Social engagement is such a challenge for so many children.
When our children know what to expect, anxiety may be lessened and follow through increased. Think about your own experiences and times when the unknown was actually more anxiety producing than the actual event. Social situations can be very upsetting for young children.
For the very young children and their families who I work with, I suggest the following: make everything as predictable as possible for your child so she knows what to expect.
Three main items to consider: environment, manipulatives, and visuals.
When considering the environment, engage in the same room, using the same table, with the same people and the same time of day.
Manipulatives are the items that you use during a play session. Use items that your child can hold and explore. Here are some examples:
- Use musical instruments every time you sing specific songs with your child and place the instruments in a container when your are done.
- Use small toys and match them to pictures.
- Place plastic animals in a bean bin. As you remove the toys from the bin, label and make the animal sounds. Place in another container before finding another animal from the bin.
Visuals assist children in imitating and following directions. When a child is not gaining enough information through verbal language, visuals are helpful. Use pictures, containers, and manipulatives for engagement. Find containers for clean up so your child knows where the toys are supposed to go. Use laminated cards with circles on them to place play dough balls that you and your child create. When the circles are covered, the task is complete. Use a 6-cup muffin tin to represent 6 turns. Place a puzzle piece in each of the 6 spaces of the muffin tin. When the muffin tin is empty, the task is complete.
These ideas used frequently may be very helpful in engaging with your child. Ask your therapist for engagement ideas.