Day 1: Arrival and Sensory-Friendly Welcome

• visual check-in

• name tags

• table toys, sensory bins, play dough, coloring, blocks

• warm greeting in each child’s preferred style

Day 2: Arrival and Choice-Based Warm-Up

• sensory stations

• art warm-up

• matching games

• blocks or simple partner materials

Day 3: Arrival and Open Play

• familiar stations

• favorite activities from previous days

• gentle support for peer joining

Day 1: Safety and Belonging

• welcome ritual

• review visual schedule

• introduce camp expectations

• each child shares name, points to a visual, or chooses a favorite item/image

• mini lesson: There are many ways to participate.

Day 2: Communication

• welcome routine

• visual schedule

• review yesterday

• introduce communication theme

• mini lesson: All communication counts.

• include words, AAC, gestures, pointing, facial expressions, showing, and movement

Day 3: Friendship

• welcome routine

• visual schedule

• review camp learning

• introduce friendship theme

• mini lesson: Friendship can look different for different people.

Day 1: Children will build familiarity with camp routines, peers, and staff while practicing self-expression and body boundaries.

Day 2: Children will practice communication, turn-taking, and cooperation through structured play and shared activities.

Day 3: Children will strengthen friendship skills, social problem-solving, and confidence in connecting with others.

Additional Information:

Day 1: All About Me Activity
Children create an “All About Me” poster, booklet, or page with:

• name

• favorite things

• what helps me feel calm

• what I like to play

• how I communicate

Day 2: Partner Games

• roll a ball back and forth

• cooperative puzzle

• turn-taking block building

• add-on drawing game

Day 3: Friendship Skills Mini Lessons
Short role-plays, visuals, or staff skits for:

• how to join play

• how to invite someone

• how to say no kindly

• how to ask for space

• how to try again after a problem

11:05–11:25 | Movement and Regulation Break

Day 1

• animal walks

• obstacle course

• stretching

• beanbag toss

• parachute

Day 2

• freeze dance

• yoga cards

• jumping path

• tunnel crawl

• heavy work

Day 3

• dance and freeze

• animal races

• yoga

• heavy work

• breathing with visuals description

Campers will be responsible for bringing their own lunch, but we do have filtered water available to refresh water bottles.

Day 1: Lunch and Social Connection

• lunch

• practice requesting, offering, asking for help, opening containers, and saying “no thank you”

• optional visual conversation supports at tables

Day 2: Lunch and Supported Conversation

• lunch

• optional peer question cards

• simple supported prompts

• practice asking for help, commenting, offering, and turn-taking in conversation

Day 3: Lunch and Friendship Practice

• lunch

• practice asking someone to sit nearby

• giving a compliment

• offering help

• commenting on a shared experience

• respecting “no”

Day 1: Play Stations — Parallel Play and Shared Space
Stations may include:

• blocks

• sensory bin

• figurines

• art table

• puzzles

• pretend play

Day 2: Emotion Detective

• feeling cards

• mirror faces

• puppets

• picture scenes

• noticing body and facial clues

Questions:

• what do you notice?

• how might they feel?

• what might help?

Day 3: Choose-a-Friend Adventure
Partner or small-group choice activity:

• Lego build

• art project

• pretend play

• scavenger hunt

• sensory challenge

• board games

12:30–1:00PM - Third Activity

Day 1: Personal Space and Boundaries Lesson

• puppet/story lesson

• floor dots or hula hoops

• teaching “my space,” “your space,” “ask first,” and “taking a break”

Day 2: Group Challenge
Choose one:

• build the tallest tower together

• scavenger hunt in pairs

• move objects across the room as a team

• parachute teamwork

• group mural

Day 3: Social Problem-Solving Workshop
Use puppets, visuals, or role-play for scenarios like:

• two people want the same toy

• a friend says no

• someone walks away

• the plan changes

• it gets too loud

Teach sequence:

1. stop

2. breathe

3. notice

4. say what you need

5. choose a solution

6. ask for help

Hands-on time to explore the daily theme—whether it’s art, building, Legos, storytelling, show & tell, dance or D&D.

Closing Activity

Day 1: Our Camp Community Poster
Children add:

• handprints

• names

• drawings

• favorite things

Day 2: Ways I Communicate Activity
Children make a poster or booklet showing ways they communicate:

• talking

• typing

• pointing

• AAC

• drawing

• gestures

• sounds

• asking for space

Day 3: Celebration Project and Strength Certificates

• friendship certificates

• camp strengths awards

• memory page

• compliment circle

We'll end the day with a closing circle before campers head home for the day.