Caring for children in foster care comes with its own set of particular challenges for
resource parents and kinship caregivers. Kids who are uprooted from their homes and
families, moving from school to school, find it difficult to make new friends amidst all the
changes life throws at them. A newly launched book, Social Skills Activity Deck for Kids,
aims to help children build confidence in skills such as making new friends, sharing,
listening and teamwork. There are 30 fun and easy-to-follow options, each targeting a
particular social skill and showing ways to master it. Take, for example, the card titled
Train Your Brain. This one helps develop problem-solving skills by asking the child to
close their eyes and imagine a big room with a treasure chest. The next steps take the
child through the process of finding out how to open the combination lock on the chest
and find the treasure therein. It then urges children to “imagine one person you’d like to
share it with. Picture yourself bringing them the treasure. What do you say?” Through
this call to action, the card highlights a problem, how to solve it as well as how to share
the success with others. Some cards focus on improving communication skills through
an active listening activity, while another focuses on teamwork skills by developing the
ability to celebrate others.
All the activities are clearly defined, age-appropriate and share the messages via
colorful illustrations and fancy fonts.
Social Skills Activity Deck for Kids
By James and Betsy Petersen; Price: $22.99 (booklet and card deck); Size: 5 inch by 7
inch; 6-page booklet, 30 cards; Suitable for ages five to nine; 9781423665120
— Reviewed by Sriya Chattopadhyay