Smart Socials

1       Description
 

Smart Socials is designed for children approximately 5–7 years old who are ready to deepen their social understanding beyond basic interaction skills. In this group, we shift from practicing simple social behaviours to building both understanding and motivation to think about others’ emotions and the reasons behind them. To support meaningful participation and understanding of the concepts that will be explored in this group, it is best suited for learners without significant language delays.
 

Children will learn to:

• Understand how they and others might feel in a situation, and why
   

• Explore whether others know the same information they do, and how that changes feelings or reactions
   

• Practice perspective-taking (e.g., “What might they be thinking?”)
   

• Connect thoughts, feelings, and actions
   

• Identify what they can do when they feel frustrated, disappointed, left out, confused, or upset
   

• Generate alternative solutions when a problem does not go as expected
   

• Slow down and think: “What else could I try?”
   

We use storytelling, video modelling, discussion, role-play, visual thinking tools, and collaborative problem-solving to help children build flexible thinking and emotional awareness. The emphasis is not only on recognizing emotions, but on understanding the “why” behind social situations and practicing thoughtful responses.

 

 

2       Routines

 

Each session is structured to promote social thinking and emotional regulation:

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• Emotion Check-In & Arrival Warm-Up Play – Children settle into play zones and are supported to identify their current emotional state and play intentions. Prompts may include: “How am I feeling right now?” and “What do I want to play?” to help build emotional awareness and intentional engagement.
   

• Welcome & Social Circle Time – Children greet peers, share experiences, and are introduced to the weekly social theme (e.g., hidden information, misunderstandings, perspective-taking, emotional understanding). Guiding questions include: “What does each person know?” and “How might they feel — and why?” to support social thinking and theory of mind development.
   

• Movement Break – A structured body break designed to support emotional regulation and attention. Activities may include action games, guided movement, or energy-reset exercises to help children return to learning with improved focus and regulation.
   

• Group Activity – A structured, lesson-based activity (e.g., worksheets, role-play scenarios, collaborative problem-solving tasks, crafts) related to the weekly theme. Children practice identifying feelings, predicting outcomes, considering others’ perspectives, and generating alternative responses. The focus is on strengthening social thinking and flexible problem-solving.
   

• Lunch Time & Free Play – Children eat together, practice independence skills, and engage in supported free play while waiting for peers. Natural opportunities arise to practice perspective-taking, emotional awareness, and flexible thinking in real-life interactions.
   

• Guided Social Play / Board Games – Children participate in structured play activities where they practice noticing social cues, understanding different perspectives, managing disagreements, trying alternative solutions, and reflecting on outcomes. Games provide opportunities to pause, think, and respond thoughtfully.

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• Goodbye Routine – Children practice independence in preparing to leave and reflect on the session with prompts such as: “What did I learn about thinking today?” or “How did I try to understand someone else?”

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3        Example Activities 

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• Social Detective Stories
  Children listen to short scenarios (e.g., someone misinterprets a situation) and discuss: What does each person know? Is there missing information? Why did the misunderstanding happen?
   

• Theory of Mind Role-Play
  Act out scenarios where characters have different information. Children practice predicting how each person might feel and why.
   

• Emotion & Thought Mapping
  Use visual supports to understand: Situation → Thought → Feeling → Action. Children explore how different thoughts can lead to different feelings and actions, in themselves and in others.
   

• Problem-Solving Circles
  When a challenge arises in play, children brainstorm: What is the problem?, How do I feel?, What are 2–3 possible solutions?, Which one could I try first?, What if it doesn’t work

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• ​Boardgames/ Play together Stations
  Children participate in structured games and collaborative play stations where they explore what is known and understood in social interactions. Guiding questions may include: “Does he know ___?” “How can I express my ideas to others?” and “How would others feel if I ___?” to support perspective-taking, social thinking, and flexible problem-solving 

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4        Q&A

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Q: My child has begun basic play with peers but often doesn’t offer help or ask for the turn. Will this group help?
    A: Yes. Magnetic Kids now emphasises motivation to act — we support children in recognising their own desire to connect, help or join in, and build small-step practice around that drive during group play to make this process more fun and engaging.

Q: My child is shy and reluctant to join group games.
    A: That’s perfectly okay. We honour the readiness of each child. This group encourages children to choose to try, even if it’s a small move (like saying “Hi” or expressing their discomfort by saying “I don’t want to”). The focus is on gentle invitations and celebrating effort.

Q: My child’s verbal skills are good, but they don’t always pick up on others’ space or feelings.
    A: That’s exactly the kind of situation this group supports. We help children connect their words (e.g., “Can I join?”) with the motivation to read cues like “Someone looks sad,” “Someone says no,” or “Someone is waiting.”

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

• Children aged approx. 4 to 6 years old
   

• Are learning to play with others rather than just next to them
   

• Need support noticing others, asking for help, expressing their thoughts, waiting, sharing, taking turns, or managing personal space
   

• Would benefit from structured social practice emphasising motivation, engagement and choice, not just doing tasks
   

• Are ready for a play-based group setting (rather than purely 1:1) with a warm, supportive adult-led environment.

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