Role-Play Social Scenarios

Ever felt like your kid’s social skills are the equivalent of a confused penguin at a squirrel convention? Welcome to the magical (and occasionally awkward) world of role-play! If you’ve ever tried to teach ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ only to be met with blank stares or interpretive dance, this is your jam—get ready to play-act your way through the weirdest (and most adorable) social scenarios.

Role-playing lights up your kid’s social brain like a birthday cake, building empathy, perspective-taking, and flexible thinking. It helps wire up those prefrontal cortex connections for problem-solving and impulse control, and gives both of you a safe space to practice responses before the real world throws curveballs (or, more likely, spilled juice boxes). Bonus: You get to model emotional regulation without actually having to regulate your emotions in public.

How to do it

  1. Choose a scenario your child finds challenging, such as greetings, sharing, or asking for help.

  2. Gather a couple of toys to use as props, or simply use your silliest voices to bring the scenario to life.

  3. Act out the chosen scenario together. Swap roles so your child has a chance to try both sides of the interaction.

  4. Keep the activity brief, lighthearted, and fun—there’s no need for a perfect performance.

  5. Afterward, have a short conversation about what parts felt easy or tricky. Celebrate the effort with a high-five, even if your pirate accent wasn’t quite convincing.

Tips:

  • Focus on making the activity enjoyable rather than perfect.
  • Encourage your child to express their feelings about each role.
  • Use humor to keep things relaxed and engaging.
  • Reinforce that it’s okay to make mistakes while learning.

After your child gets home from school or daycare.

Pick one toy and say, ‘Let’s pretend this is your friend at school. How would you say hi?’
Do a dramatic, over-the-top cheer or silly dance together.
Put a basket of random toys or puppets in the living room for easy access.

When you’re waiting for dinner to heat up.

Pick a sticky note and ask, ‘Want to pretend what we’d do if this happened?’
Give each other a big high-five or share a goofy secret handshake.
Write down 3 common tricky scenarios on sticky notes and stick them to the fridge.

During bedtime wind-down, right after brushing teeth.

Watch the video together and ask, ‘What could we do differently next time?’
Make your silliest face at each other in the mirror.
Record a short video of yourself acting out a silly social fail (like ‘Oops, I forgot to say please!’) on your phone.