9 Ways to Develop Your Child’s Social Skills

1. Become involved in your child's school. Your involvement makes your child more important in the eyes of classmates. 
2. Support your child in developing one area of excellence for example a hobby, interest in  nature, an artistic skill.
   
3. Become involved in your child's after school peer activities such as Boy Scouts, swim team, Special Olympics. 
4. Encourage your child to participate in any type of organized athletics. Play with your child. Organize informal games with friends. Don't expect your child to perform well. Encourage your child to have fun and to try their best. Athletics can also be used to teach children about setting and working towards goals.
   
5. Encourage your child to try new activities and skills such as cooking, arts and crafts, gardening. Provide positive feedback about efforts and avoid telling the child how to improve unless the child asks. 
6. Avoid solving problems for your child. Practice problem solving by presenting social situations for him to solve - "What if (provide an example)?” Discuss possible results of his solutions and how others might feel about it and be affected.
   
7. Help your child to learn to verbalize emotions by identifying and labeling the emotion and expressing how it feels. 
8. Model positive social skills with your adult friends. Have friends over to socialize.
   
9. Include your child’s friend(s) in family activities such as going roller skating, an overnight.