Social Development – FEATS Techniques

I Can’t Go Anywhere Without You Trying To Run Off” It is very important for your child to stay with his group when out in public. This is especially important when he begins to do things in larger groups, such as when attending school. Some kids do well in familiar...

“I Can Do It Myself!” The willingness to try a new activity is a great strength that reflects confidence and independence. Exposure to new activities also gives your child a chance to adapt and use the appropriate skill and behavior required to complete the new task....

“Mother’s Little Helper” Your child will love to help you in simple activities! He will learn skills such as following directions, imitating another’s actions, and gaining satisfaction from completing a task where a difference can be seen! Let your child help you with...

“My Little Neat-Freak” Many kids love imitating adults in everyday activities. Give your child tasks to do that are easy to achieve. These tasks should help build confidence and don’t require you “fixing” the task when your child is...

“What’s Your Favorite?” As independence and individuality grow, your child will likely show an interest in some toys over others.   Expose your child to a variety of toys. Don’t limit the exposure to “toys” only. Your child may prefer to play with “adult” objects...

“We Want a Pitcher, Not a Belly-Itcher!”   Begin playing in front of a mirror so that you and your child can see all of your actions. At first, you may even want your child to sit in front on you (in between your legs) and with hand-over-hand assistance, you roll...

“You gotta be in it to win it”. Repeated exposure to social interactions should allow your child’s comfort level to increase with time. Prompt socially interactive games (e.g., peek-a-boo, hide and seek, ring around the rosy, chasing and being...

“Hi, Nice To See You. Thanks For Stopping By. How’ve You Been?” You and your child can practice using social greetings (Hi, Bye, Good Morning, Good Night) with puppets or dolls. If the puppets or dolls don’t already have a name, you can have...

“Hey, You Look Familiar!” When your child recognizes everyone in the immediate family by name (mom, dad, siblings), he can learn to associate names with people outside the family (aunts, uncles, cousins, friends). Here are some activities to help your child learn:...

(Between dolls, animals, characters, & objects) “Get silly” and “let go.”  Be animated in your demonstrations of pretend with objects and dolls/animals/characters. Use words and attribute emotions to characters in play. Recreate events...