Dr. Jakir Hossain Laskar, PhD
For kids having autism, social skills are some of the hardest things to learn. Everything can get overwhelming for them when they try to fit in. However, children can improve these skills through the right activities. Here is a compilation of enjoyable activities and games designed to enhance kids’ social skills integration, communication, turn-taking, empathy, collaboration, and so on.
- Role-Playing Games
Aim: Introduce children to proper social interactions in real life as well as problem solving skills.
Ideas for the activity:
Pretend you are at a restaurant and order food or tell children to act like they are doing grocery shopping.
Role play as if they are making new friends or even asking for help when needed.
Reason Why It Works: Sociocultural cues need to be mastered. This activity fosters that.
- Turn Taking Games
Aim: Foster patience and understanding in kids of the active participation of other kids and not only them in the activity.
Ideas for the Activity:
Play Snakes and Ladders or Connect 4 and lot more board games.
Hypertension: The Game of Uno angers everyone more than it helps people aboard.
Reason Why It Works: Increases awareness of other people’s involvement and promotes cooperative practices.
- Simon Says
Aim: Help kids be better listeners and better at following instructions.
Ideas for the Activity:
Give simple instructions like, ‘Simon Touch your nose’ or ‘Simon clap your hands’
As the games go by start making things more and more detailed.
Reason why it works: Greatly accentuates oral cues and regulates impulse control.
- Storytelling Circle
Aim: Proficient improvement of verbal communication and spark creativity in childrens’ minds.
Activity Idea: Storytelling Using a Dragon Theme
Ask each child to come up with a backstory using a single phrase. If an answer is vocally presented, students do not penalization.
Example: “Once upon a time, there was a dragon…”.
Why It Works: The children Will be assisted in encouraging the aspects of inclusion and turn-taking in a conversation setting.
- Emotion Charades
Purpose Do them for emotion. Assist with the recognition and the expression of the emotions.
Activity Idea:
Happy, sad, excited, and so forth can be written down on the cards.
Children act out the emotions which the others can guess.
Why It Works: Helps children understand and have empathy towards other people.
- Group Art projects
Purpose Foster teamwork and communication.
Activity Idea:
Make a big mural using poster paint in sections painted by each child.
Construct a sculpture from blocks or recycled materials working together.
Why It Works: Children target a common goal thus collaborate.
- Social Skills Card Games
Purpose Social Skills can be taught in an ordered way.
Activity Idea:
Use ready made or make your own social skills card. For instance: “What would you do if somebody greets you?”
Have the child select a card and talk of what they would do in that scenario.
Why It Works: The child will have an appropriate framework for practicing interactions in various situations.
- Playdates with Structured Activities
Purpose to facilitate peer interaction in children.
Activity Idea:
Organize such events as cooking perfect cookies, assembling Lego blocks or engage in treasure hunts.
What’s Nice About It: Gives the kids a reason to talk and to have a focus that is common to them.
- Cooperative Outdoor Games
Objective: Bond with others and carry out some physical movements.
How to do it:
People’s games that some of children may be already familiar with such as Red Light, Green Light or Duck, Duck, Goose.
Teammates in a relay race may pass each other a baton or carry out some tasks with each other.
What’s Nice About It: When one is moving, their social skills are also engaged.
- Puppet Play
Objective: Act out certain social situations without the pressure of real life situations and be creative in the process.
How to do it:
Puppets may be used to enact how people talk to each other, how they may fall out or how kids may try to be friends with each other.
Ask the child to make up a story and perform it using the puppets
What’s Nice About It: One allows children’s imagination to create scenarios without children directly interacting with the participants who are a part of the social circles.
- Listening and Sharing Activities
Objective: Have conversations with the correct and professional approach.
How to do it:
Each person has to provide three pieces of information some of which are fabricated when they play ‘Two Truths and a Lie’ game.
Have members speak in turns while one is holding the “talking stick”.
What’s Nice About It: Understand how to converse and let the other person also talk.
- Scavenger Hunts
Objective: Work in a group and communicate with regard to a specific target.
How to do it:
Tell them to work in a team to find several specified objects or do specific tasks.
Provide clues that require teamwork to come up with an answer.
What’s Nice About It: It allows crating and resolving issues.
- Mirror Game
Objective: Assist in furthering the ability to imitate and enhance non-verbal communication.
How to do it:
For starters, one has to take the task and act as the “mirror”, trying to copy the movements that are given by other people.
Incorporate a wider spectrum of nuances through movements and/or eye expressions.
Reason Behind It: Focuses on increasing attention towards body language and eye contact.
- Cooking Together
Goal: Following the given instructions and collaboration.
Activity Idea:
Begin with simple items such as making a sandwich, baking cookies, or preparing a smoothie.
Responsibilities include – measuring ingredients, mixing them, and putting the table.
Reason Behind It: Practical tasks and cooperative learning go hand in hand.
- Online Social Skills Games
Goal: Learning through practice and engaging sessions with the use of technology.
Activity Idea:
Try searching for apps or web based games for social skills like Everyday Speech or Peekapak.
Reason Behind It: Causes the children to learn through the use of known digital formats.
Tips for Success
Alter Activities: Every child has unique interests and developmental capabilities. Modify each activity as per the child’s capabilities.
Encouragement Strategies: Commend endeavors and successes to raise self-esteem.
Make Sessions Short: Make sessions brief and goal-driven to avoid overwhelming or frustrating the child.
Show Them: Explain the social ability to them by doing so that it is clear.
Final Thoughts
Working constantly with creativity and satisfaction enables parents to nurture social skills in children with autism. Nurturing this essential skill is made a lot easier when utilizing fun activities and games. Forgetting the dynamic verbal or body assistance and concentrating on strengths, there is development with self confidence and social interactions for the child.
