Social Skills Groups

Our social skills groups are available for children of all ages. Opportunities will be provided for children to learn and practice important social skills in a fun and safe environment. Our state-of-the-art facility allows for the groups to be held both inside and outside in our enclosed playground area, optimizing nature’s abundance of natural sensory experiences and opportunities for spontaneous interaction. These groups will be facilitated by our speech/language pathologists, and will foster engagement, cooperative play, conversational skills, friendships, and emotional management.

Sample Themes

Sensational Gardening

‘Seeds’ of learning will be ‘planted’, while engagement, turn taking, direction following, responsibility, creativity, cooperation, and other positive behavioral interactions are fostered. ‘Sensational’ activities such as these will be included:

Tactile (Touch)
Finding ‘bugs’ in beans, planting in dirt and feeling other textures to develop body awareness, tactile tolerance, and fine motor skills

Vestibular (Movement)
Taking rides on the nature trail, creeping through a caterpillar tunnel, and sliding to improve balance, coordination, and focus

Proprioceptive (Muscle)
Hoeing and digging in dirt, carrying garden supplies, and pulling wagons to calm and organize

Visual
Looking for butterflies, watching plants grow, and catching bean bags with flower paddles to improve visual perceptual motor skills

Auditory (Sound)
Listening to birds and nature sounds, and singing to develop tolerance to sounds and transitions

Olfactory (Smell)
Smelling flowers to enhance olfactory awareness and discrimination

Gustatory (Taste)
Eating ‘bug’ snacks and other treats to taste and calm

Beach Party

Social skills will be fostered while children enjoy outdoor play (weather permitting), and soak in Vitamin D, ‘The Sunshine Vitamin’ (important for bone growth and health). ‘Sensational’ activities such as these will be included:
Tactile (Touch)
Finding sea shells at our wonderful ‘beach’ sand area, running barefoot in the grass, and finger painting sea life to develop body awareness, tactile tolerance, and fine motor skills

Vestibular (Movement)
Jumping through sprinklers, sliding on slip n’ slides, and playing beach sports to improve balance, coordination, and focus

Proprioceptive (Muscle)
Digging in sand, shaking beach balls with parachutes, and holding hands in a group to calm and organize

Visual
Looking through sunglasses, playing fishing games, making ‘telescopes,’ and blowing and watching bubbles to improve visual perceptual motor skills

Auditory (Sound)
Listening to nature and sprinkler sounds, and singing to develop tolerance to sounds and transitions

Olfactory (Smell)
Enjoying the scents of nature to enhance olfactory awareness and discrimination

Gustatory (Taste)
Having picnics with ‘fish’ crackers, sucking on ice pops, and sipping lemonade to taste and calm

School Skills

Children will develop school readiness social skills such as waiting in line, taking turns, following directions, listening, and asking questions, while participating in fun, interactive and educational activities. ‘Sensational’ activities such as these will be included:

Tactile (Touch)
Holding tactile ‘fidgets’ during circle time, feeling different pencil grips, and exploring ‘messy’ craft media to develop body awareness, tactile tolerance, and fine motor skills

Vestibular (Movement)
Walking in lines, taking ‘movement’ breaks, sitting on an air cushion or ball chair, and using ‘recess’ to help get out the ‘wigglies,’ increase focus, and improve balance and coordination

Proprioceptive (Muscle)
Doing animal walks for transitions, carrying belongings, holding open doors, and using weighted lap pads to calm and organize

Visual
Using a visual schedule, looking at books, finding objects hidden in backgrounds, doing puzzles, and coloring, cutting, and drawing or writing to improve visual perceptual motor skills

Auditory (Sound)
Listening to stories, playing social skills ‘bingo,’ following directions, and singing to develop tolerance to sounds and transitions

Olfactory (Smell)
Smelling play dough and scented markers or stickers to increase olfactory awareness and discrimination

Gustatory (Taste)
Enjoying ‘school’ snacks to taste and calm