Encourage the use of social skills and team work skills with this easy to make conversation ball. Customize it based on your needs, and use it during therapy sessions, at home, school, during an after school program, or with an adult rehab or senior care program. It’s quick and easy to set up, so let’s get started.
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Hello Friends!
Today we went to one of our favorite nature parks. This park is home to miles of wide horseback and bike trails, 3 beautiful ponds, huge trees, an accessible playground, and lots of lovely wild flowers this time of year. It’s the end of our spring break, and we took advantage of the warm 80 degree weather here in Tennessee, riding bikes through the woods. At one point, while my kids were searching for tadpoles and minnows, I soaked up the sun and listened to the nearby birds while watching the geese waddle around.
Are you familiar with the Merlin Bird ID app by Cornell Lab? I love it. It can identify birds by their songs. Its pretty amazing. Just within 2 minutes, I heard the white-eyed Vireo, Carolina Wren, Carolina Chickadee, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Nature amazes me, and I am on a bit of a quest to learn to identify more local birds I see or hear.
Today’s project is a perfect way to get outside, be in nature, and have a lot of fun doing so. Of course, this project can be done indoors as well, but if you are able, head out doors and soak up the sunshine. This project literally takes just a few minutes to set up so let’s get started.
What Are Social Skills And Social Skills Training?
Social skills are defined as a “set of learned abilities that enable an individual to interact competently and appropriately in a given social context,” (American Psychological Association dictionary). This includes coping skills, communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal, friendship making skills, showing empathy, problem solving skills, sharing, following directions, and the ability to regulate emotions and behaviors in social situations.
According to Positive Psychology, the goal of social skills training is to improve and understand social communication and behavior. This includes understanding and responding to verbal and non-verbal communication during a typical social interaction.
- Verbal communication skills include active listening, asking for clarification, communicating ideas, needs and wants, and asking questions including open-ended questions.
- Non-verbal communication skills include maintaining eye contact, making facial expressions, gestures, posture, and adhering to personal space.
Social Communication Skills In Speech And Occupational Therapy
Often occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists work to promote social skills learning through various tasks, activities, through play, and engagement with others. Role play, pretend play, and modeling are often used during therapy sessions to promote communication, and understand and respond to non-verbal cues. Therapists work to provide support and give social cues when needed in social situations.
Group activities, such as today’s project, can be a great way to engage with others and initiate new conversations all while having fun for both children and adults alike.
Social skills camps are often available at local pediatric therapy centers along with regularly scheduled therapy sessions with an occupational therapist or speech-language pathologist. Contact your local therapy center for available programs, camps and questions regarding social skills training.
*If you have questions regarding social skills concerns contact your physician, speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist.
What Is A Social Skills Conversation Therapy Ball?
A social skills conversation ball is a soccer ball with specific social skills prompts written on the ball’s tiles. The social skills prompts should be chosen based on the needs of your group. The prompts can be written using a black sharpie or an Sharpie Oil Based Paint Marker depending on the color ball you are using.
* It’s best to store your conversation ball indoors, out of the weather.
How To Use The Conversation Ball?
Gather a group of friends, students, family members, adults, or seniors in a circle either while standing or sitting. Call out a person’s name, then throw, toss, or roll the ball to that person. As the receiving person catches the ball, whichever tile the receiver’s thumbs land on is the social task. Read the message out loud, and perform the task. Repeat the process.
In addition, this group activity can be used at school during recess, during Physical Education (PE) class, during after school programs, therapy sessions at school or in a private practice setting, at skilled nursing facility, various group programs, adult care center, or with a group of friends and family at home or at a park.
Which Social Skills Should I Write On The Soccer Ball?
Here are some ideas to include on your conversation ball. Customize the social skills prompts based on the goals of your group. Pick and choose as needed, and/or add some of your own ideas.
- Shake hands
- Introduce yourself
- Favorite book and why
- Favorite movie and why
- Wave hello
- Give a pat on the back
- Give a high hive
- Staring contest
- Demonstrate how to show emotions such as being happy, excited, sad, surprised, or afraid
- Ask a question
- Tell a story
- Tell a joke
- Give a compliment
- Tell how you are feeling
- Describe a fear
- Describe a happy moment
- I am proud when…
- Favorite animal and why
- A good friend is….
- Favorite thing to do
- Favorite hobby
- Tell a interesting fact
- Favorite time of year and why
- Show how to be a good sport
- I’m a good listener when I ….
- Greet someone
- Show how to use good manners
- Show how to cheer someone up
- If you had three wishes what would they be?
- What is your dream job/vacation
- What do you like to do on the weekends?
- What is your favorite game to play?
Can I Use This Therapy Ball For Skills Other Than Social Skills?
Yes, of course, you can put other tasks or skills on the ball rather than social skills. Here are other ideas:
- Gross motor skills: Jumping jacks, walking heel to toe, balance on one foot (with eyes opened or closed), skip, gallop, jump rope, etc.
- Ice breaker topics: Favorite book, favorite subject, something I can do well, I am proud when…, favorite game, hobby, sport, or after school activity, etc.
- Goal setting: What skill would you like to learn, name your top two goals, I am good at…, I’d like to try…, or name a passion, etc.
- Social-Emotional Learning: Tell about a proud moment, describe an accomplishment, likes and dislikes, describe your strength/superpower, I feel most successful when…, etc.
Projects With A Purpose
Projects With A Purpose is a section of my posts where I lay out ideas for sharing some of The DIY Therapist projects with others. This DIY conversation ball, for example, is a great way to share the love of having fun together all while working on social communication. This can be a great opportunity to get involved in your community. Contact your local school, and find out if the classroom teachers or their occupational, speech, or physical therapists might looking for a new way to get kids involved and participating in an activity outside or in the gym.
Conversation balls are great to use during therapy sessions, during the school day, after school programs, or at adult rehab or senior care centers. Here are a few things to keep in mind before purchasing or preparing any of the conversation balls.
- Contact your local school’s classroom or special education teachers, after school programs like the Boys and Girls Club, adult rehab, skilled nursing facilities or senior care centers to see if this activity might be a good fit for their program or classroom.
- Find out if the social skill prompts listed above would be a good fit for their participants. Emailing a link to this post might be helpful.
- Before purchasing new soccer balls, ask your friends, family and neighbors if they have any used soccer balls that are no longer being used. This is a great way to upcycle those old soccer balls that have been collecting dust. You can also check thrift stores to see if you can find any used discounted soccer balls there as well.
- Schedule a drop off date and time.
How To Make A Social Skills Conversation Ball
Materials
- Soccer ball
- Black Sharpie or a Sharpie Oil Based Paint Marker (depending on your color of soccer ball)
Instructions
- If your soccer ball is used, clean and sanitize as needed. Let dry.
- Using either a black sharpie for white soccer balls, or a white oil based paint sharpie marker for black soccer balls, write one social skill prompt on each soccer ball tile. Prompts are listed above. Another color of the oil based paint marker may be needed depending on the color of your soccer ball.
How To Play
- Gather your group in a circle either while standing or sitting.
- Call out a person’s name, then throw, toss, or roll the ball to that person.
- As the receiving person catches the ball, whichever tile the receiver’s thumbs land on is the social task.
- Read the message out loud, and perform the task.
- Repeat process.
*This activity can be done while standing or sitting. The ball can also be rolled instead of thrown.
* It’s best to keep your ball stored indoors out of the weather especially if using the Sharpie oil based paint marker.
Resources
Where To Purchase Conversation Cubes and Balls?
Bird Song Identification App
Social Skills Training Research And Resources
Goal Setting and Social-Emotional Learning Resources
How did you like this project? Isn’t it a fun way to work on social skills? Let me know in the comments below. Or you can contact me here. I’d love to hear from you. Have a great day! We’ll talk soon~
Here are some other projects you might be interested in:
