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A social skills programme to develop an awareness of self and others
Age – from 8 years upwards (into secondary school)
What is the Friendship Formula?
It is an intervention programme for pupils with social and communication difficulties as well as those who may need extra help with developing their confidence and self-esteem.
Pupils to target
Pupils who find it difficult to establish and maintain friendships. A lack of confidence and the skills necessary to feel comfortable in social settings may impact upon all aspects of their school day and their life beyond the classroom.
Programme format
It is a practical programme that consists of 40 sessions approximately an hour each. Ideally, sessions should be run twice a week, taking around 2 terms overall.
The sessions are divided into four units, each focusing on one area of social development:
Self-awareness
Emotions
Conversations
Friendship
Each unit has an introduction about that area of social development, followed by ten sessions, all of which follow a similar format. Pupils quickly become familiar with the programme.
Throughout the programme, visual supports are used to establish consistency and predictability.
Here are a list of the sessions within each unit:
Unit 1 - Self-awareness
Session 1 - rules of the group
Session 2 - things I enjoy
Session 3 - things I am good at
Session 4 - my favourite things
Session 5 - the inside ‘me’
Session 6 - things I have achieved
Session 7 - being a friend to myself 1
Session 8 - being a friend to myself 2
Session 9 - my family 1
Session 10 - my family 2
Unit 2 - Emotions
Session 1 - happiness
Session 2 - intensity of happiness
Session 3 - relaxation
Session 4 - positive emotions
Session 5 - sadness
Session 6 - intensity of sadness
Session 7 - negative emotions
Session 8 - stress
Session 9 - stressful situations
Session 10 - stress and the body
Unit 3 - Conversations
Session 1 - listening
Session 2 - eye contact
Session 3 - non-verbal communication
Session 4 - voice
Session 5 - good speaking
Session 6 - conversational topics
Session 7 - maintaining a conversation
Session 8 - asking questions
Session 9 - conversations
Session 10 - evaluating conversations
Unit 4 - Friendship
Session 1 - friendship survey
Session 2 - shared interests
Session 3 - appreciation
Session 4 - helping others
Session 5 - sharing
Session 6 - joining in
Session 7 - compromising
Session 8 - playing games
Session 9 - how is your friend?
Session 10 - having fun
Session format: key points
Ideally, the sessions should run in a group of 5-8 pupils.
Best conducted in a circle that involved adults and pupils in all activities
When grouping, consider pupils that would work well together and are at a similar level
Incorporate some who have well-developed social skills to act as mentors / role models (on a rotating basis)
Overview of session visible on a whiteboard to reduce pupil anxiety
Foster a group identity - developing a sense of belonging in this social group is crucial. You could use a group name, and have a poster, logo and even a password.
Each session includes the following key features:
Golden rules reminder (agreed in week 1)
Game - reinforces skills learnt in previous session
Activity - variety that are interactive and fun on today’s skill. eg. how to give compliments
Evaluation - of the skills learnt and an activity to reinforce the skills learnt
Feelings - emotion chart passed around the group and verbalising why they feel this way
Relaxation - pupils practise the relaxation exercise taught in Unit 2 (emotions). The more they practise relaxation skills, the more they are likely to use them in times of stress.
Who can deliver the sessions?
Teachers, support assistants, learning managers or parents.
Where to purchase this resource
Directly from Amazon for less than £20:
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