Booklist Socialization

What About Socialization?

Perhaps one of the biggest, and most groundless, concerns facing new homeschooling parents is whether homeschooled children can be as socially adept as institutionally-schooled children. Many of the social lessons learned by institutionally-schooled, age-segregated children are not valued by individual families or society as a whole. Conformity and striving for popularity; age-ism; bullying and teasing and the avoidance of both; and stereotypical, media-driven gender roles and attitudes are some of social skills practiced in institutions. Positive social lessons are also learned in school, but homeschoolers readily develop these skills through volunteering, participating in support groups or co-ops, or exploring shared interests with people of all ages.

The books below are recommended for those coming out of a negative school experience and for children who need extra assistance in negotiating social situations.

	Frankel, Fred - Good Friends are Hard to Find: Help Your Child Find, Make and Keep Friends. A great friendship manual that addresses playdates, how to be a good host or guest and how to join a group of children who are already playing. Practical advice for parents.
	Nowicki, Stephen and Marshall P. Duke - Helping the Child Who Doesn't Fit in. Some kids have trouble fitting in because they are unable to read body language. Failure to respect non-verbal rules and cues can lead to social ostracism; for example, people who talk too loud or stand too close generally aren't the most sought-after playmates. Each chapter gives actual activities and exercises to help children develop this skill that not everyone is born with.
	Duke, Marshall P., Stephen Nowicki, and Elisabeth A. Martin - Teaching Your Child the Language of Social Success. Using case studies, exercises, and illustrations, the authors outline the six channels of nonverbal communication. Does she sense how close to stand to another person? Does he understand the unspoken rules about touching people? Does he know the types of appropriate posture for approaching a group? Does she recognize variations in tone of voice, and the meaning they add to the verbal message? We all want our children to have positive interactions; this book gives adults the tools to help children become socially literate.
	Cohen, Cathi - Raise Your Child's Social IQ: Stepping Stones to People Skills for Kids Cohen's book includes chapters on joining in, conversing, managing anger, solving social problems, reading social signals, along with anecdotes and practice exercises. Children are not born with social skills; they must be learn them. Children are more at ease when they have confidence in their social skills; parents can relax knowing they have a step-by-step guide to help their child in this area. NEEDS WORK

If you decide to purchase books (or toys, videos, or music) please consider purchasing from Amazon.com, through the links above or to the left. By making your purchase through HERO's website, you help HERO provide free services and information to homeschoolers.

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