Today I am excited to share a musical social skills song with you. It is something of a “social story.”

If you are new to social stories, they are a commonly used strategy to help children with Autism understand a particular situation, event or activity. They include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. Carol Gray came up with this concept in the early 90s.  You can read more about her and social stories here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Stories

This particular song is designed to teach a child the concept of “confident.” Many of my children struggle with new experiences and may shut down at first when they feel that “I can’t do it” feeling. My goal for the song was to help them acknowledge they “just need to try” and they can do anything!

Tips & Tricks

Make it a book.  Social stories can be accompanied by pictures. I used BitsBoard  (the amazing iPad app) to select and create the pictures I wanted to use.  If you use BitsBoard, Story Creator, or other similar app, you can take pictures of your own child and insert in the story. Keep reading for the opportunity to get your own pdf of the visual I created!

Sing it again! Here I go with that repetition thing. From personal experience, I can tell you that the first time I introduced this song in a small group setting, I got no response.  That is because they were busy trying to absorb new information! The following week, we sang it again with full participation. They were already beginning to learn the words.

Practice positive affirmation. No matter your age, positive affirmation is a powerful thing. Have your child practice saying “I am confident.” Say it enough times and you and he/she will believe it!

Lyrics

Chorus:
Confident. I am confident.
I just need to try.
There is no need to be shy.
I am confident.

Verse 1:
When I’m trying something new.
It might seem scary or hard to do.
I take a deep breath and try my best.
Do what I can and then express…
I am confident.

Verse 2:
Here’s a few things that I can do.
To help me feel confident through and through.
Stand up tall and give a smile.
Make eye contact and after awhile…
I am confident.

If you use this song with your child or students, I would love to hear from you.  Leave a comment or send me an email – mary@musictherapykids.com. I can’t wait to chat!

Sing on,

Mary

P.S. If you would like to receive the PDF story visual that accompanies this song, subscribe to our email list using the form below.