Introduction

One of the most important aspects of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is teaching students how to maintain group engagement and develop social skills. For students in special education, mastering these skills can be challenging, but with the right approach and activities, they can learn to effectively participate in group activities and interact with their peers. In this blog post, we will discuss an easy-to-implement, no-prep activity that educators can use to teach group engagement and social skills, along with discussion questions and related skills that can further enhance the students’ learning experience.

No-Prep Activity: Group Storytelling

This activity requires no preparation or materials from the educator. The goal of the activity is to teach students how to maintain group engagement and improve their social skills by collaborating on a group story. Here’s how it works:

1. Ask the students to sit in a circle.
2. Explain that they will be creating a story together, with each student contributing a sentence to the story.
3. Start the story with a simple sentence, such as “Once upon a time, there was a friendly dog named Max.”
4. Invite the student to your left to continue the story by adding a sentence.
5. Continue around the circle, with each student adding a sentence to the story.
6. Encourage students to maintain group engagement by listening to their peers and keeping their bodies near the group.
7. After the story has gone around the circle a few times, bring it to a conclusion and discuss the experience with the students.

This activity not only helps students practice their listening skills and maintain group engagement, but it also encourages creativity and collaboration among the group.

Discussion Questions

After completing the Group Storytelling activity, use these discussion questions to stimulate further conversations and reflection on the experience:

1. What did you enjoy about creating a story together as a group?
2. How did it feel to listen to others and add your own sentence to the story?
3. Why is it important to keep your body near the group during an activity like this?
4. How can you apply the skills you practiced in this activity to other group situations?
5. What other activities can you think of that would help improve group engagement and social skills?

Related Skills

In addition to group engagement and social skills, there are several other related skills that students in special education can benefit from practicing. Some of these skills include:

• Active listening: Encouraging students to pay attention, make eye contact, and respond appropriately to their peers during conversations.
• Turn-taking: Teaching students to wait their turn during games and activities, and to respect the turns of others.
• Empathy: Helping students understand the feelings of others and respond with care and support.
• Conflict resolution: Guiding students through the process of resolving disagreements and finding solutions that are fair to everyone involved.

Next Steps

Now that you have learned about this engaging no-prep activity for teaching group engagement and social skills, we encourage you to explore more resources and materials that can help you support your students in their SEL journey. To access free samples of these resources and materials, visit Everyday Speech and sign up for a free trial. By incorporating these tools into your teaching practice, you can help your students in special education develop the skills they need to succeed in group settings and build meaningful relationships with their peers.