How to Make & Keep Friends: Tips for Kids to Overcome 50 Common Social Challenges (Volume 1)

From the best-selling authors who wrote the book on friendship, here is their first book in the How to Make and Keep Friends series for children in grades 3-6. Social-emotional learning experts, Donna Shea and Nadine Briggs, have more than 30 years of combined experience in social coaching children. Their books teach children to use simple and proven strategies to increase social success.

How to Make & Keep Friends: Tips for Kids to Overcome 50 Common Social Challenges offers social skills advice presented in a reference guide format. The book contains sections and lists to quickly discover tips and strategies on a specific topic or social situation where help is needed.

While all children will benefit from the tips in the book, it has been especially beneficial to children with special needs that impact their socialization abilities. Included are simple to implement and immediately actionable tips to navigate everyday social situations that can be challenging or awkward for kids, such as:

• Joining a group;
• Conversation skills;
• Handling strong emotions;
• Dealing with rejection and being excluded;
• Being a good playdate guest and host
• Working things out & sharing;
• Maintaining personal space;
• Playground and recess success; and much more!

The book includes an explanation for kids of "why" of learning each of these skills is essential along with practice questions to inspire discussion and role-playing of different social situations.

Donna Shea and Nadine Briggs are both accomplished social-emotional learning specialists. They each facilitate social skills groups at their respective centers in Massachusetts. Donna's center is The Peter Pan Center for Social and Emotional Growth located in Boxborough and Nadine owns Simply Social Kids in Tyngsborough. Both Donna and Nadine are parents of children with special needs including ADHD, Anxiety, Sensory Integration, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder and Down Syndrome. Donna and Nadine consult to schools, parent groups, and human service agencies. They are also seasoned public speakers and travel to bring workshops and seminars to schools, conferences, and other venues across the country. Nadine and Donna are certified in bullying prevention through the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center and are creators of the How to Make & Keep Friends Social Success in School Initiative to provide classroom training and team building for school systems. Donna and Nadine also both attained a Specialization in the Foundations of Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Donna and Nadine would love to hear your feedback on their books, speak with you about providing programming in your area, or keep in touch with you about new books and materials. Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Email them at howtomakeandkeepfriends@gmail.com or Visit them online at www.howtomakeandkeepfriends.com and sign up to receive updates and their weekly blog posts.