[fbshare]Hometrain is an organization located in Ireland that has developed a couple of products to help teach selected social skills to children with communication deficits. The products are based around interactive software to make learning new skills fun for children. On their website Hometrain states:
When children learn how to initiate social communication within natural contexts – such as: home, community and school, they respond appropriately to the communications of others. From here, they can begin to develop positive relationships with others.”
I took a look at “Hello” and How Are You?, parts one and two in a two-part series called Teach Social Skills.
“Hello” teaches children how to respond to greetings, such as “hello” and “What is your name?”. It also teaches children the definition of a friend. It has a brief menu that appears to be easy
to navigate.
Initially, cartoon boys and girls say “hello” and they tell something brief about themselves. Periodically, Claire, the wife of the husband and wife team behind Hometrain, appears on screen. She provides additional information, such as why we greet other people and what is typically expected, such as that we say “hello” and make eye contact. She also interacts with some of the cartoon boys and girls.
“Hello” has worksheets and coloring pages to reinforce what has been taught. There is also a section containing teaching instructions for parents or a classroom teacher. Finally, there is a game that your child can play that will test how well he has paid attention. This could teach a child that it is important to remember things about new friends.
How Are You? teaches children about their emotions, explores different social scenarios, and helps children learn about their bodies.
Initially, cartoon boys and girls are asked “How are you?” and they each respond having a different emotion surrounding their unique scenario. For example, Paul is standing next to his bed. He slowly introduces himself and then says he is very tired. Periodically, Claire appears on screen providing additional information, such as helping to define feelings. She explores feelings and why you might experience each particular emotion.
How Are You? has worksheets and coloring pages to reinforce what has been taught. There is also a section containing teaching instructions for parents or a classroom teacher. Finally, there are a couple of games: The Feelings Game, The What Should I Do Game, and My Body Game. These games reinforce what has been taught throughout the CD.
You can view a demo of each of these CDs on Hometrain’s website. The website also has some free downloadable resources on the “Hello” product page. Under “Resources” on Hometrain’s website they offer more free printable resources.
The CDs run on a Windows PCs and Apple Mac computers. The CDs are geared towards children who are developmentally functioning at between the 4 and 12 years of age range. Hometrain’s educational software could be a nice addition to a parent’s secret arsenol for teaching social skills!
To find hundreds of more resources, join S-O-S Step-by-Step. You can access close to 100 social skills resources for free.
About Danette Schott, M.A.
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