50 Social Skills for Teens
Get over 50 different social skills for teens that you can help them learn.
Social Skills for Teens
Our family understands some of the difficulties that can come with teaching social skills. We are working everyday to help teach my brother specific social skills. We have tried different ways to help him learn these skills. We have used modeling behaviors, talking through different situations, social stories, social situation cards, and videos to show the different social skills.
We have created a list of 50+ social skills that we feel are valuable for teens to learn as they start their transition into adulthood. We hope you can find this list helpful!
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Get the Free Life Skills Year-at-a-Glance Plan
Click HERE or click the image below to get the FREE Life Skills curriculum teaching ideas for each month! I have included a Social Skills Curriculum filled with teaching ideas for each month!

50+ Social Skills for Teens to Learn
- how to talk with peers
- asking for help
- accepting criticism
- how to stay safe in new situations
- understanding sarcasm
- how to tell someone no
- stranger safety
- resisting peer pressure
- problem solving skills
- understanding how my actions affect others
- understanding my own feelings
- being able to understand feelings of peers
- following directions
- how to handle conflict with others
- how to work as a group/team
- how to listen to someone speaking
- understanding nonverbal body language
- understanding safety with social media/technology
- safety with sex
- safety with dating
- how to talk about your own interests with peers
- when it is appropriate to laugh/cry
- when it is good to smile
- how to show respect to others
- good manners
- how to show interest in what another person is talking about
- how you would act around a “boss or authority figure”
- how to talk with friends
- how to act when we get mad
- how to walk away from situations
- how to act in a public area vs private area
- how to act at a party
- how to talk about your own strengths/weaknesses
- how to ask for directions
- how to call 911 if you are in danger
- how to talk with or ask questions with doctors (medical appointments)
- how to make a phone call to schedule something
- how to talk on the phone
- what your own body language looks like when talking with someone
- how to go to the grocery store to purchase groceries
- what to do when you are in danger
- what to do if there was an active shooter (I wish I didn’t even have to think about this situation)
- what to do if you don’t feel well (sick)
- how to have a conversation with someone you don’t know
- how to speak up in a group
- how to appropriately text someone on the phone
- how to appropriately post information on social media
- how to travel safely
- accepting differences
- how to stay on topic
- showing empathy
- how to get along with people you may not like
- waiting in a line
- patience
Are there any social skills you would like us to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below!
Here is a FREE printable with the social skills listed above for you to have as your own reference! Get your free copy of the social skills checklist here!

50 Social Skills Checklist for Teens
Get a Free checklist of 50 essential social skills for teens.
Helps teens develop critical social skills needed for building relationships and navigating social situations.
Unsure of what social skills to focus on? This checklist covers all the bases.
How can we help teenagers learn social skills?
There are various ways we can help teens learn social skills. We all learn in different ways. We need to remember to have patience and kindness when working on these skills. Some social skills come easy to some and not for others. Be respectful and kind when working on these skills. Here are a list of ideas on ways you can work on social skills.
Check out this post about social skills goals and teaching strategies.
- Model appropriate social behavior
- Practice the social skills with adults and peers
- Talk through different situations
- Create social stories or social scripts for the situations
- Become involved in social groups
- Become involved in acting groups
- Become involved in team building groups or high interest activities with peers
- Participate in sports activities
- Watch videos, showing how to work on the social skills
What are some ways you have been able to work on social skills? Let me know in the comments below.
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We have a 16 year old who isn’t bothered by her hygiene habits. We have tried modeling, doing the hygiene with her, step by step pictures, step by step directions with pictures, counseling. NOTHING has worked. She is literally not even aware that her hygiene habits are way different and lacking. Heck we even allowed her to pick out products at the store of her choice. Any suggestions. She wants to go away to college and other than hygiene habits the girl actually has a shot and will do great with the right supports in place. She is highly functional and brilliant, except hygiene habits are HORRIBLE. Please help!!!!
Hello Tina,
Thank you for telling me more about your story and what you are struggling with. I came across an article from Asperger Experts that may be able to help you out more. Here is the link to the article. https://www.aspergerexperts.com/hygiene/why-people-with-aspergers-wont-shower-and-other-hygiene-issues/?utm_campaign=OntraPort-Indoc-Seq&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email-automated&utm_content=0-Indoc-Seq&utm_term=blog-article
Thank you for sharing this list.
You are very welcome!