Connected, Capable, and Included: Small Group Programs, Social Skills & Executive Function Support

Ready-to-run Lunch Club, Cooking Club, and Social Skills Group sessions plus executive function strategies for K-8 classrooms.

Connected, Capable, and Included is Volume 2 of The Whole Child Classroom Toolkit, a professional series for K-8 educators supporting students with diverse social, emotional, and learning needs. Where Volume 1 focuses on the individual student, this book gives you everything you need to build group programs that create real connection and belonging.

Inside, you will find:

• Thirty complete, ready-to-use Lunch Club sessions across conversation, game-based, and creative formats - every session no-prep or low-prep
• Twenty Cooking and Life Skills Club sessions with allergy-aware recipes, all under ten dollars for a group of six, including a five-session Independent Meal Challenge
• A complete eight-week Social Skills Group curriculum with full session plans covering conversation skills, conflict repair, digital communication, and assertiveness
• Executive function strategies for task initiation, working memory, planning, and cognitive flexibility - built into everyday routines
• Mindfulness and movement-based regulation tools backed by current research
• The Junior Leaders Program: a complete peer mentorship framework for Grades 4-8
• Practical collaboration tools for student services and classroom teachers, including a one-page Student Briefing Card and ready-to-use consultation scripts
• A Ready-to-Go Program Guide organizing every session and strategy for immediate use

Every program in this book is designed to be facilitated by any caring, consistent adult - no clinical training required. The strategies are grounded in research on belonging, peer learning, social skills development, and executive function, but written entirely in plain, classroom-ready language.

Ideal for student services teachers, resource teachers, school counselors, and any K-8 educator looking to build structured group programming that creates lasting student connection.

Pairs with Volume 1 (Safe, Seen, and Ready to Learn) and Volume 3 (Observe, Plan, Act, Reflect) to complete the full Whole Child Classroom Toolkit series.