Introduction

Eye contact is a fundamental social skill that plays a crucial role in communication and interaction. For young children, especially PreK students, learning the importance of eye contact helps them develop positive social skills, build relationships, and engage in effective communication. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of eye contact, introduce a no-prep activity for educators, provide discussion questions, and mention other related skills that can be developed alongside eye contact.

No-Prep Activity: The Eye Contact Game

This simple activity requires no preparation or materials, making it perfect for busy educators. The goal of the Eye Contact Game is to help students practice making eye contact in a fun and engaging way.

1. Have your students sit in a circle.
2. Choose one student to start the game. This student will silently make eye contact with another student in the circle.
3. The student who receives the eye contact must say their own name, followed by the name of the student who made eye contact with them.
4. The game continues with the second student making eye contact with another student, who then repeats the process.
5. Play continues until every student has made eye contact and said their names.

This activity helps students practice making eye contact in a low-pressure environment, while also reinforcing the importance of paying attention to others.

Discussion Questions

After completing the Eye Contact Game, engage your students in a conversation about the importance of eye contact using the following discussion questions:

• Why is it important to make eye contact when we are talking or listening to someone?
• How does it feel when someone doesn’t make eye contact with you during a conversation? How does it affect your feelings towards that person?
• Can you think of a time when you felt more connected or understood because someone made eye contact with you? How did that make you feel?
• Why might it be difficult for some people to make eye contact? What can we do to help them feel more comfortable?

Related Skills

Eye contact is just one aspect of effective communication and social-emotional learning. Alongside developing eye contact, students should also practice these related skills:

• Active listening: Encourage students to not only make eye contact but also pay attention to the speaker’s words, tone, and body language.
• Turn-taking: Teach students to wait for their turn to speak and to give others a chance to share their thoughts.
• Nonverbal communication: Help students understand and interpret facial expressions, gestures, and body language to better read social cues and respond appropriately.
• Empathy: Encourage students to consider the feelings and perspectives of others during conversations.

Next Steps

By incorporating eye contact and other social-emotional learning skills into your PreK classroom, you are setting the foundation for successful communication and positive relationships. To explore more activities and resources to help your students develop these essential skills, sign up for free sample materials at Everyday Speech. These materials provide a wealth of engaging, research-based content designed to support educators in fostering social-emotional learning in their students.