Friends Play Group, Theater Social Skills Class

Friends Play Group is a six week social skills workshop designed for small groups of socially delayed children, ages 6-9 years old. Using drama, pretend play and role playing children actively participate in modeling new skills that help them become better social thinkers. The students are videotaped as they demonstrate their newly learned skills.

For visual learners, having a take-home DVD, featuring themselves, helps children to practice their new skills long after the play group ends. Some of the skills taught are:

* friendly greetings and goodbyes * self-calming strategies * sharing * losing the game and fair play

* flexible thinking * team work and collaborative play * asking a friend to play * exploring feelings of shyness