5 Ways Social Skills Stories will Improve Classroom Behavior

Hello there, amazing teachers! Social Skills Stories to the rescue!

Social Skills Stories = Game Changer

Today, I want to highlight a remarkable tool that can transform your classroom. I'm talking about social skills stories. Have you heard of them? If not, you're in for a treat because classroom management is always a hot topic for teachers.

Improve Social Emotional Learning!

For the uninitiated, social skills stories are tailored narratives designed to guide learners on appropriate behaviors in different social situations. If you're scratching your head and wondering, "How can reading stories about social skills possibly improve my students' behavior?” The answer lies in the simplicity and relatability of these stories. So, let's dive in and understand this a little better and see how you will see an improvement in your students' social emotional learning.

Here are my top 5 reasons for how Social Skills Stories improve classroom behavior.

1. **Creates Empathy**: Social skills stories provide an opportunity for students to step into somebody else’s shoes and view the world from a different perspective. This helps to cultivate empathy among the students, which is a key step in understanding and modifying behavior.

2. **Simplified Understanding**: The beauty of social skills stories is that they simplify complex social norms and expectations into digestible chunks. This makes it easier for the students to grasp, remember, and follow the expected behavior.

3. **Consistency**: Consistently reading these stories aids in reinforcement. The more often students interact with these social stories, the better they can understand and remember the behaviors taught.

4. **Fun and Engaging**: Social skills stories make learning fun! Rather than feeling like a stern "talking to," it's storytelling time! Students are more likely to participate and pick up on the lessons when learning is fun.

5. **Comprehension**: My favorite part of the social skills stories is comprehension!! You can incorporate comprehension questions with the social skills stories and make them part of your reading curriculum. So, why not work on comprehension while improving your classroom environment and student friendships at the same time?!

Incorporate Social Skills Stories into Your Reading Program

There are five wonderful ways social skills stories can potentially improve student behavior and ultimately improve learning. Try incorporating social skills stories into your reading program, guided reading table, or literacy centers. Let's make learning not just about academics but also about building a strong, empathetic, and socially aware future generation.

Check out my newly listed Social Skills Stories. I used these in my classroom in the past but decided to reframe them and share them with others.

CLICK HERE to access the 58-page Social Skills Stories for Behavior Management.

The Social Skills Stories resource includes:

• 10 Social Skills Stories
• Comprehension Questions for each story
• Answer Keys
• 24 Question Stem Cards
• 4 Printables to use with any of the stories

Stories include:

• Helpless Hana
• Rowdy Riley
• Stingy Stella
• Impolite Ike
• Right Rita
• Gloomy Gil
• Picky Penny
• Bored Ford
• Sassy Tassy
• Messy Me

Each social skills story includes comprehension questions and answer keys. So, why not work on comprehension while improving the classroom environment at the same time? Back to School is the perfect time to introduce these behavior stories in your classroom. These stories can easily be used with your Guided Reading groups or put into Reading Centers.

Happy teaching!