Social Language Skills for Grades 3-5

It's totally normally for kids in mid - late elementary school to go through a kind of "awkward phase." They're trying to figure out the rules for social interaction as they get older - and there really isn't a manual that specifically lists out the intricacies of socializing with peers, or socializing with adults. The way kids learn more nuanced social skills is essentially through trial and error - and it's okay for errors to happen!

However, when social language is a struggle - especially when a child is struggling to make friends, struggling to connect with others -then just practice is important, but not enough. It is prudent then to check and see if a child is able to decipher social rules properly. And if not, then it is helpful to teach, through example, how to decipher appropriate action in a given scenario.

Some of the skills underlying strong social interaction are seen in common social language tests like the Social Language Development Test - Elementary (SLDT-E), which looks at -

1. The ability to tune into how others feel.

2. The ability to guess what others may be thinking .

3. Making inferences - being able to take details in a scenario and make an educated guess. For example, she is reading, but she is curled up on the couch and keeps laughing. She is probably reading a comic book

4. Being able to identify short and long term consequences - "If I cry loudly at the store, then mom will feel upset, and I might not get the game I want."

5. Being able to understand indirect language - "Jee, it sure is hot it in here" may be an invitation to turn on the fan

6. Multiple interpretations - guessing two reasons why the lady in line looked so angry

7. Finding Compromises - if I want to watch one movie, and my friend wants to watch another, how can we meet in the middle?

8. Comforting Others - if someone looks like they are feeling down, what are supportive vs. unsupportive words?
   

One really great way to practice these skills is to watch videos, read comic books, or read stories together. Then, pick one of these skills - and practice for a week. For example, practice identifying thoughts one week, practice making inferences another week... etc. Just 10 - 15 minutes of targeted practice a day can go a long way.

If you want a little more expertise in this area, seeing an SLP, finding exact areas to improve, and making a therapy plan, may also be of great help!

Meanwhile, check out the Social Language Worksheet Bundle on Smarter Speech's TPT store! It targets the above skills in a story / game based format. There are 6 worksheets, only $3 each!

Happy Talking!

Disclaimer : Smarter Speech is a pediatric speech therapy / speech-language pathology practice for toddlers and children providing in-home and teletherapy services in and around Mountain View, CA and Los Gatos, CA. Smarter Speech Blog aims to provide free speech and language tips for parents educators and therapists. However, this post is not providing speech-language pathology services. This is general information, not speech -language pathology or speech therapy. This article does not assume or create a client – SLP relationship. The author is not liable for any losses or damages due to actions or failure to act based on the content in this article. If you need assistance with a child’s speech or language needs, please contact a speech-language pathologist in your area.