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COMMUNICATING 1
Communicating
Effective communication, the foundation of social success, consists of
many distinct skills. The activities in this section will help children
communicate who they are to others and learn the skills that are so
important in forming friendships.
Social communication is a “language” and children are born with
differences in their ability to learn this language, just as they have other
learning differences. But there is no question that, with practice and
encouragement, effective communication can be taught.
This section begins by helping children understand and express what
makes them unique. As children learn to convey their interests, their values,
and even their problems, they increase their self-acceptance and self-
confidence.
The next step is to help children learn the skills involved in making an initial
connection with other children. Children need to know how to introduce
themselves, how to develop a personal dialog with one child, and then how
to maintain a conversation in a group. Many children who have problems in
social skills choose the wrong tactics for interacting with other children.
They may brag and try to get the attention of others, an approach that can
often lead to group rejection. Other children may hang back, just observing
the group, which may result in them being ignored.
It is not helpful to criticize children for their inappropriate behavior.
Criticism may lead to self-consciousness, and even resentment. A better
approach is to teach children new skills and let them experience the
immediate rewards of new social success. The skills that children learn in this
section will help them with adults, as well as with other children. And the
more that parents and teachers model and encourage good communication
skills in children, the more quickly these skills will be learned.