Kiddo Steps

Description

Kiddo Steps is a thoughtfully designed group for children aged 6 to 8 who need extra support to interpret social situations, solve everyday peer problems, and think flexibly in both social and cognitive contexts.

This group is not built for children who already excel in social conversations or abstract reasoning. Instead, it gently supports those who need help understanding:

What’s happening around them
What others might be thinking or feeling
How to respond when things go wrong or get confusing

We focus on two core areas of development:

Social Problem Solving & Inferencing — learning how to read the room, spot social cues, and react appropriately
Cognitive Flexibility & Verbal Expression — learning how to think in multiple ways, shift ideas, and express themselves beyond fixed routines

Each week, children practice identifying hidden social problems, describing what they observe, and using group vocabulary and strategies to “debug” situations and explore alternate solutions.

2 Routines

Welcome & Warm-Up Task — drawing or acting out “What’s going on in this picture?” or “What might happen next?”
Social Detective Time — identifying clues from a scene, video clip, or role-play and interpreting what people might be thinking or feeling
Problem Solving Circle — guided discussion around a weekly theme: “Someone interrupted,” “A friend said no,” “You got left out”
Flexible Thinking Game — activities that stretch imagination, such as:
- “How many things can you do with a spoon?”
- “Describe this object without saying its name”
- “What else could we do if the slide is broken?”
Group Debug Practice — acting out a tricky situation and brainstorming “expected” vs. “unexpected” responses
Wrap-Up & Takeaway Skill — children summarize what they practiced and share how they could use it outside the group

[Example Activities]

These activities help children develop real-world social reasoning and mental flexibility in a fun, supportive way:

“Social Detective” clip breaks – watch short scenes, then answer: “What’s the problem?”, “What clues did you see?”, “What should happen next?”
Emotion Sorting & Matching – group facial expressions or tone of voice with situations
“Flexible Use Challenge” – use one object in 3+ creative ways, either with toys, household items, or drawn pictures
Debug Dice – roll a situation + reaction, then decide if the outcome is expected or needs fixing
Group brainstorms – “What can we do if plans change?”, “What helps me stay calm when something feels unfair?”
Barrier games and describing games – help children practice clear, flexible communication
Role-play circuits – guided re-enactments where kids try multiple responses and evaluate which one works best

All lessons are structured yet interactive, with visuals, modeling, and repetition to support children who need more processing time

✅ Is This the Right Group for Your Child?

Q: My child is verbal but often misreads social situations. Will this help?

A: Yes — this group is designed for verbal children who struggle to understand what’s happening socially, or how to react when something goes wrong. If your child often feels confused in peer situations or gets “stuck” in the same patterns, Kiddo Steps will help them grow.

Q: My child has difficulty thinking of more than one way to do something. Is that addressed here?

A: Definitely. One of the main goals of Kiddo Steps is to strengthen cognitive flexibility — helping children break out of black-and-white or rigid thinking by playing games that explore many ways to solve one problem.

Q: My child is very high-functioning and only needs help with sarcasm or subtle social humor.

A: This group may be too basic for them. Kiddo Steps is better suited for children who need clear guidance with concrete social interpretation, not advanced nuance. We also offer higher-level groups for those ready for more complex social thinking.

Q: What kind of child is this group best for?

A: Kiddo Steps is ideal for children who: