Best Online Social Skills Games for Kids (and for Teletherapy)

Social communication is one of the hardest goal areas to make materials for. A worksheet can ask "how would Maya feel?", but it can't make a child say the words, hear how they sounded, & try again. Online games can, at least partly, which is why "social skills games for kids" is one of the most common searches from SLPs, counselors & parents. The catch is that the options range from full video-modeling curricula to single-purpose apps last updated years ago. Here's what's actually out there, what it costs, & what each one is best for, including in teletherapy.

Here's the TLDR (prices checked October 2026):

1. Speech Therapy Magic: Social Spark - Best for: emotional regulation & perspective taking, with a "say it out loud" step. Ages 6-13. Included in $9.99/mo plan.
2. Speech Therapy Magic: Social Scenes - Best for: conversation practice with record-&-playback self-monitoring. Ages 6-13. Same plan.
3. Everyday Speech - Best for: a complete PK-12 social-emotional curriculum with video modeling & assessments. $599.99/yr or $69.99/mo.
4. Model Me Kids - Best for: video modeling for autistic kids. $389/yr; free iOS apps.
5. Zones of Regulation (digital) - Best for: teams already using the Zones framework. $144/user/yr.
6. Boom Cards social skills decks - Best for: cheap, self-checking practice in teletherapy. Free to $49.99/yr membership plus decks.
7. Baamboozle & Wordwall - Best for: DIY group games you build around your own scenarios. Free tiers.

Quick Comparison

Option	Format	Ages	Price (Oct 2026)	Teletherapy
Social Spark (STM)	Video scenarios, choices, say-it-aloud	6-13	$9.99/mo or $79.99/yr, 7-day trial, no card	Browser; screen-share or student-side
Social Scenes (STM)	Conversation builder, picture scenes, recording	6-13	Same plan	Browser; recording works best student-side
Everyday Speech	Video modeling curriculum, games, worksheets	PK-12	$599.99/yr or $69.99/mo, 30-day trial	Web; no student logins
Model Me Kids	Video modeling lessons, printables, data	Varies	$389/yr, 7-day trial	Streaming web
Zones of Regulation	Digital curriculum + apps	4+	$144/user/yr; app $5.99	Web curriculum; iOS/Android apps
Boom Cards decks	Self-checking card decks	Varies by deck	Free-$49.99/yr + decks	Browser, FastPlay
Baamboozle / Wordwall	DIY quiz & game templates	Any	Free tiers; paid from $4.99/mo / $7.20/mo	Screen-share for groups

1. Social Spark (Speech Therapy Magic)

Social Spark is built around short scenarios kids actually run into: plans changing because of rain, being left out at recess, a disagreement with a friend. Each scenario opens with a short video clip & a summary, then asks one or more questions with three possible responses. Kids choose, get specific feedback on why a response helps or doesn't, & finish with a discussion prompt ("talk with your therapist about a time your plans changed suddenly"). The content was created by Lori B. Levy, M.A., CCC-SLP, the platform's clinical lead.

What's in it, from the game's own content: 51 scenarios, 98 questions & 294 response choices across six skills: flexible thinking, social skills, perspective taking, emotional regulation, kindness & positivity, & conflict resolution. Before a run you choose 1, 3 or 5 scenarios (about five minutes for three), & whether the child just chooses or also says the helpful words out loud after picking them, which an adult or the microphone then checks. Feedback is worded gently even for the less helpful choices ("Naming that disappointment is a brave first step"), which matters for kids who shut down when they get something "wrong." Progress, streaks & badges are tracked per child profile.

Right for you if: you run social skills groups or counseling-style sessions with 6-13 year olds & want a structured scaffold for discussion. The SLP tip on the game page sums up how to use it: treat each prompt as a conversation starter & ask "has that ever happened to you?" before moving on.

2. Social Scenes (Speech Therapy Magic)

Social Scenes has two activities. Conversations (57 of them) walk through an exchange turn by turn: the other person speaks, & the child picks what to say next from a few options, each with voiced feedback. Picture scenes (50) show an everyday moment, ask what's happening & how the person feels, point out clues to look for ("she is smiling," "she is looking right at her friend"), & give an example of something to say. Both are grouped into six categories: Friends, Family, School, Feelings, Out & About, & Helping Others.

The standout feature is recording: kids record their own line & play it back, so they hear their own volume, rate & tone. In the conversations, they can also play the whole exchange back with their own recorded lines in place. The game's suggested routine is to run each scene twice & change exactly one thing on the second take. For self-monitoring goals that's more useful than any multiple-choice game, because the feedback comes from the child's own voice rather than an adult's correction.

Where both STM games fall short: they're for ages 6-13, so there's nothing for preschoolers or teens. Together they're about 160 scenarios & conversations, not a scope-and-sequence curriculum, & there are no pre/post assessments. Both need the paid plan ($9.99/mo or $79.99/yr after a 7-day trial with no card; no free plan), which covers 3 child profiles with extras at $4.99/mo up to 10. Everyday Speech beats them on breadth, age range & assessment.

3. Everyday Speech - The Most Complete Curriculum

If you need a full social-emotional learning program rather than a couple of games, Everyday Speech is the reference point. It says it has over 1,000 video-modeling lessons & 800+ ready-to-teach sessions for PK-12, plus web games, worksheets, pre/post assessments, progress tracking & homework sending, with no student logins. The individual plan, Complete Guided Therapy, is $599.99 per user per year or $69.99/mo, with a 30-day trial; schools & districts get quotes. It also publishes free no-prep sessions & an IEP goal bank.

Trade-offs: price, mostly. At $600 a year it's a district purchase for most SLPs, & it's far more than you need if you only want a game or two for a weekly group.

4. Model Me Kids - Video Modeling

Model Me Kids is built on video modeling, showing a skill being performed in everyday settings rather than explaining it. Its All Access + Interactive subscription is $389 per year per license with a 7-day free trial, including streaming video lessons, printables, a data tracker & a webcam-based interactive mode. It also offers free iOS apps (Autism Emotion, Model Me Going Places & a PBIS app), which are a good no-cost starting point.

5. Zones of Regulation - If Your School Already Uses the Framework

The Zones of Regulation digital curriculum is $144 per user per year (200+ resources, ages 4+), with team discounts. There's also a Zones app on iOS for $5.99, though the App Store listing shows its last update in 2023. Use it if your school speaks the Zones language already; consistency across classroom, counselor & SLP is the main benefit.

6. Boom Cards Social Skills Decks

Boom's store has a large number of seller-made social skills decks (inferring feelings, expected behaviors, problem-size sorting). Membership runs from free (Limited, 5 students) to $49.99/yr (Premium), & decks are bought separately with points. Quality varies by seller, so preview before buying. FastPlay links make them easy in teletherapy. Our Boom Cards alternatives guide has the full price breakdown.

7. DIY: Baamboozle & Wordwall

For groups, a home-made game around your students' real situations often beats any commercial product. Baamboozle (free basic; Baamboozle+ from $4.99/mo billed yearly) turns scenario questions into a team game on a shared screen. Wordwall is free for 3 activities; note that its community library of other teachers' social skills activities requires a paid plan ($7.20/mo or more). A general AI assistant can draft the scenarios for you; our guide to ChatGPT & Claude prompts for SLPs includes one for social scenario cards.

Others You'll See Recommended

• Social Thinking is a widely used framework (Superflex, We Thinkers!), but its digital offering is eBooks, not games.
• Otsimo is an autism-focused app on iOS & Android with a Premium tier (100+ games, video modeling). It's aimed at families rather than SLP-led sessions.
• PBS KIDS has Daniel Tiger feelings games (like "Guess the Feeling") that work for preschoolers, an age group most tools above skip.
• The Social Express still shows up on older lists, but its website wasn't loading when we checked, so we can't recommend it.

Using These in Teletherapy

• Turn on audio sharing. Most of these games talk. A silent screen-share confuses a child faster than a frozen one.
• Choose screen-share or student-side per child. Screen-sharing keeps you in control for younger kids; letting the student open the game on their own device is better for engagement & required for anything with a microphone, like Social Scenes' recordings.
• Pause more than you play. The discussion after a scenario is where generalization happens; the game is the scaffold.
• Send one activity home. A link is the lowest-friction carryover there is. The sibling guide to the best apps to practice speech at home covers the parent side.

ASHA's Telepractice practice portal covers the professional & privacy basics of remote sessions. Speech Therapy Magic's teletherapy games page has more on screen-share vs student-side play.

A Clinical Note on "Social Skills" Games

Games make one thing easy: practicing a right answer. Real social communication isn't a right answer. ASHA's Social Communication Disorder practice portal describes goals in terms of using language for different purposes, adapting to the listener & following conversational conventions in context, & its autism practice portal covers social communication for autistic children. Two practical implications: pick materials whose "helpful" responses you actually agree with (many older products teach compliance, forced eye contact or masking), & always connect the scenario back to the child's own life. A game a child can win while nothing changes at recess isn't working.

For broader context on technology & kids, see our pieces on AI & inclusive learning for students with special needs & how children are affected by AI.

How We Evaluated These

We looked for online options an SLP, counselor or parent can use with kids today, & checked each one's price, trial, platforms, age range & content claims on the vendor's own site in October 2026. Two candidates from older lists were dropped because their websites weren't working. Speech Therapy Magic's content counts come from the games' actual content files & its live game pages; other products' counts are their own claims. We judged each on breadth, fit for teletherapy, how much discussion it supports versus quiz-style answering, & cost for one clinician. We didn't run a hands-on study with children & aren't claiming one.

FAQ

What are the best free social skills games for kids online?

Model Me Kids' free iOS apps, PBS KIDS' Daniel Tiger feelings games for younger kids, Everyday Speech's free sample sessions, Boom's free Limited plan with free decks, & DIY games on Baamboozle or Wordwall's free tiers. The fuller programs, including Speech Therapy Magic's, are paid after a trial.

What's a good Everyday Speech alternative?

If you need a full curriculum, Model Me Kids or the Zones of Regulation curriculum. If you need engaging practice for ages 6-13 at a much lower price, Speech Therapy Magic's Social Spark & Social Scenes are included in a $79.99/yr plan, though they don't replace Everyday Speech's scope or assessments.

Are social skills games good for autistic kids?

They can be, when they rehearse situations the child cares about & the adult talks it through afterwards. Choose content that respects how the child communicates rather than teaching them to hide it, & involve the child's own goals.

Can I use these games in group speech therapy?

Yes. Screen-share one game & take turns, with the rest of the group predicting or discussing. Social Spark's discussion prompts & Baamboozle's team format both suit groups well.

Do kids need an account to play Social Spark or Social Scenes?

No. A parent, therapist or teacher holds the account & creates a child profile; children never create accounts. The games run in any browser.

Disclosure: Justin Gluska, who writes for Gold Penguin, also builds Speech Therapy Magic, which appears in this article.