Making cookies and understanding emotions
This is a favorite activity the kids participate in during the summer. They take turns naming as many emotion words as they can think of. The first day they might get 42, but the next they’re able to get 53. It’s really cool! We then play charades where the kids guess what emotion each is being acted out. Then we have some fun making emoji cookies where each kid decorates three cookies to look like any emotion they choose (and they also get a fourth cookie to decorate however they want). After decorating cookies, everyone settles down by watching the movie Emoji while enjoying their sweet treats!
Feeding ducks while learning to follow directions
Gibson Park is another favorite outing. Staff and clients love to visit the park because they get to feed ducks while playing outside. While there, the crew works on following directions and listening skills to maintain everyone’s safety around water. We also take time to purchase some goodies from the snack bar and let kids do what they do best! During this particular trip, Noah was able to recognize Mason struggling to listen and encouraged him to sit and watch the ducks for a few minutes. It’s pretty neat when peers are able to help one another like this!
Swimming helps with patience, following directions, and is fun!
We also take the kids swimming while building listening skills, patience and maintaining safety in the community. We work on following directions the first time, taking breaks to process emotions, and building social skills. Our goal is to give kids opportunities to practice real-world skills in a safe and fun environment.
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