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Social Skills Development

Featured Books in this Category / Main Booklist

Featured Books 

Are You Shy? Núria Roca, illustrated by Marta Fàbrega, $8.50 (ages 4 to 7)

Extreme shyness can become a problem that affects a child’s social development. This book gives younger kids ways to cope with their shyness. A short section at the back of this book offers advice to parents.


The Anxiety Workbook for Teens. Lisa Schab, $19.95

About one in four teens suffers from mild to serious problems with anxiety, and many of them get little or no help. This workbook gives teens a collection of tools to help control anxiety and develop insight into their problems as well as offering practical guidance for overcoming them.

Professional Version, $39.95 — Includes workbook and a digital copy of workbook on CD-ROM for easy printing.


Calming Your Anxious Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Anxiety, Fear and Panic. Jeffrey Brantley, $15.95

Calming Your Anxious Mind is a gentle call to stop and pay more attention to your self and your life, and practice being - not doing. Practicing mindfulness and attending to life, moment by moment, will reduce your anxiety and stress and help you find peace and calm.

Daily Meditations for Calming Your Anxious Mind. Jeffrey Brantley & Wendy Millstine, $19.95

In his first book, Calming Your Anxious Mind, psychiatrist and author Jeffrey Brantley, shows you how to use the principles of mindfulness to manage anxiety and panic and rediscover the joy in living. Now in this follow-up book, he and coauthor Wendy Millstine present a series of daily meditations you can use to overcoming fear, anxiety, and panic. These easy-to-learn and practice techniques can ease anyone into a regular beneficial mindfulness practice. Daily Meditations for Calming Your Anxious Mind also includes visualizations, affirmations, and activities you can use to deal with anxiety in daily life. By practicing these techniques, you'll discover their own inner core of stability, peace, and presence.

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Changing Children's Behavior, by Changing the People, Places and Activities in Their Lives. Richard Munger, $22.95

Author Richard Munger makes the case that the environments in which a child lives, plays, and studies are even more important than personality in shaping that child's behavior. So, he says, making changes in the people, places, and activities in a child's life can have profound effects on his or her behavior … These settings and the presence of interesting, challenging activities and adult mentors in them can make a big difference in helping children develop into motivated, compassionate, and competent adults.


Cliques, Phonies & Other Baloney DVD. Trevor Romain, $43.95 Grades 2-8, 25 minutes

Being one of the cool kids may not always be what it seems. This animated and live-action DVD helps students to identify cliques, build self confidence and the importance of staying true to ourselves.


Dude, That’s Rude! (Get Some Manners). Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick, $10.50 (ages 8 to 13)

Full-color cartoons and kid-friendly text teach the basics of polite behavior in all kinds of situations—at home, at school, in the bathroom, on the phone, at the mall, and more … It seems like light reading, but it’s serious stuff: Manners are major social skills, and this book gives kids a great start.


Friends: Making Them and Keeping Them. Patty Kelley Criswell, $12.95 (ages 8 to 12)

Here’s all you need to know about making friends and making friendships last. The book includes tips and quizzes, plus true friendship stories.

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Helping Your Socially Vulnerable Child: What to Do When Your Child Is Shy, Socially Anxious, Withdrawn or Bullied. Andrew Eisen & Linda Engler, $20.95

In social situations, certain children are more likely than others to be subject to emotional and physical harm by more aggressive children. Shyness, social anxiety, or a tendency to be withdrawn may underlie this socially vulnerability, as may awkwardness in social situations or an inclination to be impulsive or explosive. In this book, authors Eisen and Engler provide parents with a clinically proven set of coping tools and social-skill strategies you can tailor to your child's unique social and emotional needs.


The Hidden Gifts Of the Introverted Child: Helping Your Child Thrive in an Extroverted World. Marti Olsen Laney, $18.95

Introverted children are often creative problem solvers, avid learners, have a high EQ (emotional IQ), are in touch with their feelings and they enjoy their own company. They are dependable, persistent and flexible. How can parents help their introverted children discover and cultivate these wonderful gifts?

The Hidden Gifts shows parents how to foster a climate that allows introverted kids to discover their inner strengths; to create a harmonious household with siblings and parents of different temperaments and how to help ‘innies’ find success at school, sports, parties, and other group activities.


How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends. Don Gabor, $14.99

Break through the shyness barrier, be a better speaker, meet more people and make new friends. How to Start a Conversation shows you how communicate with confidence, wit and enthusiasm in person or on the phone, one-on-one or in groups.


Let’s Be Friends: a Workbook to Help Kids Learn Social Skills & Make Great Friends. Lawrence Shapiro & Julia Holmes, $21.95

This activity book offers effective tools for helping your child develop friendships, build self-esteem and develop into healthy, resilient adults.

 

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Martha the (confident) Mouse. Written & illustrated by Karen Lang, $7.95

Martha, a shy and timid mouse, lives alone in a tree fort, high above a cottage. She dreams about the mice that live in the cottage, and the friendships she might enjoy… if only she could figure out a way to manage her worries … and feel confident about making new friends.

This charming story tackles shyness, teaching children concrete strategies to manage it. Martha’s simple idea is a straightforward and visual strategy, allowing her to manage her feelings of shyness and worry with confidence. It is also about having the courage to take a chance in a situation that may seem completely overwhelming, and the belief that one can find ways to manage and conquer one’s fears and trepidations.


My Manners Matter: a First Look at Being Polite. Pat Thomas, $8.50

This delightful picture book helps young children understand that good manners are a simple way of showing kindness and respect to others.


Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me: the Top 25 Friendship Problems and How to Solve Them. Michele Borba, $15.99

Nobody Likes Me shows how to teach your child the 25 most essential friendship-building skills kids need to find, make, and keep friends, as well as survive that social pressure from peers. This is a "hands-on" guide for parents and teachers of kids aged 4 to 15.


Our Friendship Rules. Peggy Moss & Dee Dee Tardif, Illustrated by Alissa Imre Geis, $21.95

It's pretty easy to join the cool crowd. All you have to do is ditch your best friend first....

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Ruby Sings the Blues. Niki Daly, $8.50

Ruby loves to be LOUD. Her sound-blasting voice is driving her parents, neighbors, teachers and friends crazy! Will Ruby ever learn to use her volume control?


Say Goodbye to Being Shy: a Workbook to Help Kids Overcome Their Shyness. Richard Brozovich & Linda Chase, $19.95; Professional Version, $36.95 — Includes a digital copy of workbook on CD-ROM for easy printing

Say Goodbye to Being Shy is a book for children who struggle with extreme to occasional shyness. Shyness is a barrier to social and academic development which can prevent children from reaching their greatest potential. Say Goodbye to Being Shy offers focused activities with clearly stated purposes designed to move children from feelings of shyness to developing competence and skill.


Social Intelligence: the New Science of Human Relationships. Daniel Goleman, $19.95

Far more than we are consciously aware, our daily encounters with parents, spouses, bosses, and even strangers shape our brains and affect cells throughout our bodies—down to the level of our genes—for good or ill. In Social Intelligence, Daniel Goleman explores an emerging new science with startling implications for our interpersonal world. Its most fundamental discovery: we are designed for sociability, constantly engaged in a “neural ballet” that connects us brain to brain with those around us. Our reactions to others, and theirs to us, have a far-reaching biological impact, sending out cascades of hormones that regulate everything from our hearts to our immune systems, making good relationships act like vitamins—and bad relationships like poisons … Goleman explains the surprising accuracy of first impressions, the basis of charisma and emotional power, the complexity of sexual attraction, and how we detect lies. He describes the “dark side” of social intelligence, from narcissism to Machiavellianism and psychopathy. He also reveals our astonishing capacity for “mindsight,” as well as the tragedy of those, like autistic children, whose mindsight is impaired.

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Social Skills Training and Frustration Management: DVD. Jed Baker, $109.95 DVD format, 4.5 hours

This comprehensive, dynamic presentation is extremely valuable to all family members and professionals working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit disorders, learning disabilities, mood and anxiety disorders, and other issues that impact social-emotional functioning. The DVD workshop will help parents and professionals learn how to:

  • Build an individual’s social skills in crucial areas such as conversation, conflict resolution, emotion management, employment, dating, etc.
  • Develop an effective behavior plan
  • Manage and prevent meltdowns
  • Help create peer acceptance
  • Assess social skills of individuals or groups

Socially Curious and Curiously Social: a Social Thinking Guidebook for Teens and Young Adults with Asperger’s, ADHD, PDD-NOS, NVLD or Other Murky Undiagnosed Social Learning Issues. Michelle Garcia Winner & Pamela Crooke, $25.95

This book is a “get real” discussion about what really goes on inside the mind of people as we share space together. From discussing the “ins and outs” of what it means to be a “Social Thinker” to figuring out texting, dating, the many different levels of friendship and the many and varied emotions we experience as we relate to others, the authors describe the “real world” of being with other people.

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Sometimes I Don’t Like to Talk (But Sometimes I Can’t Keep Quiet). Jessica Lamb-Shapiro, $19.95

Early intervention for extreme shyness is the key to helping children reach the social and emotional milestones that shape their sense of self-worth.  Sometimes I Don’t Like to Talk tells the story of Emmy and her how she learns to face her fears, one step at a time.


Starting Kids Off Right: How to Raise Confident Children Who Can Make Friends and Build Healthy Relationships. Stephen Nowicki, Marshall Duke & Amy Van Buren, $18.95

Starting Kids Off Right is an easy-to-use guide that clearly demonstrates techniques for assessing a child’s strengths and weaknesses in developing relationships. Written in easy-to-understand, jargon-free language, the authors look at the expectations and opportunities—as well as special challenges—of building, deepening, and keeping relationships at every stage of child development.


Two of a Kind. Jacqui Robbins & Matt Phelan, $19.99 Ages 4-7

The ins and outs of being in and out. This is a sweet story about the ‘in-crowd’, the outcasts and what it means to be a true friend.

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What to Do When You're Sad & Lonely: a Guide for Kids. James Crist, $11.95

All kids feel sad and lonely sometimes. Growing numbers of children are living with depression, a disease often mistaken for sadness. This reassuring book offers strategies and tips kids can use to beat the blues and blahs, get a handle on their feelings, make and keep friends, and enjoy their time alone. The second part focuses on depression, bipolar disorder, grief, and other problems too big for kids to handle on their own, and describes what it’s like to go to counseling. Includes a Note to Grown-ups and a list of resources.


Where Should I Sit at Lunch? The Ultimate Guide to Surviving the High School Years. Harriet S. Mosatche & Karen Unger, $19.95

Everything teenagers need to know about surviving the four most dramatic and difficult years of their lives, written especially for teens aged 13-17. This is the ultimate all-in-one survival guide for today's high-schoolers. The authors are sought-after speakers who talk to teens all the time - and they tell it like it is, dishing up the no-nonsense advice that teenagers are looking for. They set the record straight on peer groups, part-time jobs, colleges, homework, family, friends, and rivals. Where Should I Sit at Lunch offers real-life stories from teens who've ‘been there, done that’ and tips from teen-friendly experts. And yes, they tell them where to sit at lunch, too.


Willow’s Whispers. Lana Button, illustrated by Tania Howells, $18.95

When Willow speaks, her words slip out as soft and shy as a secret. At school, her barely audible whisper causes her no end of troubles. But Willow is as resourceful as she is quiet, and she fashions a magic microphone from items she finds in the recycling bin. But Willow’s clever invention is only a temporary solution. How will this quiet little girl make herself heard?

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Complete Booklist

Resources for Kids

And to Think That We Thought That We’d Never Be Friends.  Mary Ann Hoberman, $10.99 (K- Gr.3)

Are You Quite Polite? Silly Dilly Manners Songs by Alan Katz and David Catrow. $18.99 (K- Gr.3)

Are You Shy? Núria Roca, illustrated by Marta Fàbrega, $8.50 (ages 4 to 7)

Circle of Friends: a Fun Game That Shows You How to Make-and Keep-Friends. 2-6 players, ages 5-12, $59.95

Franklin Is Bossy. Paulette Bourgeois & Brenda Clark, $5.95 (PS-Gr.2)

Friends: Making Them and Keeping Them. Patty Kelley Criswell, $12.95 (ages 8 to 12)

Friendship: From Your Old Friends to Your New Friends. $9.50 (K- Gr. 3)

Hands Are Not For Hitting. Martine Agassi, $13.95 (PS- Gr.1); board book for toddlers $9.95 (ages 2-4)

I Want to Play. Elizabeth Crary, $8.95 (PS- Gr.1)

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Join In and Play. Cheri Meiners, $13.25 (PS – Gr. 2)

Making Friends. Kate Petty & Charlotte Firmin, $7.99 (JK-2)

Making Friends. Fred Rogers, $9.99 (PS-K)

Martha the (confident) Mouse. Written & illustrated by Karen Lang, $7.95

My Manners Matter: a First Look at Being Polite. Pat Thomas, $8.50

Name Calling. Itah Sadu & Rasheeda Haneef, $8.95 (Gr.1-6)

Our Friendship Rules. Peggy Moss & Dee Dee Tardif, Illustrated by Alissa Imre Geis, $21.95

Ruby Sings the Blues. Niki Daly, $8.50

Say Goodbye to Being Shy: a Workbook to Help Kids Overcome Their Shyness. Richard Brozovich & Linda Chase, $22.95; Professional Version, $36.95 — Includes a digital copy of workbook on CD-ROM for easy printing

Share and Take Turns: Making Positive Choices. Cheri Meiners, $13.25 (PS-Gr.2)

Sorry! Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Maurie Manning, $19.95

Speak Up and Get Along! Scott Cooper, $14.95

Teeth Are Not For Biting. Elizabeth Verdick, $8.95 (PS- Gr.1)

Understand and Care: Empathy and Relationships. Cheri Meiners, $13.25 (PS-Gr.2)

We Can Get Along: a Child’s Book of Choices. Lauren Murphy Payne, $12.95 (PS- Gr.3) Leader's Guide, $10.95

What to Do When You're Sad & Lonely: a Guide for Kids. James Crist, $11.95

Willow’s Whispers. Lana Button, illustrated by Tania Howells, $18.95

Words Are Not for Hurting. Elizabeth Verdick, $13.95 (PS- Gr.1)

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Resources for Pre-Teens & Teens

The Anxiety Workbook for Teens. Lisa Schab, $19.95; Professional Version, $39.95 — Includes workbook and a digital copy of workbook on CD-ROM for easy printing

Cliques, Phonies, & Other Baloney. Trevor Romain, $10.50

Cliques, Phonies & Other Baloney DVD. Trevor Romain, $43.95 Grades 2-8, 25 minutes

Dude, That’s Rude! (Get Some Manners). Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick, $10.50 (ages 8 to 13)

Getting with It: a Kid’s Guide to Forming Good Relationships and “Fitting In”. Kim Frank & Susan Smith-Rex, $12.95

How Rude! The Teenagers’ Guide to Good Manners, Proper Behavior, and Not Grossing People Out. Alex Packer, $22.95

The ‘How Rude!’ Friendship & Dating Manners for Teens: Surviving the Social Scene. Alex Packer, $12.95

The ‘How Rude!’ School Manners for Teens: Civility in the Hallowed Halls. Alex Packer, $11.95

How to Say No and Keep Your Friends: Peer Pressure Reversal for Teens & Preteens. Sharon Scott, $16.50

In Love and In Danger: a Teen’s Guide to Breaking Free of Abusive Relationships. Barrie Levy, $16.95

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The Kids’ Guide to Working Out Conflicts: How to Keep Cool, Stay Safe and Get Along. Naomi Drew, $17.95 (10-15)

Let’s Be Friends: a Workbook to Help Kids Learn Social Skills & Make Great Friends. Lawrence Shapiro & Julia Holmes, $21.95

Respect: a Girl's Guide to Getting Respect & Dealing When Your Line is Crossed. Courtney Macavinta & Andrea Vander Pluym, $18.95

Say What You Mean and Get What You Want: the Ultimate Self-Assertion Book for Girls. Tricia Kreitman, $7.99

The Shyness Workbook for Teens. Bernardo Carducci & Teesue Fields, $19.95

Sometimes I Don’t Like to Talk (But Sometimes I Can’t Keep Quiet). Jessica Lamb-Shapiro, $19.95

The Teen Survival Guide to Dating & Relating. Annie Fox, $23.95

Two of a Kind. Jacqui Robbins & Matt Phelan, $19.99 Ages 4-7

Where Should I Sit at Lunch? The Ultimate Guide to Surviving the High School Years. Harriet Mosatche & Karen Unger, $19.95

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Resources for Parents

Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children. M. Thompson & C. O’Neill Grace, $22.95

Changing Children's Behavior, by Changing the People, Places and Activities in Their Lives. Richard Munger, $22.95

Good Friends Are Hard to Find: Help Your Child Find, Make and Keep Friends. Fred Frankel, $17.95

The Hidden Gifts Of the Introverted Child: Helping Your Child Thrive in an Extroverted World. Marti Olsen Laney, $19.95

Helping the Child Who Doesn't Fit In. Stephen Nowicki & Marshall Duke, $18.95

Helping Your Socially Vulnerable Child: What to Do When Your Child Is Shy, Socially Anxious, Withdrawn or Bullied. Andrew Eisen & Linda Engler, $20.95

The Hidden Gifts Of the Introverted Child: Helping Your Child Thrive in an Extroverted World. Marti Olsen Laney, $18.95

It’s So Much Work to be Your Friend: Helping the Child with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success. Richard Lavoie, Book $19.95; DVD $59.95

Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me: the Top 25 Friendship Problems and How to Solve Them. Michele Borba, $15.99

Raise Your Child’s Social I.Q. Stepping Stones to People Skills for Kids. Cathi Cohen, $18.95

Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child: the Heart of Parenting. John Gottman, $17.75

Say Goodbye to Being Shy: a Workbook to Help Kids Overcome Their Shyness. Richard Brozovich & Linda Chase, $19.95; Professional Version, $29.95 — Includes a digital copy of workbook on CD-ROM for easy printing

Social Skills Training and Frustration Management: DVD. Jed Baker, $109.95 DVD format, 4.5 hours

Socially Curious and Curiously Social: a Social Thinking Guidebook for Teens and Young Adults with Asperger’s, ADHD, PDD-NOS, NVLD or Other Murky Undiagnosed Social Learning Issues. Michelle Garcia Winner & Pamela Crooke, $25.95

Starting Kids Off Right: How to Raise Confident Children Who Can Make Friends and Build Healthy Relationships. Stephen Nowicki, Marshall Duke & Amy Van Buren, $18.95

Teaching Your Child the Language of Social Success. Marshall Duke et al, $20.95

Why Don’t They Like Me? Helping Your Child Make and Keep Friends. Susan Sheridan, $39.95

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Resources for Adults

Calming Your Anxious Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Anxiety, Fear and Panic. Jeffrey Brantley, $15.95

Daily Meditations for Calming Your Anxious Mind. Jeffrey Brantley & Wendy Millstine, $19.95

Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life: How Dialectical Behavior Therapy Can Put You in Control. Scott Spradin, $24.95

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.10th Anniversary Edition. Daniel Goleman, $23.00

The Highly Sensitive Person:  How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You. Elaine Aron, $21.50

The Highly Sensitive Person’s Workbook.  Elaine Aron, $22.95

How to Be a Perfect Stranger: the Essential Religious Etiquette Handbook, 4th Edition. Edited by Stuart M. Matlins & Arthur J. Magida, $23.95

How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends. Don Gabor, $14.99

The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven Step-by-Step Techniques for Overcoming Your Fear. Martin Antony & Richard Swinson, $20.95

Social Intelligence: the New Science of Human Relationships. Daniel Goleman, $19.95

Triumph Over Shyness: Conquering Shyness and Social Anxiety. Murray Stein & John Walker, $20.95

Working With Emotional Intelligence. Daniel Goleman, $25.95

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