Why play games that teach social skills?

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Young people of all ages need a safe environment to learn and practise their social skills. 1

Daniel Goleman (Emotional Intelligence, 1996) tells us that friendship is so important to children that:

  • Young people learn as much from their friends as their teachers during their school years.
  • Children who do not have a strong group of friends have difficulty expressing their feelings of anger and anxiety.
  • Most young people find school very demanding and difficult and what keeps them going is their friendships. The peer group experience at school makes school survivable.

Goleman also says that people (adults and children) who have good social skills are emotionally nourishing (other people like to be with them) and they connect with other people. They can handle disputes and can articulate for their group – they are natural leaders.