When: 

October/November 2025

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Where: 

3467 Commercial Street, Vancouver​

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Looking for a program where your child can be their authentic self and create connections
with others? That’s exactly why Social Hangouts was created!

🤝 A Safe Space for Real Friendships to Grow
If your child:
- Feels unsure how to join group play
- Would benefit from support to connect with peers
- Needs gentle guidance when interacting and connecting with others

This program offers a nurturing, playful environment where they can learn, connect, and truly belong.

💡 Built on the Proven DIR Floortime® Model
A developmental model that:
- Honors your child’s unique profile
- Meets them at their emotional and developmental level
- Gently guides growth through relationship, joy, and trust

📍Program Overview
Welcome Meeting (Before Start Date)
We start with a personalized family session to identify your child’s strengths and areas for growth. During
this session, we discuss the goals and match your child to a peer group that supports their social and
emotional development.

Small, Supportive Groups
Each group consists of a maximum of 5 children, ensuring personalized attention. The sessions are led by
3 trained facilitators.

Weekly Sessions at Watermelon Studio
The program runs for 8 weeks. Sessions occur once a week and last for 2 hours each. (There may be an
option to continue or join a follow-up group after the initial program ends).

🪩Activities and Engagement
The Social Hangouts program offers a range of engaging activities designed to promote social skills,
creativity, and teamwork among children. Here are some of the exciting activities included:

- Pizza-making: Children collaborate to create their own pizzas, encouraging teamwork and
creativity.
- Creative Social Games: Interactive games that stimulate imagination and foster connection among
peers.
- Cooperative Tabletop Games: These games aim to build strategic thinking and cooperation skills.
Sensory & Movement-based Play: Activities that incorporate movement and sensory experiences
to enhance emotional regulation and physical coordination.
- Café Role-play: Children take on roles such as waiter, chef, and customer, promoting
communication and understanding of social roles.
- Social Outing: A group visit to places like the Social Science Museum, where kids have a say in the
destination, encouraging decision-making and adventure.
- Smoothie-making Challenge: A fun, hands-on activity where children work together to create
delicious smoothies, promoting teamwork and creativity.
- Silent Disco Social Session: Building connection through movement, music, and play.

All designed to spark friendship, grow communication, and strengthen social confidence.

🔶Groups Tailored to Developmental Stages
At Social Hangouts, we believe that the key to successful friendship and social growth is meeting children
where they are developmentally.

💬 Our Philosophy
Friendship forms best when we meet kids exactly where they are. We group participants based on
developmental readiness, not just chronological age. This means a 7–9-year-old might be placed in a
group that matches their current social-emotional needs — even if the group typically includes younger
children. Our goal is to ensure each child is in the environment that best supports their individual growth.

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✔️ Progress Tracking
At the end of the 8-week program, parents will receive a written summary of their child's progress,
highlighting achievements and areas for continued development.

🔴 Requirements for Participation
To ensure your child can fully benefit from the experience, we ask that participants meet the following
criteria:
Safety Maintenance: Participants should be able to maintain safety within a group setting. This
means staying with the group and making sure they do not put themselves or others at risk.
Co-Regulation: Participants can co-regulate with a therapist when feeling overwhelmed.
Following Instructions: Children can follow group instructions with light-to-moderate support.
Transitioning Between Activities: Participants can transition between activities and environments
with light to moderate support. This ensures safety is maintained for the whole group while out in the
community and during group activities.
Interest in Peers: Is beginning to show interest in peers and/or is open to parallel play (e.g.,
watching others, joining activities alongside peers, even if not directly interacting).
Meeting these criteria helps us create a supportive and engaging environment where all participants can
thrive socially and emotionally.

📍Benefits of DIR/Floortime® Groups
The DIR/Floortime® model offers a nurturing approach that supports children's social and emotional
growth. By focusing on development, individual differences, and relationship-building, this model creates a
playful and supportive environment for child development.

Key Benefits:
Social and Emotional Growth: The model emphasizes meeting children at their current
developmental stage, fostering natural progression in their social and emotional skills.
Individualized Approach: Recognizes and accommodates each child's unique needs, such as
sensory preferences and motor skills, allowing for personalized growth opportunities.
Relationship-focused: Encourages meaningful connections through joy and play, forming a solid
foundation for children to build on.

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Price $850/program

🌱 Early Social Development group: 5 SPOTS
Ages: Typically 4–6, though older children may be placed here depending on developmental needs
Focus: These children are beginning to share attention, respond to social cues, and engage in simple
back-and-forth play.
Goals: Enhance attention sharing, develop basic social interaction skills, and encourage simple
cooperative play.

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🌼 Growing Social Skills group: 5 SPOTS
Ages: Often 7–10, but may include younger or older children depending on their social readiness
Focus: At this stage, children are expanding their communication skills, exploring friendships, and
learning to collaborate in play.
Goals: Strengthen communication abilities, foster meaningful friendships, and introduce complex
cooperative activities.

 

 

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🌳 Teens group: 5 SPOTS
Ages: Often 11+, though placement is guided by individual developmental needs
Focus: Teens in this group are developing deeper peer connections, growing emotional insight, and
building independence in social situations.
Goals: Promote independent social interactions and deepen peer relationships.

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