Teachers can help students develop these skills through four primary strategies:

  1. Greeting another student directly (“Hi! What’s your name?”)
  2. Asking appropriate questions (“What’s your favorite TV show?”)
  3. Giving information (“I like to play checkers.”)
  4. Trying to include the new friend in their activities (“Do you want to play tag at recess?”)

Students need to know that it is important to keep trying even when rejected. Teachers should recognize that the willingness to keep trying depends on self-confidence.

Through daily classroom activities, teachers can effectively coach students in social skills that help them begin and continue satisfying friendships. Coaching involves telling or showing students how to use a specific social skill. This includes giving students opportunities to practice the skill and giving feedback with suggestions for improving the use of the skill. Among the skills that are effectively taught are asking questions, learning to give positive reinforcement to others (such as smiles), making good eye contact, and taking turns (Kostelnik et al., 2002). Once a friendship has begun, many skills can contribute to its continuation:

  • Rewarding a friend by smiling at him or her
  • Imitating the friend’s actions
  • Paying attention to the friend
  • Approving of what the friend does
  • Complying with the friend’s wishes
  • Sharing things with the friend
  • Communicating well
  • Being a good listener
  • Giving information needed by the listener
  • Judging whether your own actions have shown or not shown respect for others’ rights and welfare (Hartup, Glazer, & Charlesworth, 1987)

Edited from:

http://www.education.com/reference/article/development-self-concept-diverse/?page=4