Here are some engaging social skills activities for children with autism that can help develop their ability to interact with others in a supportive environment:

Social Stories

• What it is: Simple stories that explain social situations step by step, showing how others might feel and how to respond.
• How to do it: Create personalized stories that reflect your child’s daily life and challenges (e.g., sharing toys, taking turns, greeting friends).
• Why it’s helpful: Helps children prepare for social situations in a safe, non-threatening way.

Role-Playing

• What it is: Practice various social scenarios by acting them out.
• How to do it: Act out situations like greeting someone, asking for help, or taking turns in a game. Allow your child to play both roles (themselves and the other person).
• Why it’s helpful: Encourages understanding of different perspectives and improves communication skills.

Board Games or Group Games

• What it is: Structured play with clear rules and turns.
• How to do it: Games like “Connect Four,” “Guess Who?” or card games like “Go Fish” help teach turn-taking, waiting, and following rules.
• Why it’s helpful: Reinforces social skills like patience, cooperation, and interaction.

Emotion Charades

• What it is: A game where emotions are acted out and guessed.
• How to do it: Write different emotions (happy, sad, angry, surprised) on cards and have each player act them out while others guess the emotion.
• Why it’s helpful: Builds recognition of facial expressions and emotional cues.

Find a Friend” Bingo

• What it is: A bingo game designed around common interests or actions.
• How to do it: Create bingo cards with actions or interests like “Likes to read books,” “Has a pet,” or “Wears glasses.” The goal is to find someone who matches the description for each square.
• Why it’s helpful: Encourages interaction and conversations about shared interests.

Collaborative Art Projects

• What it is: Working together on a creative project.
• How to do it: Encourage children to create a mural, build something with LEGO, or work on a shared drawing, each contributing to the final result.
• Why it’s helpful: Promotes teamwork, shared responsibility, and communication.

Conversation Ball

• What it is: A game where kids take turns talking by passing a ball.
• How to do it: Pass a soft ball around. Whoever has the ball asks a question (e.g., “What’s your favorite food?”) and everyone takes turns answering.
• Why it’s helpful: Teaches the flow of conversation, listening, and turn-taking.

Body Language Matching

• What it is: Identifying and matching body language with emotions.
• How to do it: Show pictures of people in different poses and facial expressions, and have the child guess the emotion or imitate the body language.
• Why it’s helpful: Helps children better understand non-verbal communication cues.

Group Circle Time

• What it is: Structured group discussions or activities.
• How to do it: Sit in a circle and take turns talking about a specific topic, like “What I did this weekend” or “My favorite animal.” Encourage listening and asking follow-up questions.
• Why it’s helpful: Enhances listening skills, empathy, and group participation.

“How Does It Feel?” Game

• What it is: A game that involves guessing how a situation might make someone feel.
• How to do it: Present different scenarios (e.g., “You lost your toy” or “Your friend gave you a gift”), and ask your child how the person in the situation might feel.
• Why it’s helpful: Helps children with autism better understand emotions and develop empathy.

These activities can be adapted to the needs and developmental level of your child, focusing on building comfort in social interactions in a structured, supportive way.