Skillstreaming the Elementary School Child is a well-known curriculum for teaching social skills to young children. Below is a concise, practical blog post summarizing the approach, classroom-ready activities, and how to adapt the lessons for home use.
Authors: Ellen McGinnis & Arnold P. Goldstein Primary Audience: School Counselors, Special Education Teachers, School Psychologists, and Parents.
If you obtain the PDF or physical copy, here is how the content is structured:
A. The Skillstreaming Process (The "How-To") The introduction outlines the four-part training method: skillstreaming the elementary school child pdf
B. The Curriculum (The 60 Skills) The heart of the book is the checklist of 60 skills, divided into four main groups. This is incredibly helpful for IEP (Individualized Education Program) goals.
C. The Lesson Plans For each of the 60 skills, the book provides:
The Skillstreaming approach is rooted in Social Learning Theory. The premise is that social skills are not merely innate traits but learned behaviors that can be systematically taught, much like academic subjects. Skillstreaming the Elementary School Child is a well-known
The program is designed to address specific deficits in children, categorized into four main areas:
The "Skillstreaming" method is defined by a specific four-step pedagogical sequence used to teach each skill. This structure ensures that children understand the abstract concept, see it applied, practice it, and integrate it into their daily lives.
This section guides the facilitator on how to set up and run a group. Key topics include: see it applied
The original book contains dozens of supplementary materials: progress checklists, group management forms, parent letters, and homework reports. In the PDF version, you can print these forms unlimited times. For a school psychologist covering three different buildings, carrying a PDF on a laptop is significantly easier than lugging a heavy binder and photocopying from a fragile book.
The 60 skill cards are the heart of the intervention. A high-quality searchable PDF allows you to search for "Asking for Help" and print the card immediately for an impromptu intervention session.