The Social Skills Game is an ideal way to help children acquire social skills. This appealing board game teaches children attitudes and behaviors that promote positive interaction with their peers. It is especially helpful with those who are shy or socially neglected.

Game cards focus on four skill areas: Making Friends, Responding Positively to Peers, Cooperating with Peers, and Communicating Needs. Included in the game manual are three inventories that can be used to identify the child's specific skill deficits and select game cards addressing those deficits. Although usually played by the therapist and one or more children, the game can also be loaned to parents for home use.

The Social Skills Workbook by Berthold Berg, Ph.D.

The Social Skills Workbook is full of exercises that reinforce concepts introduced in therapy. By practicing "self-talk," children acquire specific skills--perceiving themselves as competent, expecting success in social situations, not worrying, accepting mistakes, and taking credit for success. This workbook is ideal for both shy, socially neglected children, and aggressive, socially rejected youngsters.

Social Skills Skits DVD
by Berthold Berg, Ph.D.

If youre working with teens or preteens on social skills, this DVD is a great way to stimulate discussion and real behavior change. Skits performed by kids illustrate negative, and then positive, reactions to real-life situations. The dramatic contrast between "how not to" and "how to" never fails to provoke viewer involvement and discussion.

The skits focus on introducing yourself, starting a conversation, giving a compliment, following rules, sharing, suggesting an activity, helping a friend in trouble, showing concern for a friend, expressing negative feelings, getting attention appropriately, and asking to borrow things. Each of the DVDs 12 sections serves as the basis for hours of discussion, written assignments, and role play. This DVD is often used in conjunction with The Social Skills Game. DVD, 30 minutes.

Social Skills Story Cards by Berthold Berg, Ph.D.

The Social Skills Story Cards therapeutic tool gently encourages shy and socially rejected children to apply the same cognitive skills addressed in the Social Skills Game. The child makes up stories based on the illustrations and story prompts provided. You then help the child revise the stories to express more socially adaptive attitudes and behaviors. This process fosters a transfer of learning to the child's own experience. Detailed instructions guide you through therapeutic storytelling techniques.