Social Skills Teaching Resources

Build your students' social skills this school year with printables, worksheets, social and emotional learning activities, and more designed for elementary school kids by elementary school teachers.

Is this your first year working with kids on social skills? Get some help with this primer from our teacher team!

What Are Social Skills?

Social skills is a pretty broad term, but it essentially refers to the ability of our students to interact effectively and appropriately with others in a variety of social situations. The skills we focus on in elementary school include being able to communicate effectively, both verbally and non-verbally, as well as being able to understand and interpret the social cues and behaviors of others.

What Are Some Examples of Social Skills?

When we're talking about the social skills students develop under our watch, the list is long, but here are just a few examples of the social skills that are important for young students to work on:

1. Communication skills: Being able to express themselves clearly and effectively, both verbally and non-verbally, is an important social skill for kids to develop in elementary school. At this age, students are capable of learning how to use appropriate language, tone, and body language — all part of relating to you as a teacher, to their classmates, and to family at home too.
2. Active listening: Learning how to listen attentively to others and understand their perspectives is another social skill that's age-appropriate and you'll likely cover extensively, regardless of the grade you're teaching. Elementary students can learn how to appropriately ask questions and provide verbal and non-verbal feedback — both key to learning as a general life skill and in the classroom itself.
3. Empathy: Teaching our students to understand and appreciate the feelings and perspectives of others is another important social skill and one students often need modeling to develop. This covers learning how to put themselves in other people's shoes and respond appropriately to their emotions.
4. Problem-solving and conflict resolution: Kids need to learn how to identify and resolve conflicts in a healthy and effective way as they grow up, and the relationships they have with classmates plays a big role in building those skills. Both in class and on the playground, your students will be learning how to negotiate, compromise, and find common ground with others.
5. Self-regulation: Our students should learn how to manage their emotions, thoughts, and behavior in different social situations. Learning how to control impulses, stay calm, and think before acting will serve them long after they've graduated from high school.
6. Teamwork: Kids need to learn how to work effectively with others in a group setting, and the group activities you do in the classroom can help build this social skill. This basic skill covers learning how to share, take turns, and cooperate with others — something that will once again serve them far into their futures.
7. Respect: Our students should be learning how to treat others with respect, regardless of their differences. This is part of building a safe classroom environment. Your lessons should focus on learning how to use appropriate language, avoid stereotypes, and appreciate diversity.

All of these various social skills are important for our students in the classroom but they will extend far beyond as they grow up, serving them in a personal setting and eventually a professional one too!