What are social skills?

Social skills are the ways we talk, listen, and act when we’re with other people.

Imagine you're playing tag at recess. If you want to be friends with everyone, you need to know how to say "Hey!" when you start running, or "You got me!" if someone catches you. That’s using your social skills, they help you fit in and have fun with others.

When you're on a team, like in soccer or basketball, you use social skills too. You might say "Pass it here!" to a friend or cheer when someone scores. These are all parts of being friendly and working together, just like how you play with your toys at home.

Sometimes, people don’t know what to do when they meet new friends. That’s okay! Social skills help them figure it out. It's like learning the rules of a game: if you know the rules, you can play and have fun, and so can your friends!

So, social skills are like the rules of being together, they make playing, talking, and making friends easier and more fun!