How Nurses Can Promote Social Skills in Home Care Settings

All children learn to develop social skills at a young age to help communicate and work with others. Pediatric Home Care Nurses can promote social skills in the home care setting for their medically fragile patients, using these five strategies. 

Support Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation is the ability to recognize and manage emotions healthily—staying calm when something is upsetting, expressing feelings appropriately, and coping with stressors. Teaching emotional regulation helps children learn how to foster better communication, have empathy, and navigate conflict resolution. There are many methods Pediatric Home Care Nurses can use to support their patients’ emotional regulation, including:

• Using emotion charts where children can point out what they’re feeling at the moment
• Quickly respond to any signs of stress before a patient acts out
• Introduce techniques like deep breathing, counting to ten, or squeezing stress balls

Be a Role Model for Positive Communication

Children usually adopt behaviors that they see. As a Pediatric Home Care Nurse, you’ll be spending a lot of time with your patients, and they could begin to imitate your emotions and reactions. That’s why it’s important to stay calm during stressful situations, speak gently towards others, and show empathy.   

Encourage Play

Play provides an outlet for kids to feel their emotions and gives them a chance to feel more in control of their lives. Children can often take on leadership roles during pretend play and create their own rules in a setting of their choosing. Nurses can incorporate play in a medically fragile patient’s routine by blowing bubbles together, playing with toys, and coloring with them.  

Guide Parents on Social Strategies

As a Pediatric Home Care Nurse, you can help parents and caregivers by offering strategies that will comfort their child in situations of stress. These strategies can include simple things like adopting a softer tone, giving a pat on the back, or encouraging the child to focus on the positives. 

Create a Safe and Encouraging Environment

In order for these four strategies to work, a child needs to have a safe and encouraging environment. Nurses can help maintain a safe space in the home by integrating sensory-friendly tools and establishing a daily routine for their patients. 

When children are given the necessary tools to develop social skills, they will be able to make connections with others, thus improving their quality of life. At Thrive SPC, we are committed to helping children be the best version of themselves through compassionate, high-quality care.