30 SEL units

In closing, we hope you found this information about teaching problem solving skills helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts.

• SEL Best Practices for Elementary Teachers
• Social Emotional Learning Activities
• 75+ SEL Videos for Elementary Teachers
• Teaching SEL Skills with Picture Books
• How to Create a Social Emotional Learning Environment

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31 Social Skills Activities and Games for Kids (Young Children, Teens, Autism & Group Activities)

Looking for fun social skills activities to boost your kid’s socio-emotional development.

Social skills are an important part of kids’ socio-emotional development. Every day, we use our social skills to communicate and interact in society.

Children learn about norms and acceptable behaviors through their social interaction with parents, teachers and, later in childhood, peers. There are also a number of social skills activities for kids that will help us support this learning process.

(Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. You can also read our Disclosure & Disclaimer policy here )

Social Skills Activities for Kids 

The following social activities are great for fun family game nights and for classroom activities. They are also great tools to help you work with kids on their social skills.

I’ve organized them into broad categories, following this social skills checklist .

• Communicating
• Recognizing and Expressing Emotions
• Participating / Taking Care of Themselves & Others
• Problem-Solving

For each social skill mentioned above, you will find  different activities  that may help with the developmen t of interpersonal skills.  

This is the list of social skills games and activities that we will explore below (you can also download one of our suggested social skills activities at the end of the post:)

• Conversation Role-Playing
• Self-Introduction for Kids
• Would you Rather Questions
• Giving & Receiving Compliments
• Puppet Show
• Assertive Communication Role-Play / Worksheets
• Personal Space Circle
• Recognizing Emotions / Emotions Flashcards Games & Activities
• Emotions & Facial Expressions (Worksheets)
• Continue my Story
• Guess what I’m Describing
• Whole Body Listening Worksheets
• Drama Workshop
• A Feelings Journal
• Expressing Feelings with Emotion Cards
• Conversation Ball
• The Talking Stick
• What Makes a Good Friend (Group Activity)
• Things We Have In Common
• Showing Interest: Questions about Others
• Guess Fake or Real Apology
• Write an Apology Letter
• How Others Feel / Perspective-Taking
• A Week of Kindness
• Respect Charades
• Conflict Resolution Worksheet
• Social Skills Board Game
• Social Skills Groups
• Social Clubs
• Social Stories
• Hidden Rules with Friends

Communication Skills Activities

VERBAL COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES

Skill: Starting, maintaining and finishing a conversation

Activity 1:   Role-playing conversations

What is role-playing?  It is acting out a particular person, character or situation. It is a technique used often when training new skills and in psychotherapy.

It works really well when you are training kids in social skills, as it allows them to practice a new skill in a safe environment before they expose themselves to real-life situations. Consequently, you will see it mentioned in several suggested social skills activities.

In this activity, you will be role-playing with your kids or students different everyday communication situations like:

• starting a conversation with the kid sitting next to you
• wrapping up a conversation so the kid agrees on meeting / playing again.

Just a few examples that you can use:

• Conversation starters Give them a few lines that they can use at school:
• What did you do this weekend?
• What games do you play at home?
• What is your favorite food / game / place?
• Should we play this again sometime?

If you run out of ideas, or would like to make it a bit more fun, you can download our free printable conversation cubes (it includes 5 different topics and a blank template for you to  explore any area of interest)

Alternatively, you can also consider these foam conversation cubes (36 engaging questions and an activity guide)

Activity 2: Role-playing self-introductions

Being able to introduce themselves is an essential skill that helps kids feel confident, and provides opportunities to make friends and meet new people. 

There are many situations when children may need to introduce themselves to a group, most likely their classroom or an activity group.

Activity: Create a list of introductory questions and ask them to introduce themselves Write a list of things for them to answer about themselves (favorite food, sport, names of their friends, how old they are).  They can write down or draw depending on their age / writing ability 

Related Reading: Self-Introduction Activities and Worksheets for Kids

Activity 3: Would you rather

“Would you rather” is a fun conversation game that offers a choice between two answers.

This games is so fun that even a quiet child can turn into a chatterbox.

Do you need some ideas? -> Check out our 114 Would you Rather questions for kids

Skill: Giving and receiving compliments

Activity 4:  Role-playing giving and receiving compliments

In groups of two, each kid takes a turn saying something nice to the other person (e.g. I like your t-shirt, You did great today at maths), and the child that receives the compliment responds “Thank you very much”.

Activity 5: Puppet show

This is just a variation of a role-playing situation. You may use the puppet show idea for any of the previous social situations that we have mentioned (conversation starters, giving and receiving compliments).

Just as an example. I sometimes use my kid’s favorite soft toys (Puppy Dog Pals) and represent conversations in which Bingo is having problems controlling his emotions and Rolly helps him through some of the calming strategies that we use at home. 

Activity 6: Communicating Assertively

Assertiveness is an important communication skill that will improve your child’s social interactions and low self-esteem.

Assertive communication is not just about what we say. Nonverbal communication is just as important: making eye contact, keeping calm while speaking, and using a confident voice tone.

Role-play how to communicate assertively in real-life situations. These assertive communication worksheets include tips and examples of assertive communication.

⇒ More info on assertive communication for kids

⇒ Other assertive communication resources: I-statements examples

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Skill: Respecting personal space

Activity 7: The personal space circle

Draw a circle on a big sheet of paper. The inner circle will be the intimate space (1.5 feet radius), surrounded by personal space (4 feet radius) and the area outside is the social space.

Put that paper on the floor. Take turns to role play conversations where kids speak to each other without trespassing in their personal spaces. (You may also use a string to create the circle or a hula hoop )

Related reading: 21 Personal Space Activities for Kids

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION & EMOTIONS /FEELINGS

Skill: Learning about facial expressions and body language

Activity 8 :   Identifying facial expression and body language in Emotion Cards

You can use emotion cards to work on emotion recognition. 

This is a set emotions flashcards with of 24 emotion labels and definitions. It also comes with useful suggestions on how to use them.

Activity 9: Emotions & Facial Expressions Workbook This Emotions & Facial Expressions workbook can be a great activity for younger kids, too (we developed this one ❤️)

Listening Skills Activities

Skill: Listening with complete attention

Activity 10 : Continue my story

We love storytelling at home. I make up new stories every single day for my child.

Stories can also be used for a fun activity that involves listening attentively.

One person in the group starts a story, and at some point of time stops and chooses who will continue the plot. The next person will take the story from there and will pass it to another one in due course.

Everybody needs to listen with full attention because they don’t know when their turn will come up.

Activity 11: Guess what I’m describing

Choose something that you will describe, for example, a lion. Then, share clues, one at a time, till somebody guesses what you are describing

“It is an animal / It has four legs / It lives in the wild / etc.”

Activity 12: Whole Body Listening Worksheets

“Whole Body Listening”, developed by  Susanne Marie Poulette , is one of the most popular tools to teach younger kids  active listening . 

You can download this social development tool from this post: Listening Games and Activities for Kids (18 ideas!)

Expressing and Recognizing Emotions / Feelings 

Skill: Expressing and recognizing feelings

Activity 13: Drama workshop.

Write down different emotions on slips of paper and put them in a bag. Taking turns each of you will take a slip of paper and role-play the emotion written on it.

The person role-playing practices the skill of expressing feelings

The people guessing are practicing emotion recognition.

Activity 14 : Keeping a feelings journal

Some kids may find expressing their feelings a bit difficult. A good way to get comfortable reflecting about feeling could be writing a feelings journal. This  one is a great one for girls. And this one could be a nice guided journal for teens , with prompts and fun design.

Skill: Expressing feelings

Activity 15 : Emotion cards and real-life situations

With a set of cards portraying different situations, take turns to explain how would do you feel when you are in that specific situation. 

These ones here are great.

The set includes 80 cards. Half of them are faces on white background (different ages, genders, and ethnicities) showing five different emotions (happy, sad, angry, disgusted and scared). The other 40 cards are real-life emotion-provoking situations. It also includes an activities booklet that provides instructions and ideas on how to build emotional awareness and social skills.

Tip: This option is a good idea if you want to work on different facial expressions on real people (the ones I mentioned in activity 7 are illustrations)

Participating (Social Skills Activity)

Taking turns

The beauty of this skill is that it can be practiced with any game you have at home. But just to give you another idea:

Activity 16: Answer the question when you get the ball

Conversation balls are great tools to help kids know about each other.

These balls have printed conversations prompts. There are several ways to play with them. You usually toss the ball and check under your thumb the question you need to answer.

You can also choose one of the questions and toss the ball around so that the kids wait for their turn to answer that question.

Conversation balls encourage the use of interpersonal skills (taking turns, eye contact, listening, responding).

Activity 17: The Talking Stick

The turn-taking stick  (or talking stick) is literally just a little stick decorated in a cute way. Only the student holding the stick is able to talk. After they have spoken they can pass the stick to another student

Related Reading: 25 Fun Turn-Taking Activities for Kids

Caring / Speaking Up for Themselves

Skill: Making friends

Group Activity 18 : Brainstorming what makes a good friend

Some ideas to mention: kind, helpful, talk nicely to people, don’t exclude others,  don’t say ugly things about others.

Activity 19: Things We Have In Common

This friendship activity is a great activity for breaking down barriers.

Kids are organized in small groups, ideally with a mix of kids that they aren’t already all friends. The group has to find a certain number of things that they all have in common.

Kids not only learn a lot about each other but become aware of how many things they may have in common with kids from different social groups.

Skill: Showing interest in others

Activity 20: Ask questions about the other person.

Organize the kids in pairs, and ask them to take turns asking questions about each other. 

If the kids run out of ideas you can use conversation cards like these ones  (120 questions divided into three kids’ theme topics)

Skill: Learning to Say I’m Sorry

Group Activity 21: Guess Fake or Real Apology

Play a guessing game where they need to figure out if an apology is real or fake.

Present different scenarios where an apology is necessary.  Have the kids come up with various real and fake apologies.

Then, go in a circle and have them read their apologies for lots of laughs. Each time a kid reads an apology, the others need to guess if it was real or not, and what gave them the clues.

Activity 22: Write an Apology Letter

An apology letter allows your kid to put their feelings in writing and reflect on their actions and how they affect others.

Related Reading: Teaching Kids to Apologize (worksheets included)

Skill: Teach Empathy

Activity 23:   Help kids take other people’s perspectives.

Perspective-taking activities may be quite enlightening and help them reflect on how others feel about a situation.

Select a set of situations your kids or students may encounter:

• Joe makes a joke about how Tim’s hair looks. What is Tim thinking? How is Tim feeling?
• Anna invites Emma and Lilly for a playdate but leaves out Kathy. Why do you think Anna left Kathy out. How did Kathy feel?

Activity 24: A Week of Kindness

Create a kindness challenge. Choose a kindness activity to complete each day of the week.

Related Reading: 23 Fun Empathy Activities for Kids

Skill: Showing Respect

Activity 25: Respect Charades (PDF Download available)

Write down different examples of respectful behaviors on slips of paper and put them in a bowl. Students take turns drawing a slip of paper and acting out the behavior while others guess what it is. (!Be sure to download this fun social skill group activity at the end of this post)

Problem Solving Activities

Skill: Problem Solving in Social / Group Context 

Activity 26: Conflict Resolution Worksheet (Conflict-Handling Modes)

This conflict resolution worksheet will enable work on the different conflict-handling modes:

• collaborating
• compromising
• accommodating.

Identify a conflict scenario, and ask your students to write examples for each conflict resolution strategy.

You can download this worksheet from the following article:

• 20 Fun Conflict Resolution Activities for Kids

Activity 27: Social Skills Board Games

Board games are a fun way to learn important social skills in a safe space with a small group of peers or with family members.

So,  let’s add an example of a social skills board game to our list:

• Social Skills Group Activities (6 Board Games)

The games target: morals, good manners, empathy, friendship, and emotional skills (showing emotions and managing emotions)

Related Reading:

• Social Skills Games for Kids
• 25 Fun Problem-Solving Activities for Kids

Social Skills Activities for Kids with Autism

One of the diagnostic criteria in Autism Spectrum Disorder is persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts:

• Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity
• Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction
• Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships

Kids with special needs or autism struggle to understand social cues.

As a social skills deficit really comes with the diagnosis, helping our kids with autism develop social skills is an important part of our work as parents, educators and health professionals. 

Apart from the activities that you have already gone through, you may also consider helping your kid with the following activities:

Activity 28: Joining a Social Skills Group run by professional therapists

Check out if this type of activity is available in your community. We were really happy to discover that this was an actual possibility for us.

Activity 29: Joining a Social Club for Kids with Autism

Activity 30: Organize Play Dates at Home (guided play if your kid needs help in social interactions)

Activity 31: Social stories

Social stories, social scripts, or social narratives are short descriptions of a situation or event that also indicate the expected social behavior. 

These stories assist kids who struggle with reading social cues (body language, voice tone, facial expression) or with understanding commonly accepted social rules.

Any social situation can be transformed into a social narrative.

An example of a social story (the stories often include visuals to help understand / reinforce the message) :

Paying at the supermarket checkout

• First, I put all the items in my list in my supermarket trolley. Then I go to the check-out.
• I place my items on the counter and the cashier scans them and puts them in my grocery bags.
• The cashier tells my how much I need to pay and I use my credit card to pay for my shopping 

Activity 32: Hidden Rules with Friends

We have used this card game with my son, but we don’t play it following the game’s suggested rules. My son loves us to explore and untangle whatever social problem the card presents: 

• What do you do if a friend invites you over for lunch and you don’t like the veggies?
• What happens if you burp in public?

Tip: some people find the designs in these cards too simple. It has many blank cards to fill with other social situations that I don’t use. For us, they work as flashcards to explore social challenges in everyday situations.

If you are looking for lots of activities ideas, make sure you check this book below:

Social Skills Activities Ideas in Books

These books come with lots of ideas and activities to practice social skills at home, at school or in therapy setting:

• The Shoulds and Should Nots: Photo Cards to Help Children Develop Social & Communication Skills

A picture book with 64 scenarios that build social-emotional learning, critical thinking, mindfulness, self-confidence, empathy, executive function, and critical consciousness.

• 50 Fun Exercises for Making Friends, Talking and Listening, and Understanding Social Rules
• Over 75 Fun Games & Activities for Building Better Relationships, Problem Solving & Improving Communication

Other Social Skills Resources for Kids

• A comprehensive list of Social Skills for Kids   ( FREE poster included in that post).
• Fun Social Skills Games for Kids 
• Empathy Activities for Kids
• Conversation Starters
• Roll the Question Dice Activity
• Self-Introduction Worksheets for Kids
• Conflict Resolution Activities for Kids
• 30 Activities to Teach Kids about Respect
• 32 Activities to Teach Kids Sharing Skills

Other Coping Skills Activities in this Blog

• Anger management activities for kids
• Self-esteem activities for teens & kids
• Anxiety tips and activities

Social Skill Activity (Download)

31 social skills activities for kids (young children, teens & kids with autism).

Briar Jones

Love this, such an informative post! I’m not a parent myself, but am a Nanny to three little ones- so this has given me lots of fun ideas. Thank you! ?✨

Have you consider chess as one of the social skills activities? A child who realizes that one does not always win but also loses, learns humility and respect for other people. In addition to aiding analytical and developmental skills of the mind, playing chess is also a great excuse for socializing with other chess amateurs. Chess gives children the opportunity to make many new friends by participating in chess schools or local amateur tournaments. There are many advantages of playing chess from a young age. One thing your child will appreciate most is that playing chess is also great fun. With proper approach and proper tools, you can interest your kid in this marvelous game. One of the tool is to creat some interesting background stories, other tool is to practice specific movements and strategies, using special diagrams. In this case, I can recommend this book: chess-puzzles-for-kids-by-maksim-aksanov

Thank you for all your wonderful resources!

What a wonderful article for us mothers groping in the dark. You’re wonderful ! Many happy returns to your generosity in helping us. Feel blessed finding this post. ❤️

Great post! I absolutely love the idea of using games and activities to teach social skills to kids. As a teacher, I’ve found that incorporating fun and interactive activities into my lesson plans can help my students learn and retain information much better. I’m definitely going to try out some of these ideas with my students. Thanks for sharing!

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5 Reasons Why Climbing is the Perfect Summer Activity for Kids

Summer is the ideal time for children to explore new activities, and rock climbing stands out as one of the best choices for adventurous young spirits. At Brooklyn Boulders , we believe that climbing offers more than just physical benefits—it’s a holistic activity that nurtures the mind, body, and spirit. Here are five compelling reasons why climbing should be on your child’s summer agenda.

1. Enhances Physical Health

Rock climbing is an excellent way for kids to improve their physical health in a fun and engaging environment. Unlike traditional sports, climbing involves a full-body workout that challenges various muscle groups. Kids develop stronger arms, legs, and core muscles as they navigate through different routes. Additionally, climbing improves flexibility and balance, which are crucial for overall physical development.

Regular climbing sessions also boost cardiovascular health. Each climb increases the heart rate, which helps improve stamina and endurance. This type of exercise is vital for children, as it sets the foundation for a healthy lifestyle and promotes lifelong fitness habits.

2. Builds Problem-Solving Skills

Climbing is often likened to solving a puzzle. Each route presents unique challenges, requiring climbers to think critically and make quick decisions. Kids learn to assess their options, experiment with different approaches, and determine the best path forward. This active problem-solving not only makes climbing intellectually stimulating but also enhances cognitive functions such as spatial awareness and planning skills.

At Brooklyn Boulders, our routes are specifically designed to cater to various skill levels, ensuring that all children, from beginners to more experienced young climbers, find both challenge and enjoyment in their climbing experience.

3. Fosters Mental Resilience

One of the most significant benefits of climbing is the development of mental toughness and resilience. Climbing teaches children to face challenges head-on and to persevere through difficulties. The process of reaching the top, despite the physical and mental challenges, builds confidence and self-esteem.

Moreover, climbing is a safe space for kids to learn about failure in a controlled environment. Not every attempt ends in reaching the top, and that’s perfectly okay. This teaches them the valuable lesson that failure is part of learning and growth, encouraging them to try again and improve with each climb.

4. Encourages Social Interaction

Although climbing can be an individual activity, it is also highly social. At Brooklyn Boulders , we emphasize community and teamwork in our youth programs. Children climb in groups, where they learn to communicate effectively, cheer each other on, and sometimes even pair up to tackle climbing routes together.

This social interaction is crucial for developing interpersonal skills and empathy. Kids learn to trust their peers and build friendships based on shared experiences and achievements. For many children, the friendships they make during climbing sessions become as rewarding as the physical climb itself.

5. Promotes a Connection with Nature

While indoor climbing is a fantastic activity, the skills it brings are transferable to outdoor rock climbing, which can deepen a child’s appreciation for the outdoors and nature. Learning about outdoor climbing can foster a lifelong connection with the environment, promoting activities that are not only good for physical and mental health but also encourage eco-consciousness.

Brooklyn Boulders offers opportunities for kids to engage with both indoor and outdoor climbing, ensuring they gain a comprehensive climbing experience that respects and celebrates the natural world.

Rock climbing is more than just a sport; it's a comprehensive activity that offers numerous benefits for children. It provides a robust platform for physical growth, cognitive development, emotional resilience, social interaction, and environmental consciousness. Enrolling your child in SUMMER ADVENTURES WEEK at Brooklyn Boulders could be the key to unlocking their potential and introducing them to a lifelong passion.

Summer is the perfect time to climb. Why not let your kids reach new heights with us at Brooklyn Boulders ? Sign up today and watch them ascend not just our climbing walls, but their personal goals and dreams as well.

Continue reading

Top 5 Mistakes New Climbers Make and How to Avoid Them

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Home » Blog » Lesson Plans » Conversation Skills Game for Middle School

Conversation Skills Game for Middle School

In the dynamic world of middle school education, developing strong communication skills is crucial. These skills are not only fundamental for academic success but also for personal growth and social interactions. Middle school speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are constantly on the lookout for innovative tools that can motivate and engage students in meaningful ways. One such tool is “Operation Pizza,” a conversation skills game for middle school students. This interactive game integrates the excitement of racing against the clock and working together to deliver pizzas with the practical application of conversation skills. This blog explores how “Operation Pizza” can be a game-changer in speech-language therapy sessions.

The Importance of Conversation Skills in Middle School

Conversation skills are more than just the ability to speak to others; they involve listening, interpreting social cues, responding appropriately, and understanding the nuances of verbal and non-verbal communication. For middle schoolers, who are navigating a complex social landscape, these skills are vital. They help students build relationships, resolve conflicts, and express themselves clearly. SLPs play a critical role in teaching these skills, especially to students who struggle with communication challenges.

Introducing a Conversation Skills Game for Middle School

“Operation Pizza” is a highly engaging conversation skills game where students work in teams to “create” and “deliver” pizzas. The game is designed to simulate a fast-paced pizza shop environment where each team member must communicate effectively to complete their orders on time. This setting provides a fun and relatable context for students to practice and hone their communication skills.

Educational Benefits of Operation Pizza

Promotes teamwork and social interaction.

By working in a team, students learn the importance of cooperation and verbal exchange. They gain experience in managing interpersonal dynamics in a supportive, structured environment.

Develops Problem-Solving Skills

The game’s fast-paced nature forces students to think on their feet and solve problems quickly, all while communicating their thoughts and actions to their teammates.

Builds Confidence

As students engage in repeated gameplay, they become more comfortable with speaking up and sharing their ideas. This confidence can translate into improved participation in class discussions and other social settings.

Unlock ALL of our Social Communication activities by signing up for your free trial today – no credit card required!

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Instant access to thousands of no-prep social skills activities, over 1000+ video lessons, and engaging games designed to enhance learning and development.

Operation Pizza is more than just a game; it’s a powerful tool for middle school speech-language pathologists seeking to enrich their students’ communication abilities. Through the engaging context of making and delivering pizzas, students practice crucial conversation skills that are essential for their academic and social success. By incorporating this game into your speech therapy toolkit, you can provide a fun and effective way for students to learn, grow, and express themselves more confidently.

Sample Video

Students learn best from watching real students their own age model skills. Try out this sample video lesson. We offer our entire Social-Emotional Learning platform free for 14 days here !

Related Blog Posts:

Lesson Plan: Starting a Conversation

3 Activities for Teaching Basic Conversation Skills

Free High School Basic Conversation Skills Material

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