Communication skills are crucial for healthy character development. Each age group faces different needs in a social environment. Some common concerns for kids aged between 5 and 8 are: How should kids introduce themselves to new friends? How should kids respond when they get their toys snatched away? How much personal information should kids share with a friend they just met? 

These are very important teachings kids need to learn. In this class, we will learn the communication techniques and skills required for different scenarios. The first class will be about basic communication skills and I will teach kids how to introduce themselves and a few simple techniques they can use to make new friends. The second class will be about assertiveness skills as well as difficult emotions that arise when we may be dealing with difficult conversations. We will then go through ways of managing these emotions. From the third class onwards, we will build on the teachings from the first two classes through scenario-based examples. There will be a lot of roleplaying done in this course. 

This course is created for kids to learn appropriate social and communication skills for common scenarios they may find themselves in. 
One important thing to note here is that different cultures have different methods of interacting and communicating. Also, there may be different norms for each family.  I will be following a renowned American/Canadian curriculum of social interaction for this class. 

This class is open to all kinds of students. I like to incorporate my learning for all kinds of students. I highly recommend this class for students who have ADHD and/or are on the spectrum, since this can really help them with their organizational skills. If your child has a learning disability and/or requires special techniques for learning, please feel free to message me and I will do my very best to provide your child with the best experience. 


Here is the following outline for this 7-week class: 

Week 1: Introduction and get to know each other- How to introduce yourself to new friends. How to get along with new people.
- Simple tricks, and body language you can use to connect with others. 
- What can you talk about with people you just meet? 
**Take home handout: Review sheet of everything we learned. 
 
Week 2: Emotions we face when we meet new people and different communication strategies
- The importance of assertiveness.
- Assertive phrases you can use for different situations.
**Take home handout: Review sheet of everything we learned.  

Week 3: Approaching others-
- When is it appropriate to approach others? 
- When is it appropriate to interrupt a group?
- How to identify if an individual/group looks busy. 
- How to appropriately interrupt when necessary. 
- What to say when you approach others/Phrases and sentences you can use when approaching others. 
**Take home activity: Coloring activity


Week 4: Sharing and boundaries- 
- When is it appropriate to share and when is it crossing the line? 
- How to build healthy boundaries (physical, emotional, and social) 
- Phrases and sentences you can use when someone is crossing your boundaries
**Take home activity: Coloring activity

Week 5: Arguments and Conflict resolution with friends
- Handling common conflicts that arise between friends.  
- Managing emotions that come up in conflicts.
- Following social rules during conflicts.
- Example, should we tell your friend's secret to others? 
- How to handle gossiping or being gossiped about.
**Take home handout: Review sheet of everything we learned.  

- Week 6: Bullying- What it means to be a bully?
-  A different approach to viewing bullies. 
- Reframing the word 'bully' 
- How can we be kinder towards others. 
- What can you do if someone is bullying you? 
- What can we do if a friend is being bullied. 
**Take home activity: Coloring activity

Week 7: Putting it all together- Let's review! 
- We will use this class to practice applying everything we learned as we roleplay different scenarios. 
**Receive your certificate!