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Toys to help your kids with social skills

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Social skills are an important attribute for adults and children alike, but in such a tech-centric era it has become increasingly difficult for children who have grown up surrounded by screens to socialise with other children.

Play is sometimes the greatest educating tools, and there are ways to use play time and the toys that your kid is already playing with that can help them improve their social skills, make friends, and have a positive impact on their relationships in the long run. We explore a variety of toys and how they can help build your child’s social interaction skills.

1. Board games 

Most board games require more than one person to play, urging children to interact with other people such as friends and family. Board games also teach children skills such as taking turns, teamwork, handling losses and playing fair which are crucial for social interactions. Find a range of board games by Prima Toys here

2. ‘Playing pretend’ toys

One of the many advantages of the modern toys available today is the large presence of “pretend” games including dolls, dress up, cars and trains, kitchen sets that keep young minds active and encourage them to imagine themselves in various situations while they are playing pretend. Although these kinds of games can be played alone, children may, more often than not, crave the interaction and presence of other children and want to share the pretend world. Through this they will learn to share toys, and communicate with each other.

3. Building blocks

Blocks are beneficial for many areas of your child’s life such as improving their motor skills and imagination, but it also helps nurture their social skills. Construction toys can help by encouraging children to share their blocks with others, having them verbalise what they have built or intend to build. They can also build with other children in order to show how much better and faster things are when they work together. Browse a range of construction toys here and find the perfect fit for your child.

4. Sporting toys

There are few games that can be played alone and those that can be are even better when played with others. Buying your child a cricket set or a tennis racquet means that they will seek the interaction of others in order to indulge in their toy, therefore encouraging them to play and socialise with others.Sporting toys also teach children the value of teamwork, learning how to be a good sport, and sharing, all while having good fun.

5. Crafts

Crafting activities such as making friendship bracelets, creating new items with dough and painting, are activities that children can partake in groups. By creating something together or by doing similar activities, children will learn interpersonal skills such as sharing; speaking about the creative visions and it will also nurture a collaborative nature in your children.

Toys are an excellent way to be proactive about improving your child’s social skills, and you can find a collection of any specific toys on Prima Toys. Prima Toys is one of Southern Africa’s leading importers and distributors of toys and games; bring the world’s most famous toy brands to children across various African countries.

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