Social Skills Learning During the Holidays
As we move toward the holiday celebrations and end of the year, it’s often a great time of joy and celebration, but also a time of gratitude. This celebratory time lends itself nicely to a focus on this social skills concept. It may not seem an obvious social skills concept, but gratitude helps build empathy and it is a key part of social awareness and self-awareness. Being able to understand, have, and express gratitude is also important in building relationships with others! And each of these areas are part of the CASEL social-emotional standards!
When we stop to be thankful and express gratitude for what we have, we often recognize how many people had a hand in helping make that happen. It also allows us to realize the fortunes we have, while considering how to help those who may not have access to basic needs, let alone gifts. In both situations, we can help our kids build empathy, by asking them to put themselves in the shoes of another. To do so, we can encourage them to tell us what kindness to others means to them, how we can express our gratitude for those who have provided and helped, as well as read books that have empathy as a core message. Additionally, when thinking about kids and families who may not have as much as them, see if they have ideas on how to help! For more ideas on how to cultivate gratitude, check out this free resource by Big Life Journal, an online social-emotional tool for children and families.
Lastly, this time of year also presents a natural opportunity to model and practice emotional and cognitive flexibility (aka going with the flow and staying relatively calm when things don’t go our way)! Schedules may become less consistent, there are new activities to attend and participate in, places to go and, importantly, your child may not always receive the presents they had on their “wish list.” Or worse to them, their sibling gets something “so much cooler!” All of the latter means your child may show bigger emotions and perhaps more meltdowns. First thing is to be prepared by knowing this is normal. Make sure to check in with yourself, give yourself time to breathe and then help them prepare for upcoming changes and problem solve, if needed, outside the moment. This is also a good time to continue helping them identify how they are feeling as well as strategies they can use when they become upset or frustrated (they’ve had a lot of practice with that over the last month and a half!)
References and Resources
CASEL Social-Emotional Standards. Retrieved from https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/
Readbrightly.com, 12 Books That Model Empathy and Compassion for Young Readers. Retrieved from https://www.readbrightly.com/books-that-model-empathy-compassion-young-readers/
Big Life Journal, 20 Fun Ways To Teach Kids About Gratitude. Retrieved from https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/ways-teach-kids-gratitude
Bronwyn Lehman, Ph.D., LP
Dr. Bronwyn Lehman is Havern’s Director of Therapies. She is a proud Penn State alum, where she studied journalism. After working as a classroom aide in a low incidence classroom for kids with multiple disabilities, she decided to follow in the footsteps of her mother, who is a 30+ year school psychologist. Dr. B completed her Masters and Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology at National Louis University in Chicago. After working in a public school in Cincinnati, she decided she wanted to learn more about how the brain works and decided to pursue her doctorate in School Psychology. Dr. B received her PhD from the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. B says, “I was drawn to working with kids with ADHD and learning disabilities. I wanted to learn how they learn and become an advocate for their needs. I could help be a voice for them and help their parents and teachers better understand their needs and challenges as well as their strengths!”
