Building Youth Bernards Twp. Health Department Lyme Disease Municipal Alliance
Building Youth

How to Build Social Competencies

Planning and Decision Making

Young person knows how to plan ahead and make choices.

  1. Info:   Letting Kids Be Independent
  2. Info:  Fostering Decision Making Skills
  3. Info:  Not Making Foolish Decisions
  4. Info:  Decision Making/Problem Solving With Teens
  5. Info:  Decision Making: The Foundation for Responsible Behavior
  6. Info:  Teaching Children How To Make Good Decisions
  7. Info:  Role Model Project For Girls - Careers
  8. Idea:  Provide agendas and calendars for children to help them with planning and decision making.

Interpersonal Competence

Young person has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills.

  1. Info:  Friendship
  2. Info:  Sharing & Caring
  3. Info:  Teaching Kids To Be Wrong
  4. Info:  Teaching Manners
  5. Info:  Children's Friendships
  6. Info:  Children's Friendship: How Parents Can Help
  7. Info:  How Parents Can Help With Friendship Issues
  8. Info:  Helping A Lonely Or Rejected Child
  9. Info:  How to Diffuse Aggressive Behavior in Kids
  10. Info:  Developing Social Skills
  11. Info:  Developing Good Skills
  12. Activity:  Friendship Activities
  13. Idea:  Together with your children, reach out to newcomers in your neighborhood, school or congregation.

Cultural Competence

Young person has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds.

  1. Info:  Teaching Diversity: A Place To Begin
  2. Info:  Learning To Live Together: Children & Cultural Diversity
  3. Info:  Color-Blindness: Teaching Children to Celebrate Diversity
  4. Activity:  Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
  5. Activity:  Statue of Liberty
  6. Activity:  National Museum of American Jewish History
  7. Activity:  List of Native American Indian Tribes & Languages
  8. Activity:  Interactive Tour of Ellis Island
  9. Activity:  Guide to British Life, Culture, Customs
  10. Activity:  Chinese For Kids
  11. Activity:  Celebrating Black History
  12. Activity:  Black History Information
  13. Activity:  Asian Pacific American Heritage
  14. Activity:  Ancestry.com - Discover Your Family's History
  15. Activity:  Kids Link: Kids Link From Around the World In Global Dialogue
  16. Idea:  As a family, attend multi-cultural events.
  17. Idea:  Visit a place of worship different than your own.
  18. Idea:  Teach your children about your own cultural heritage.  Have them interview the elders in your family.

Resistance Skills

Young person can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations.

  1. Info:  Self Discipline
  2. Info:  Peer Pressure
  3. Info:  Help With Peer Pressure
  4. Info:  Courage
  5. Info:  Dealing With Peer Pressure
  6. Idea:  Help your child to develop “excuses” if they get into a situation where they feel uncomfortable saying no or to help them leave locations where they feel uncomfortable.  (For example, prearrange that you will call your youth 15 minutes after they arrive at a party.  If they are uncomfortable with the “behavior” (drugs/alcohol) being exhibited at the party, they can use your phone call as an “excuse” to come early.

Peaceful Conflict Resolution

Young person seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently.

  1. Info:  Respect
  2. Info:  Being A Good Sport
  3. Info:  Resolving Conflicts - Promoting Peace
  4. Info:  Teaching Your Kids Conflict Resolution
  5. Info:  Conflict Resolution For Kids
  6. Activity:  Peace Pals
  7. Idea:  Help your child identify alternatives to acting violently when they are angry (such as walking away, counting to ten, punching a pillow, etc.).


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