‘Tis the season of gift giving. In my social skills groups this past week, we have been talking about and practicing the tips in our book in the section on giving and receiving gifts and we are happy to share an excerpt from our book for kids with you!
Social Situation #36 Giving and Receiving Gifts
Friends and family often give each other gifts. You might be invited to a holiday party or having one of your own. It is important to know the social rules about giving and receiving gifts so that when you choose a gift for someone else, that person knows that you put thought into it. It is also important that you protect another person’s feelings if that person gives you a gift that you already have or do not like.
- When you choose a gift for someone, think about what he or she is interested in or what he or she enjoys.
- When you give a gift to someone, say something such as “I got this for you and I hope you like it.”
- When someone thanks you for a gift, remember to say “You’re welcome.”
- When someone is giving you a gift, wait for him or her to hand it to you and take it gently.
- Remember to say “Thank you” and smile when someone hands you a gift.
- Open the gift carefully.
- Grabbing gifts and tearing into paper is considered rude. Helping someone else open a gift is also considered rude unless he or she has asked for your help.
- If the gift is something that you already have, just say “Thank you.” If the person asks you if you already have one and would like to exchange it, then it is fine to say that you do.
- If the gift is something you do not like, this is a situation where it is important that you pretend to like it and say “Thank you.” It is never okay to tell a person that you do not like the gift that he or she gave you. Pretending is allowed when you receive gifts to protect the other person’s feelings.
- Send a thank you note for the gift to let the person who gave you the gift know how much you enjoyed it.
