Conversations can sometimes feel exciting, awkward, or even a little intimidating, and knowing how to keep them going or end them politely isn’t always easy. Good conversation skills don’t just happen by chance; they’re built through curiosity, active listening, and social awareness. With practice and the right tools, clients can learn how conversations work.
The Conversation Skills Worksheets feature three pages: Starting Conversations, Continuing Conversations, and Ending Conversations. Activities include identifying appropriate conversation starters and checking the best responses.
Together, these pages guide young people through the full arc of a conversation, from the first word to the last, so they can feel more confident in their daily interactions. As they explore what to say and how to say it, they also begin to notice what makes a conversation feel kind, comfortable, and respectful.
Caring adults can reinforce these skills by organizing short role-play circles, where kids take turns practicing how to begin, continue, and end a casual conversation. Another simple tip is to practice talking with different people throughout the day, like greeting a classmate or chatting with a trusted adult.
Our Conversation Skills handout is an excellent supporting resource for these worksheets.
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Want more resources like this? Check out our full catalog of social skills worksheets.
References:
- Garrels, V. (2018). Getting good at small talk: Student-directed learning of social conversation skills. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 34(3), 393-402. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2018.1458472
- Sehley, S., & Snow, C. (1992). The conversational skills of school‐aged children. Social Development, 1(1), 18-35. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.1992.tb00132.x
- Snow, C. E. (1990). The development of discourse skills as related to the development of the study of discourse. Text - Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of Discourse, 10(1-2). https://doi.org/10.1515/text.1.1990.10.1-2.101
- Spence, S. H. (2003). Social skills training with children and young people: Theory, evidence and practice. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 8(2), 84-96. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-3588.00051
