Family

The Ultimate Guide to Social Skills Activities for Kids

Published

1 year ago

January 4, 2022

Writer

High society is sweeping low. 42% of American workers hold jobs that value social skills. Every aspect of life is affected by how you communicate with other people, including at the youngest ages.

That’s why social skills activities for kids are so important. But they can be complicated.

What are the most important social skills for children? What are some different activities that let children practice skills? How can you create a productive and happy environment for kids to learn?

Answer these questions and your children can become members of high society before they grow tall. Here is your quick guide.

Eye Contact

Eye contact is one of the most underrated social skills for kids. It helps the two people making contact look for positive and negative expressions on each other’s faces. Eye contact can generate strong emotions in and of itself, especially in romantic scenarios.

Many social skills activities incorporate eye contact to some extent. The easiest activity to do is a staring contest. Have two children stare at each other until one of them blinks, and you can award the winner something.

If two children are having trouble making eye contact, you can place stickers on their foreheads. You can then ask them to look at the stickers instead of the eyes. This will ease them into making eye contact while encouraging them to look at someone while they are talking.

Facial Expressions

Facial expressions are extremely important for social development. They convey what a person is trying to say. They create empathy, sympathy, and other subconscious ties between people.

Emotional charades are a good way to teach young children about facial expressions. You can write various moods on sheets of paper, then ask a child to draw a sheet and perform it. The other children have to guess what the emotion is.

Face games involve mirroring expressions. One child performs an expression and the other has to mimic it. This keeps the atmosphere fun while helping children rehearse different expressions.

You can try out roleplays. This will encourage your children to emote with their bodies in addition to their faces.

Have your kids go through different scenarios where they have to emote and use their manners. You should then have conversations about the scenarios so children understand how they should behave.

Holding Discussions

Once you’ve practiced initiating conversations, you need to practice holding them. It can be hard for young children to stay on one train of thought.

You should encourage children to have conversations in many different ways. You can fill a hat with pieces of paper that act as conversation starters.

For young children who are learning the alphabet, you can play a topic game. You can ask students to come up with a word for each letter that relates to a theme. This helps them learn about the different words they can use and lets them study the alphabet.

For older children, you can try a storytelling game. You can write down or hand out pictures of different emotions.

Then you can ask the children to decide on story elements that relate to the emotions in some way. This game allows children to learn how to take turns in a conversation.

Creative Language

Many people use creative language without thinking of it. Humorous turns of phrases, idioms, and alliteration are common parts of conversations. Social skills groups for kids need to bear this in mind as kids are learning conversational skills.

At a minimum, you should read books to your children about idioms. You can find children’s books that use them and you can then explain what the terms mean. You can also ask children to make their own books with idioms in them.

If a child wants to practice idioms by themselves, you can ask them to make flashcards. It may be helpful to include illustrations on the flashcards, especially if the child is a visual learner.

Let children write and tell stories to each other. The stories can be fiction or non-fiction. The more practice they have with creative language, the more skills they will develop for conversation.

Making Friends

Friendships are extremely important on a number of levels. They are critical for developing self-esteem, as receiving praise or support from others builds confidence. They also help children practice language and build their emotional intelligence.

Try to create a good environment so children can make friends with each other. Many children craft relationships at summer camps because of the fun and uplifting atmosphere. Keep things as fun and upbeat as possible.

Organize your kids into small groups. Bunks are a good place to start. But you should adopt a buddy system for activities so children can craft stronger relationships with each other.

Run some activities that do not necessarily teach skills. You can do sports, arts and crafts, and board games.

But try to find games that require teamwork and interpersonal communication. These games will encourage kids to make friends without them knowing it.

The Best Social Skills Activities for Kids

Social skills activities for kids should cover all social interactions. Eye contact and facial expressions are extremely important for establishing social ties. You can run roleplays and staring contests.

Having discussions requires more dynamic activities. You can play charades and encourage your children to tell stories. Try to incorporate opportunities for creative language into your games.

Create many chances for your children to make friends with each other. Board games and sports require kids to trust and communicate with their peers.

Don’t stop learning about how your kids can learn. Read more early education guides by following our coverage.

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Food and Drink

Duomo 51 Hit or Miss With a Great View

Published

6 hours ago

March 29, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

Are you looking for a summer rooftop terrace with a view of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Rockefeller Center?Duomo 51 is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner or cocktails. Finding the restaurant is not the easiest as there is no sign outside, as of yet. Duomo 51 is located on the seventh floor of the DoubleTree Hotel directly across the street from Rockefeller’s Center.

You take the elevator to get up there and it is under renovation and dirty, but once the elevator opens there is an expansive dining room that leads into the glass-enclosed terrace, with views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The terrace features a retractable roof and heaters. On either side will be cocktail bars and chairs that over look Rockefeller Center.

Duomo 51, opened a month ago and it really needs time to get the kinks out. The terrace is not finished and seems a little sterile. The servers are not exactly trained. When my first server poured my water, he got more on my phone, glasses and table and then walked away without cleaning it up. When I asked for a paper napkin he reached over and took the cloth napkin and didn’t even wipe the top which would have had more water flying, until I asked. Thankfully I ordered a drink and that was perfection. Lost in Rome ($20) is Vodka served with a blueberry Puree, lime, mint and ginger beer served in a shaker.

The menu is Tuscan-Italian inspired, so for appetizers we started out with Burrata ($20) with tri colored Herman’s tomato’s lightly glazed with balsamic and olive oil. The Burrata melted in your mouth and was delicious with the sun-dried tomato olive oil served with the bread. Delicious.

The fabulous olive oil with sun-dried tomato’s

We also had the Gamberi al Brandy ($25) grilled shrimp with cannellini beans, fresh tomatoes, and cognac sauce, but the sauce is non existent, so basically grilled shrimp with beans, that lacked flavor. Yeah for the delicious olive oil infusion.

I ordered a Malbec, Aymara ($15) that had a nice balance and body.

For our main course we shared the handmade pasta Carbonara style ($27) Spaghetti here is served with organic egg, pecorino cheese, smoked pancetta and ground pepper is offered. When the cheese was served it was not freshly ground and the dish lacked peas and had too much salt, so nice but not great.

We also ordered Dover Sole (MP) prepared table side. This delightful fish was lightly sautéed and was served in a lemon sauce, but not enough of it. Also though the fish was deboned, it was not served to us. They offer the wrong utensil, so when serving myself the fish slid off the spoon, but the dish itself was something I would order again.

For dessert homemade Ice Cream with warm berries ($12) and a homemade Panna Cotta with fresh berries ($12). Both of these were truly wonderful. My guest had a cappuccino ($6) with a heart on top, as well. It was a terrific ending.

Duomo 51 offers elegant private event spaces with many different attractive setups based on the size of the party and occasion and you can have a party up to 130.

The lavatory/bathroom is located down a flight of long basement stairs and is not so clean. Also on the elevator down there is no L button instead you have to push G for ground. All 6 of us in the elevator thought that stood for garage. Still there is much to admire about Duomo 51 and look forward to trying them again in another couple of months. However if you are planning an Easter brunch, this just might be the perfect place for Brunch.

Duomo 51: 25 W 51st St., 7th Floor

Events

Hoodwinked from Heaven Looks At Alzheimer’s

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

Hoodwinked from Heaven makes its NYC debut at Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton’s Symphony Space, 250 W 95th Street on Sunday, May 7, 2023 @ 3:00 PM

Elisa Brown wrote Hoodwinked from Heaven for her late father Bill who suffered with Alzheimer’s. In this heart-warming, knee slapping, one woman show, Elisa kicks up her heels and spins some Tall Texas tunes and tales inspired by true family stories. This show celebrates the deeply American music that kept Elisa’s family alive with hope and laughter and continues the legacy of her father’s character and love.

Originally trained as a classical singer, Elisa’s has been thrilling audiences around the globe for decades. She sings a wide range of vocal styles – from country to pop to Spanish musical theater and opera. Elisa now takes her to solo performances on Off-Broadway, The Bitter End, and Carnegie Hall, as well as to concert venues in South America, Spain, and China, and onwards. She had her own show on PBS, The Heart of Art with Elisa Brown. Her CDs, The Ave Maria Experience and New World, was co-written and co-arranged with Grammy winning producer Barry Goldstein, and has garnered worldwide praise.

If you know or have someone suffering from Alzheimer’s this show just might help lighten the load.

For Tickets ($45) and more info: www.elisabrownmusic.com

Business

Maximize Your Money: 6 Simple Ways to Get Your Money Working for You

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2023

Writer

When you want to build wealth and strive toward financial freedom, it’s not just about earning more money. It’s also about putting that money to work. Whether it’s investing in a mutual fund or working with tax accountants to find the best deductions, below are six ways to maximize your money:

1. Invest in a mutual fund

Mutual funds are a great option for those who may not have the time, knowledge, or resources to manage their own investments. By pooling money together with other investors, mutual funds provide access to a more diversified portfolio than what an individual investor could achieve on their own. This reduces risk while at the same time providing opportunities for growth.

Mutual funds often have low minimum investment requirements, making them accessible to a wider range of investors. Before choosing a fund, ensure that it’s a good fit by reflecting on your risk tolerance and investment goals.

2. Methodically save for retirement

Prioritize saving for retirement when considering how to maximize your money. One way to do this is through an employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a superannuation fund in Australia or a 401(k) in the US.

Both plans allow you to contribute towards retirement savings in a way that helps you save more and reduce your taxable income. Ideally, you contribute as much as you can on a monthly basis to ensure a comfortable retirement. If you want to boost your retirement planning strategy, you can go for something like a self-managed superannuation fund or Roth IRA.

3. Buy rental property

Rental properties can be great investments because they generate passive income month after month, year after year. The key to success with rental properties is understanding what types of properties will be most profitable in your area and finding good tenants who will take care of the property and pay their rent on time.

4. Open a high-yield savings account

By putting your extra money into a high-yield savings account, you can potentially earn more interest over time, helping your money grow without any additional work on your part. High-yield savings accounts tend to offer better interest rates than traditional savings accounts, which means your money can work harder for you.

This can be especially beneficial for long-term savings goals or emergency funds. Just be sure to compare account options and fees before selecting a high-yield savings account to ensure that it’s the right fit for your financial needs.

5. Start a side hustle (or two)

A side hustle is a great way to generate some extra income without having to put too much effort into it once it’s up and running. A great side hustle depends on what interests you have. Some popular options include freelance writing, selling handmade items online, and creating webinars or courses. You could even become an Uber driver or Airbnb host if you have the right vehicle or home space available.

6. Work with a tax accountant

Finally, working with a tax agent can be a smart move if you want to maximize your savings and minimize your tax bill. A tax agent can help you identify any relevant deductions and credits so you can take advantage of all available tax breaks. They can also help you develop a tax-efficient investment strategy that can help you save money over the long term.

Making your money work for you requires a bit of effort and planning. Start today with the simple tips above. Like compound interest, these simple changes can lead to big rewards over time.