Social Skills: Ages 3-5

Age Group 3-5

From three to five years of age, kids will take another big leap in speech and language development.  The better their speech and language skills, the easier it will be for them to continue to build up their social skills.  Fortunately, by this age they’re also old enough to attend daycare and preschool so that they can learn how to speak and how to be social by being around their peers.

Average Development

Kids from three to five years of age should be more vocal about what’s happening around them.  “School is great mom. I get to take a lunch box.” “There was a dog at show and tell.” 🐕They’re also starting to make friends.  “Jack is funny.” “Rosie is really nice.” 👧Their play is also more imaginative. “I ride an elephant.” 🐘These  examples are typical of kids with normal  speech and language development and social skills.

Now if your child isn’t at the same level, that’s okay.  There are many things you can do to help your child grow as much as possible.

The Power of Play

Playtime is an amazing resource you can turn to to improve speech and language skills, and in turn, social skills.

Just the Two of Us

When you’re playing in the sandbox show him how to use a stick to write in the sand.  Talk about the shapes, pictures or letters that you are making.

What kid doesn’t like bubbles?  When you’re playing with bubbles, wait for him to say or do something.  If he reacts because he blew a big bubble, then respond with “Wow! Now that’s a big bubble!  Can you make one this small?” And then show him with your hands what size you’d like the bubble to be.

 

We Play

Teaching him how to interact with others at this age is crucial.  It’s a big step to go from just interacting with you to also interacting with kids his age. 👦👦👧

Phrase

You can help him enter peer interactions by teaching him simple phrases.  For example, “Can I play?”

Toy

Another way he can enter into social playtime is with a special toy or item.  “My Spider-Man!” would be quite an and a help for kids that are not that verbal.  The aim is to have him join in with the same group, using the same toys, even if he’s not using as many words.

Follow the Leader

More physical games may also make it easier for him to engage with peers, even if the interaction consists of following someone around.  Playing on the slide, or tag, or catching a ball  are good examples of these types of games.

Sharing

In this age range it becomes difficult to share because kids are just more possessive of items.  Teach him how to take turns, even to the point of saying “your turn” or “my turn.”

Timeout

You should definitely be proud of him for any progress he makes.  But it’s also okay for him to be overstimulated or to get frustrated because he can’t express himself in the way that he wants to.  😤If that’s the case, encourage him to take breaks or to simply just walk away until he feels he can be part of the group again. 😄