Awesome Book Alert: Social Rules for Kids – The Top 100 Social Rules Kids Need to Succeed (by Susan Diamond).

by Leanne Smith, Psychologist

Some children may not easily learn from experience or by watching their peers the way other children do. Sometimes the feedback given about their behavior from others is vague and confusing and may leave them wondering what exactly went wrong.
 
Wouldn’t it be great to have a guide on hand that you and your child can turn to when things aren’t going so well socially? We’ve found a great resource that might just give some quick answers and some new strategies to try…
 
Social Rules for Kids - The Top 100 Social Rules Kids Need to Succeed is a wonderful resource full of sectioned strategies and explanations for tricky social situations. The contents page can be used to locate a topic such as school, friends or even body language. The single pages show a short introduction to a common social skill and some ideas for your child to try. The pages are simple to navigate and are straight to the point. Which is what our kids like, right?
 
The best way we can think to use this book is as a proactive learning resource for you and your children. Allowing a child to read this book at their own pace, and flip to the sections they feel are most important to them, could save confusion in the future and assist them to cope with tricky situations. Having this book on the shelf, to consult with after your child experiences a difficult social situation, can also be a great way to encourage self-reflection, increase social skills and to implement goal setting for next time.
 
This book not only gives children a step-by-step guide to understanding and coping with socially tricky situations, it provides parents, educators and other professionals with the tools and language to assist children with difficulties and challenging situations when they arise.
 
100 Social Rules for Kids provides information and strategies for common social skills, including:
 

• Know when to stay on topic and when the topic changes
• How to begin a conversation
• Get to the point
• Ask questions to get to know someone
• Understand and accept schedule changes
• Say “no thanks” to peer pressure
• How to cool off
• When things don’t go as expected, stay cool
• Don’t be a space invader
• Body do’s and body don’ts
• Give and receive compliments
• Be funny but not too silly

 
Other similar resources include:
 

• How to Make and Keep Friends – Tips for Kids to Overcome 50 Common Social Challenges (Nadine Briggs & Donna Shea)

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​Leanne Smith 
​​Leanne is a Hopscotch & Harmony Psychologist who has a special interest in helping young children develop social skills and emotional regulation. She supports parents and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, including Aspergers, to learn life skills and improve well-being.