Occupational Therapy Institute
Improve Social Skills at Home: Facial Expressions
The ability to read and understand facial expressions is important during social interactions for kids. Here are some tips to consider:
- Research shows that kids around age 5-6 could identify happy, angry, and sad faces with very high levels of accuracy.
- The ability to recognize fear, disgust, and surprise improves throughout childhood and the teenage years, around age 11-16.
- Kids who have strong face-reading skills tend to perform better in academics and have good peer relationships.
Tips on how to improve facial reading ability at home:
- Begin by showing different facial expressions pictures and explaining them to your child.
- Practice different facial expressions with your child.
- Let your child read different facial expressions and explain them to you.
- You can make stories or games out of the facial expressions and have fun with your child.
- It is a good idea to practice reading facial expressions throughout the day, for example while watching TV or reading books.