When skill builders work with a child, it might look like play, and that’s because it is! Kids learn best through play, in an environment where they feel comfortable and safe to be brave and try new skills. Mr. Rogers said, “Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” While playing together we are: establishing a relationship of trust, assessing your child’s strengths and areas of growth, modeling appropriate social interactions, individualizing lessons based on your child’s interests, noticing your child’s learning style, and learning how and when to ever so gently nudge them out of their comfort zone to try new and challenging things.

We teach social and emotional skills to kids using different tools and let the child take the lead. We bring with us books, games, art supplies, puppets, cooking projects, and sensory making activities. We can use curriculum in traditional ways to start conversations so that kids can discover social emotional skills with us. We also involve parents to strengthen the relationship between parent and child. Parents are their child’s first teacher. We also know that parenting is an important and challenging job. We offer parents parenting education ideas, self-care ideas, stress management practices, and access to community resources.

All of us have skills and abilities, strengths and areas of improvement. Skill builders like to say “We’re all working on something!” Even adults can have goals to work on areas of growth so that we can become stronger, wiser, and kinder adults for the kids in our lives and for ourselves.