OUTDOOR KIDS
OT GROUPS

When it comes to building social-emotional skills — nothing replaces the power of a group!

Your child will build skills, grow confidence, make new friends, and connect with nature in our Outdoor Kids OT Group.

Through intentionally-planned therapeutic outdoor activities with other kids, your child will build creative problem-solving and have supported play experiences to develop social-emotional skills for real life.

Children never know it’s therapy…they just think it’s FUN!

Therapy groups designed with intention, connection, and your child in mind.

  • 👬Intentionally Formed Groups

    We don’t fill group spots on a first-come, first-served basis—no need to race to sign up! Instead, our therapists carefully review each child’s application to create groups that match children's needs and personalities. This intentional group formation process maximizes goodness-of-fit for each child in the group.

  • 🎯 Targeted Goal Setting

    You will collaborate with your child’s occupational therapist to set a specific goal for your child’s participation in the group. This means you’ll be sure therapy is addressing what is most important to your family, and you’ll have a clear picture of your child’s progress.

  • 👩‍👧‍👧 Small Group Sizes

    Groups are capped at 6 kids with at LEAST 2 adults (1 therapy provider plus 1-2 group assistants), so every child receives focused support during group. Our small group model allows us to adapt activities and plans to match the unique dynamics, needs, and progress of the group each session.

  • 🏠 Carry Over to Home

    Therapy shouldn’t feel disconnected from real life. That’s why our approach is rooted in parent involvement and between-session support so you are connected to what’s happening in group each week.

  • 🧑‍🏫 Professional Group Leaders

    Our training and experience enable us to support a wide range of kids. All groups are led by licensed OT practitioners who are certified in the ConTiGO™ Approach, a science-backed methodology for providing effective outdoor therapy for children who have challenges with motor skills, attention, social skills, or sensory processing.

  • 🤝 Positive & Inclusive

    We aim to be a supportive place where kids can feel good about themselves while learning how to be in community with others. Whether they’re highly active or super reserved, we’ve got them covered with our affirming approach and philosophy.

  • 🪄 Nature’s Magic

    Research says nature restores attention, improves mood, boosts the immune system, and calms the nervous system. But most of all, nature is a multi-sensory environment that invites children to PLAY, move, experiment, create, explore, think, and collaborate in ways that can’t be replicated in many indoor therapy settings.

Guided by

The ConTiGO™ Approach

All OKOT therapists are Certified Nature-Based Pediatric Therapists™ with advanced training and ongoing mentoring in the ConTiGO (Connection & Transformation in the Great Outdoors) Approach™ - an evidence-based framework for best practice in pediatric nature-based therapy, developed by OKOT founder, Dr. Laura Park Figueroa. 

  • Connection

    Humans are built for connection. Kids thrive with friends or family in therapy, not just a therapist. We include peers or caregivers to make sessions fun and help skills stick in daily life.

  • Transformation

    Evidence-based therapy in nature speeds progress. Our therapists partner with nature and YOU to help your child build skills and reach goals that matter to you, making daily life easier and more enjoyable for your family more quickly.

  • In the Great Outdoors

    Nature boosts mood, attention, and health in ways indoor clinics can’t. Our outdoor setting ditches the clinical vibe, so therapy feels normal, not stigmatizing, while sparking joy and growth. Being outdoors inspires children’s internal drive to explore, challenge their bodies, be creative, and have FUN while building skills.

Celebrating Individuality While Building Skills for Connection.

Not every kid can sit still, make friends easily, or have the flexibility and self-control to easily fit into any classroom, team, or extracurricular activity. At OKOT, each child is celebrated for their unique strengths and supported to be brave to take risks and do things that may be challenging right now.

Finding the right fit for your child is so important. 

At Outdoor Kids OT, kids can show up as they are and be supported in discovering new ways to be with others. 

With small group sizes and our specially trained staff of nature-based OTs, we have the capacity to:

  • Give kids the opportunity to engage at their own pace

  • Support kids while they make and learn from mistakes

  • Accept various forms of communication, preferences, and ways of being together as a community

  • Investigate the root cause of challenging behaviors

  • Adapt to meet the group’s needs in the moment

  • Allow kids to learn from each other without feeling overwhelmed by group size

  • Facilitate problem-solving and emotional regulation in real-life social situations

A Outdoor Kids OT Group Might Be a Good Fit if Your Child is Struggling to:

  • Regulate their emotions and sensory responses.

    Your child often feels overwhelmed or unable to self-regulate in group settings.​​​

  • Navigate conflicts.

    Your child gets very upset if things don’t go their way or when another child behaves in a way they dislike.​​​

  • Play cooperatively with peers. 

    They prefer to play alone, only want to play their own game, or struggle to collaborate with others.

  • Share and express ideas comfortably. 

    They struggle to voice their thoughts or accept others’ ideas during play.

  • Control impulses and respect personal space. 

    It’s hard for them to wait their turn, stay in control of their bodies, or give others the physical space they need.

  • Try new activities confidently. 

    They show significant shyness or anxiety in group settings or when facing unfamiliar tasks.​​​​​

While our groups focus on building social-emotional skills,

we also work on a range of important skills like sensory processing, executive functioning, and motor skills. 

Over the past 10 years, our groups have benefitted a wide range of children including those with:

  • ADHD

  • Autism

  • Anxiety 

  • Sensory Processing Disorder

  • Motor skill challenges

  • Social-emotional challenges

Many children in our programs have no diagnosis at all but just need time to work on skills … just like adults might go to the gym to get stronger or take classes to learn new skills.

Our groups are skilled therapy intervention that won’t feel like “therapy” to your child.

Interested in signing up for one of our groups? Please read our Group Behavior Approach & Policy to help you decide if an Outdoor Kids OT group is right for your child.

Not Your Typical “Social Skills” Group

Here’s Why We Focus On Social-Emotional Growth

At Outdoor Kids, we’re different from other “social skills” programs that often focus on fitting all kids into one neurotypical mold — make eye contact, follow these steps, and say the right thing at the right time. But for so many neurodivergent children, that mold doesn’t feel authentic or correlate to long-term success or well-being. 

Instead of focusing on "performing" social interactions, we focus on helping kids learn how to be part of a community in a way that honors their own needs and the needs of others. 

For this reason, you’ll see us working on…

💞 Play skills for authentically connecting with peers

💡 Problem-solving and advocating for their needs and preferences 

☺️ Learning emotional regulation skills to manage emotions

WHAT YOU GET in our OKOT GROUPS

WHAT YOU GET in our OKOT GROUPS

Positive Change For Your Child Means Thinking Beyond a Weekly Session

Here’s what you get when you sign your child up for an Outdoor Kids OT group:

  • Weekly 90-Minute Outdoor Group

    Don’t let all the fun we’re having distract you from the enormous therapeutic impact of our sessions! Each group is led by a certified nature-based pediatric OT, based on a treatment plan custom-designed for the unique interests, needs, and goals of the children in that specific group.

  • Initial Occupational Therapy Group Assessment

    We’ll identify your child’s strengths and challenges through our intake process and do an initial observational assessment at our first group session. The assessment helps your therapist partner with you to develop an effective treatment plan for your child’s participation in their group.

  • Collaborative Goal Setting Session

    You’ll get 1:1 time with your therapist to discuss assessments and set a clear goal for your child’s participation in their group. You can be sure the therapist will plan group activities to address the goal that is most important and impactful to your family.

  • On-site Consultation 

    Your therapist is always available to talk with you for a few minutes before or after the group onsite at the park location where the group meets. Feel free to ask any questions you may have or share updates about how your child is doing.

  • Weekly Group Video Re-Caps

    Using a private online parent portal for your child’s group, you’ll get weekly therapy updates from your therapist about what we worked on in the group, plus resources for applying concepts at home.

  • Private Parent Consult Calls

    You’ll have our undivided attention during your 1:1 consult calls at the beginning and end of each semester. You and your therapist will work together to find strategies to help your child carryover skills from therapy into daily life.

  • Personalized Progress Report

    You’ll get a written progress report at the end of each semester so you clearly see your child’s progress on their goals.

What Parents Say About our

Group OT Sessions

  • I can't say enough good things about Outdoor Kids OT! The nature-based sessions provide a perfect blend of therapy and outdoor play. Each session is thoughtfully planned with activities, creating opportunities for natural challenges while also being fun. The therapists are wonderfully attentive and genuinely care, creating a nurturing environment where children not only develop essential skills but also build a connection with the outdoors.

  • This is simply the BEST thing that I have ever found for my son to do! The OTs are fantastic. They truly “get” the kids and make each session a super fun play time instead of therapy. I love the way my son can play and try new things while in a gorgeous park. I highly recommend Outdoor Kids OT!

  • Our therapist was a very creative, energetic, compassionate and truly talented OT, surprising us week after week with new ways to use the outdoors to work on a wide range of needs from planning to frustration tolerance to impulse control to working cooperatively with peers. My son LOVED it. He looked forward to going to the woods to have adventures!

Therapy Happens Outside!

Here’s Where We Meet

Ready to Join an Outdoor Kids OT Group?

Step 1

Submit a free application.

Group times, locations, and costs are listed on the application. You will rank groups in order of preference when you apply. On the application, you’ll also share a little bit about your child’s strengths and challenges and the goals you have for their participation in the group.

Step 2

Confirm your child’s spot.

After reviewing applications and forming groups, we notify families. Spring applicants for fall hear about placement or waitlist status by late May, with 72 hours to accept and pay a deposit. Mid-year applicants are notified ASAP as spots open.

Step 3

Start the adventure!

We’ll share the program schedule so you can update your weekly calendar and gear up for the adventure. It’ll be filled with fun, exploration, and growth!

Application Process for Outdoor Kids OT Groups

We intentionally fill our groups through an application process, rather than a “first come, first served” enrollment because it:

🌱 Saves you the stress of rushing to enroll online at a specific time (and even then…possibly not getting a spot!).

🌱 Allows our therapists to intentionally form groups that are balanced for the needs of each child.

🌱 Enables us to consider the length of time families have been on the waitlist.

🌱 Prioritizes our ongoing relationships with current families.

🌱 Allows deepening of children’s friendships formed in previous groups.

🌱 Ensures as much as possible that the group will be the right fit for your child.

Our Outdoor Kids OT groups run August to May. You can apply anytime. Applications for the next school year start in February, with spots filled ongoing until the group is full. Waitlists help us decide if we can add more groups, so don’t hesitate to apply! If no spot is available now, your application stays on the waitlist for your chosen groups, and we’ll email you if one opens up.

We can’t promise your child will walk away with new best friends or never have a tough moment again.

But we can promise you and your child will leave with new tools and skills to help them handle social situations and life’s ups and downs more easily.

Here’s how our groups make that happen:

  • Organic learning opportunities with a small group of peers.

  • Led by certified nature-based pediatric occupational therapists who are trained to manage and respond to the different needs of kids.

  • Outdoor setting that offers sensory and emotional benefits — on top of being positive and fun!

  • Wrap-around services to support parents in making long-term changes at home and school.

  • Focus on social-emotional skills like self-advocacy and emotional regulation versus narrow neurotypical “social skills.”

Together, we’ll give your child the confidence, skills, and support they need to thrive in their own way. That’s an outcome with a lifetime of benefit.

A Few Policies to Know Before Signing Up for our Outdoor Kids OT Groups….

  • Group enrollment is from August-May to allow time for real change to take place and relationships to develop and flourish.

  • You must arrive on time to group - no late drop-offs because we’ll already be off in the woods.

  • Any missed sessions for travel, sickness, etc. are not refunded.

  • Your child must be able to be safe with themselves, others and property in a 6:2 child-to-adult ratio in the outdoor environment, with adults in the vicinity but not always within arm's reach.

  • If your child needs additional support to be safe, you are welcome to send your child with a 1:1 aide to help them be successful in the group environment.

  • If your child uses physical behavior towards self or others when they are dysregulated, our group programming (with the 6:2 ratio) is not a good match at this time. Please contact us about 1:1 therapy.


If you are interested in registering for one of our groups, please read our GROUP BEHAVIOR APPROACH AND POLICY DOCUMENT.

How Much Does It Cost?

As a private pay practice, we can offer unique, family-centered services—like parent consultations and video updates—not covered by insurance. If you have out-of-network benefits, we provide superbills for reimbursement after payment. To keep care accessible, we allow families to pay for services in installments of smaller monthly payments over the course of the program. Scholarships are available for families in need.

Financial and scholarship information:

Let’s Take the Next Step—Together

Apply today and we’ll thoughtfully match your child with a group where they can grow, connect, and thrive.