How to Make & Keep Friends - Donna Shea

From the best-selling authors who wrote the book on friendship, here is their first book in the How to Make and Keep Friends series for children in grades 3-6. Social-emotional learning experts, Donna Shea and Nadine Briggs, have more than 30 years of combined experience in social coaching children. Their books teach children to use simple and proven strategies to increase social success.

How to Make & Keep Friends: Tips for Kids to Overcome 50 Common Social Challenges offers social skills advice presented in a reference guide format. The book contains sections and lists to quickly discover tips and strategies on a specific topic or social situation where help is needed.

While all children will benefit from the tips in the book, it has been especially beneficial to children with special needs that impact their socialization abilities. Included are simple to implement and immediately actionable tips to navigate everyday social situations that can be challenging or awkward for kids, such as:

• Joining a group;
• Conversation skills;
• Handling strong emotions;
• Dealing with rejection and being excluded;
• Being a good playdate guest and host
• Working things out & sharing;
• Maintaining personal space;
• Playground and recess success; and much more!

The book includes an explanation for kids of "why" of learning each of these skills is essential along with practice questions to inspire discussion and role-playing of different social situations.