Learning Links offers a range of fun and educational group programs children aged 4-12 years during the NSW school holidays. In January 2021, programs will be run from our Bella Vista, Gledswood Hills, Liverpool and Peakhurst Learning Centres and have been specifically tailored for small groups of 4-6 children to ensure each child’s individual strengths and needs can be focused on. School Holiday Programs are a fantastic way to support learning and skill development, to help children achieve their best at school or in their early childhood setting.

View our January School Holiday Program schedule >

Prior to your booking being confirmed, a Learning Links psychologist will contact you to conduct a short interview and ensure the program/s will address your child’s needs.

Play and Learning to Socialise (PALS)

Social skills program for 4-6 year olds

PALS is an evidence-based social skills program for 4-6 year olds, to help children develop a range of social behaviours that will help them build friendships and get along with others.

The program is suitable for young children who may need additional support in social situations or for those preparing to start preschool or kindergarten.

What is included in the school holiday program?

The program consists of small-group sessions (4-6 children per group), and is delivered by a psychologist with the use of puppets, story-telling, games, roleplay and activities to teach the children the various skills.

Learning Links runs the program over 3 days (1.5 hours per day).

How will my child benefit?

The PALS program aims to:

• help children relate to others.
• teach children constructive problem-solving skills for social situations.
• promote skills for school adjustment

The sessions will teach the children a range of essential social skills including problem-solving skills, greeting others, talking and listening, taking turns at play and sharing, empathy and understanding feelings, overcoming fear and anxiety, asking for help, managing frustration and calming down.

Cost

The 3-day PALs program (1.5 hours per day) is $225.

The program is registered under the NDIS.

PALS will be running at Bella Vista, Gledswood Hills and Peakhurst during the January School Holidays. Download Flyer >

Prior to your booking being confirmed, a Learning Links Psychologist will contact you to conduct a short interview and ensure the program/s will address your child’s needs.

Take Action

Anxiety management and social skills program for 8-12 year olds

Take Action is an evidence-based program that teaches children helpful ways to cope with and manage anxiety.

The word A-C-T-I-O-N is a coping-oriented acronym used throughout the program. Children are encouraged to ‘take action’ against their anxiety. This means they approach their fears and worries using strategies learnt during the program.

The program is recommended for children who are anxious and need additional support to cope both at school and in social situations.

What’s included in the school holiday program?

The program consists of small-group sessions (up to 4-6 children per group), and is delivered by a psychologist. Children will learn to better manage anxiety through a range of games and activities.

Learning Links runs the program over 3 days (2.5 hours per day).

How will my child benefit?

Children are taught a range of strategies in the Take Action program via a 6-step ACTION plan.

Each letter in the word ACTION stands for a skill children learn:

• A – Be AWARE
• C – Keep CALM
• T – THINK Strong Thoughts
• I – Get INTO ACTION
• O – Use my OPTIONS
• N – NEVER stop taking

This program provides children with clear, practical skills to manage anxiety and improve their social and life skills. By practising the skills they learn, the participants develop their own action plan to reduce and overcome anxiety.

Cost
The 3-day Take Action program (2.5 hours per day) is $225.

The program is registered under the NDIS.

Take Action will be running at Bella Vista and Peakhurst during the January School Holidays. Download Flyer>

Prior to your booking being confirmed, a Learning Links Psychologist will contact you to conduct a short interview and ensure the program/s will address your child’s needs.

The Zones of Regulation

Emotion regulation and social skills program for 6-12 year olds

The Zones of Regulation program is designed for children 6-12 years old, and aims to address challenges with emotional and sensory regulation, and social skills. It is suitable for all children, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or mood disorders.

Using visuals, play-based activities, role playing and video modelling, the program teaches self-regulation by helping children to categorise their emotions and state of alertness into four ‘zones’. From here, children learn skills to control their impulses and cope when they fall into the more challenging zones and feel overwhelmed.

What’s included in the school holiday program?

The program consists of small-group child sessions, run by a psychologist. Groups split into two age ranges: 6-8 years and 9-12 years, with materials tailored accordingly

Learning Links runs the program over 3 days (2.5 hours per day)

How will my child benefit?

The program provides strategies to teach students to:

• become more aware of controlling their emotions and impulses, depending
  on their environment
• manage their sensory needs
• understand how their behaviour can impact others
• learn what tools they need to manage their feelings and states independently

These skills can allow children to gain greater confidence in social situations, unfamiliar environments and at school.

Cost
The 3-day Zones of Regulation program (2.5 hours per day) is $225.

The program is registered under the NDIS.

The Zones of Regulation will be running at Bella Vista, Gledswood Hills, Liverpool and Peakhurst during the January School Holidays. Download Flyer>

Prior to your booking being confirmed, a Learning Links Psychologist will contact you to conduct a short interview and ensure the program/s will address your child’s needs.

Moving On and Up

Transition support program for children starting high school

The start of high school is an exciting time for teenagers and their families. It is the beginning of a whole new chapter in their lives – meeting new people, learning new skills, experiencing a range of different subjects and sports, and starting their journey towards adult life. It can also be an anxious and stressful time as students adapt to the very new and structured environment.

The Moving On and Up program provides practical skills, tools and strategies so children have the confidence to transition to high school successfully.

It is suitable for any students who may need support with their move to high school in 2021.

What’s included in the program?

The program consists of small-group sessions and is delivered by a psychologist. It includes group discussions, brainstorms, practical tasks and fun activities to give students practical strategies and tools to help them feel organised and prepared.

Learning Links runs the program over 3 days (2.5 hours per day).

How will my child benefit?

Moving On and Up covers a range of topics to help children build the confidence they need to navigate the new high school environment. The sessions focus on:

• Organisational skills
• Travel planning
• Problem solving
• Study and assignment skills
• Making friends
• Using new technologies safely

As part of this, children learn how to read and use diaries, timetables and maps, and have an opportunity to discuss their hopes and fears about the change.

Cost and time

The 3-day Moving On and Up program (2.5 hours per day) is $225.

Moving On and Up will be running at Bella Vista and Gledswood Hills during the January School Holidays. Download Flyer >

Prior to your booking being confirmed, a Learning Links Psychologist will contact you to conduct a short interview and ensure the program/s will address your child’s needs.

LEGO® Based Therapy – Currently running as a weekly program

Social skills program for 5-12 year olds

LEGO® Based Therapy is a small group program, proven to help children with social difficulties, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), to improve and practice their social interaction and communication skills.

During the program duration, children are introduced to one another and are empowered to interact, collaborate and socialise with their peers, while having fun, in a supportive and understanding environment.

In the sessions, children learn a clear set of rules and LEGO® building skills. They agree upon a project that is achievable for everyone in the group, and are assigned roles.

• The Architect holds the building instructions, and is responsible for letting the others know which bricks are required (supplier) and how to put them together (builder).
• The Supplier holds the LEGO® bricks necessary to assemble the LEGO® model, and is responsible for supplying the builder with the correct pieces and at the correct time.
• The Builder is responsible for taking the individual pieces from the supplier, and putting the pieces together, according to the instructions given by the architect, to create the model.

Roles are rotated throughout the sessions so children can learn different skills and responsibilities

What’s included in the program?

The program consists of an initial interview with the child and parent, followed by small-group child sessions with a maximum of 6 children per group.

How will my child benefit?

The LEGO® Based Therapy program uses the principles of Play Therapy to help children communicate and socialise with one another.

By partaking in group tasks and rotating roles, children learn important skills like:

•  Sharing
• Waiting
• Turn-taking
• Talking with others
• Making friends

LEGO® Based Therapy is running as a 12-week small group program. Visit our Social Skills Programs page for more information or call our Customer Care team on 1300 003 900. 

Stop Think Do – Currently not running

Behaviour management and social skills program for 6-11 year olds

This structured program develops emotional and social intelligence in children and adolescents. The focus is on social skills training, behaviour management and motivational learning. 2 separate age groups will be run.

The aim on ‘Stop, think, do’ program is to develop self control, perceptual and communication skills, and cognitive problem solving skills. It is theorised that children with social-behavioural problems are often stuck at STOP as they tend not to think or do much for themselves. Shy, anxious children are stuck at THINK as they often think too much about what could happen. Impulsive, aggressive children are stuck at DO because they do and do and rarely stop to think. The program aims to train all children to move through all steps with positive feedback, self-esteem enhancement and support from adults and peers.

Topics covered in the program include:

• Self control
• Feelings
• Cognitive problem solving
• Consequential thinking
• Decision making
• Choice making
• Behavioural skills