Turn-taking is the ability to wait, share, and alternate actions during activities or conversations. It’s a foundational social skill that helps children interact with others in a respectful and cooperative way. In occupational therapy, turn-taking is used to teach children how to engage in shared play, navigate group settings, and develop patience and self-regulation.
Practicing turn-taking helps children understand social rules, manage emotions like frustration or excitement, and build connections with peers and adults. It’s an essential skill for fostering teamwork, communication, and positive relationships.
Turn-taking plays a crucial role in social and emotional development, offering several benefits:
For instance, practicing turn-taking during a board game allows children to experience fairness, collaboration, and teamwork in a fun way.
Turn-taking is an essential skill for all children, but some may need additional guidance:
Helps build understanding of social rules and interactive play.
Supports impulse control and attention during structured interactions.
Encourages safe, guided interactions to build confidence in group settings.
Provides structured practice to develop foundational social skills.
Occupational therapists (OT's) use a variety of strategies and tools to teach turn-taking skills:
Use games that naturally involve turn-taking, such as “Simon Says” or puzzles.
Visual Cues and Timers:
Provide visual prompts, like a turn-taking chart, or use timers to show when it’s the next person’s turn.
Modeling and Practice:
Demonstrate turn-taking behaviors and encourage the child to imitate them.
Positive Reinforcement:
Use praise or small rewards to celebrate successful turn-taking.
Gradual Challenges:
Start with simple one-on-one turn-taking and progress to group activities.
Therapy goals for turn-taking are clear and focused on building social engagement:
“Within four weeks, the child will take turns during a structured game with a peer or adult in 4 out of 5 opportunities with minimal prompting.”
“By six months, the child will independently engage in turn-taking during group activities, demonstrating patience and appropriate responses in 80% of opportunities.”
Progress is tracked through:
By developing turn-taking skills, children can engage more meaningfully with others, build relationships, and thrive in social environments. 🌈✨
