Social Skills for Kids (2x/wk) - Making Friends, Communication, Listening

This is an ongoing social skills class.  Social skills play an important role in every area of our lives. Strong social skills can lead to less stress and loniless, academic success, career success, and success in relationships. Topics will include: communications skills, listening skills, cooperation skills, responsibility skills, empathy skills, engagement skills, self-control skills, emotional regulation skills, problem solving skills, and respect skills. Each class will include conversation, an activity, and discussion to reflect upon what we learned during class.

Every class is a different lesson.  The lessons do not build on the one another, but are meant to stand on their own, so students can feel free to come and go as they please. No prior knowledge is needed. 

Class topics will include:
Tue, May 30, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Feelings (1) - We will explore how nonverbal cues and body language help to express language.
Thu, Jun 1, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Feelings (2)- We will explore the difference between passive, aggressive, and assertive communication.
Tue, Jun 6, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Tone of Voice (3)- We will discuss how different emotions affect tone of voice.
Thu, Jun 8, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Active Listening & Patience (4)- We will focus on tuning in to others' body language.
Tue, Jun 13, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Listening for Details (5)- We will put active listening to action. *You will need a few pieces of square paper. 8.5 inches by 8.5 inches works best.
Thu, Jun 15, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Communicating Effectively (6)- We will learn how to communicate effectively by giving clear instructions. *You will need some paper, a pencil, and crayons or colored pencils.
Tue, Jun 20, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Relationship Building (7)- We will practice how to share about ourselves and about the value of active listening to build friendships.
Thu, Jun 22, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Active Listening (8)- We will work together to create a story (active listening is the key to this activity!).
Tue, Jun 27, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Empathy (9)- We will talk about reasons people might feel strong emotions. The activity will allow students to think about why someone might be feeling a certain way. *You will need some paper and a pencil.
Thu, Jun 29, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Perspective/Point of View (10)- We will do an activity that encourages kids to think about what others might be experiencing outside of their own perspectives.
Thu, Jul 6, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern US Independence Day Respect & Self-Control (11)- We will learn to identify our personal boundaries and think about social boundaries as well.
Tue, Jul 18, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Emotion Regulation (12)- We will discuss calming phrases that kids can say to themselves in order to relax or deal with strong emotions. *You will need some paper and a pencil.
Thu, Jul 20, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Focusing on the Present (13)- We will discuss the importance of being focused. We will learn a grounding technique that helps people reconnect with what's happening right now in the moment.
Tue, Jul 25, 7:00 – 7:40 PM Eastern Respect (14)- We will discuss the "ingredients" that go into respect and create recipes for respect. *You will need some paper and a pencil.