Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Free Printable Valentine's Cookies Barrier Game

This free printable Valentine's cookies barrier game is a perfect way to work on speech therapy and language goals this Valentine's Day.

Are you looking for a simple Valentine's Day themed activity to work on speech and language skills? Then look no further than this fun speech therapy game.

In this free printable Valentine's cookies barrier game, you'll be taking turns arranging a tray of heart and Valentine's themed cookies. Your goal? To see if you can get others to follow your instructions to make their tray match yours.

Maybe you want to carefully arrange the cookies. Or, maybe you want to stack some on top of each other. Perhaps you only want to use a few cookies or put some upside down. The choice is yours with this game.

Free printable Valentine's cookies barrier game for speech therapy

What is a Barrier Game?

Barrier games are a way to practice speech and social skills concepts by creating and describing scenes to another player and having them recreate the scene on their own game board. An example of a barrier game that you might be familiar with is Battleship.

We personally use barrier games to work on skills such as:

  • Following directions
  • Listening skills
  • Prepositions (on, under, above, beside, next to, etc.)
  • Expressive speech
  • Vocabulary
  • Turn taking
  • Comprehension

But, of course, that's not all! You can use barrier games to practice a wide variety of different speech, language, and social skills. You can learn more about barrier games and their benefits here.

How to Use the Free Valentine's Cookies Barrier Game

To prep this barrier game, you will need at least two players. Simply download, print two copies of both the scene and the items (one copy for each player), cut the individual items, and laminate all pieces for durability (optional).

To play this barrier game, have all players sit at a table and set up a barrier. A file folder or book works great! The goal is to make sure that all players cannot see each other's materials.

Each player takes turns placing an object on the scene and describing to the other player where to place the objects. It's important to give clear and specific directions on where to place the objects.

The objective of the game is to have identical pictures at the end. That is, all players should have matching scenes with the items placed in the same spots for all players.

Download the Free Printable Valentine's Day Themed Barrier Game

This free printable barrier game includes three pages, including detailed instructions on how to play, a landscape or scene, and game pieces.

Keep in mind that you'll want to print two copies of each page and laminate everything for durability before use.

To get your copy of this barrier game, click the link below:

>> Click here to download the free printable

 

Want More Barrier Games?

You'll find even more themes in the barrier games bundle!

Barrier games bundle pack

Click here to get your copy of the barrier games bundle

Free printable Valentine's cookies barrier game for speech therapy

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Friday, January 17, 2025

Free Color Word Scramble Printable for Kids

This free printable color word scramble game is perfect for kids of all ages.

As I've mentioned here, many hyperlexic and autistic learners have a passion for colors, especially as toddlers and preschoolers. Hyperlexic kids also love words and spelling.

So, this free printable color word scramble game is the perfect blend of those three things: colors, words, and spelling.

Simply rearrange the words to find the color name. And, if you want, you could connect the word to the correctly colored paint blob that decorate the sides of this printable.

By the way, since I live in Canada where we use colour versus color (although I tend to use the American spelling on this blog for simplicity), you will find two versions of this game included below, one with the American English spelling of color and gray and one with the British English spelling of colour and grey. That way you can print the one that best suits your needs and spelling variant.

Free printable color word scramble game for kids with answers

Why Word Scramble Games are Good for Kids

Word scramble games are a great way for kids to work on vocabulary, spelling, language skills, working memory, problem-solving skills, writing, and so much more! There's a wide range of skills you could target here. Just get creative.

You can use free printable word scramble games like this one at home, in the classroom, or even on the road. Or you could use them in Zoom meetings for online learning (tips on how to do so here). They'd even make a great rainy day activity too!

Also, if you've been looking for other ideas on how to use your hyperlexic child's interests in letters, then word scramble games are a great fit. They definitely build off of a hyperlexic child's interest in letters. I mean the game is literally just a bunch of letters. Besides, using your hyperlexic child's interest to teach new skills is definitely something you should be doing - and something you'll hear me say a lot around here!

So anyway, if you're looking for a quick math themed activity for kids, then give this color word scramble worksheet a try. It would be great to pair with this colors I spy game.

Download the Color Word Scramble Printable

This printable is six pages total. Two versions of the word scramble game are included (one with a word bank and one without the word list) in two spelling variations (colors/colours and gray/grey). Each game contains 11 different color words. An answer key is also included.

To get your copy of the color word scramble, click the link below:

>> Click here to download the free printable

 

Free printable color word scramble game for kids with answers

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Thursday, January 16, 2025

How to Start Using Visual Supports

Want to start using visual supports with your child, but unsure of where to start? Here are some tips for how to start using visual supports.

One of my top tips for anyone supporting hyperlexic learners is to write things down and make things as visual as possible. That's where their strengths lie, after all.

But, where do you start? How do you know what types of visuals to use and when? How many is too many? What should you look for in a visual support? The questions go on and on...

So, if you're new to using visual supports, then these tips are for you. You'll learn all about how to start using visual supports, including what things to consider, how to adapt them to fit your needs, and so much more.

Tips for how to start using visual supports

Tips for How to Start Using Visual Supports

Whether you're using a premade visual support (like any found here) or making your own from scratch (tips here!), there are a few things you need to consider first before implementing a new visual support.

1. Consider Your Child's Needs & Preferences

Before you start using visual supports, it's important to consider a few questions:

  • What does your child need support with?
  • What are some current challenges or struggles?
  • How does your child learn best?
  • What are their sensory preferences?
  • What are their current interests?
  • What's their current level of understanding?

Asking these types of questions can help you identify areas where visual supports might be helpful and give you an idea of what type of support to create or use.

For example, let's say your child needs help identifying emotions and how they're feeling. You know that they learn best when things are written down (because they're hyperlexic, for instance) and are paired with a simple image. You also know that they get easily overstimulated when things are visually busy and that their current interest is LEGO. They're just learning basic emotion terms. So you might want to use something like this LEGO feelings chart.

Taking the time to assess your child's needs and consider their preferences in this way is a great first step to ensuring that the visuals you plan to use will be helpful and effective. After all, visuals will be more engaging and useful when they're tailored to your individual child's needs, preferences, and interests.

2. Start Small & Build Gradually

There are lots of possible visual supports that you can use, but it's best to introduce only one or two supports at a time. That way you don't overwhelm your child. Once your child is comfortable using visual supports, then you can gradually start to introduce more.

You also want to focus on what would be high-priority and have the most immediate benefit. A perfect example was when my son first got glasses. Since he didn't need to wear them all the time, we would often find ourselves forgetting them on our way out the door to school. So, I made a little poster that showed a pair of glasses paired with text that asked, "Do you have your glasses?" I taped it to our back door that we go through when leaving for school and it worked great.

3. Use Simple & Clear Visuals

It's important to make sure that the visuals are easy to interpret. For instance, that means making sure the design isn't too busy, that there's only one image per step or concept, and that the images make sense.

You also want to make sure that the visuals are tailored to your child's level of understanding. That means carefully consider things like the text. You want to make sure that the text is clear and understandable based on your child's abilities.

4. Involve Your Child in the Process

We've already touched on how it's important to tailor the visual supports to your child's needs, preferences, and interests. And one of the best ways to do that is to involve your child in the process.

For instance, let them help you create or choose the visuals. You might even want to consider taking photos of your child and their favorite items and incorporating them into your visuals, if possible. Let them pick the colors, fonts, or images if you're creating your own.

You can even work together to figure out where to put the visual supports so that they will be accessible and visible. Then hang them up together.

And, finally, work together when using the visual support. For example, when we started using this visual schedule at our house, we started off each morning planning our day out by putting the cards into the slots of the pocket chart. We would discuss together the order of events and whatnot too.

5. Model How to Use Them

When you start to use a new visual support, it's important to show your child how to use it. That way they know when to use them, what their purpose is, etc. Showing them how they work is also a great way to practice modeling gestalts too!

For example, let's say you are using a little visual routine chart that shows the different steps for brushing your teeth. You can point to the first step and model something like "Let's grab the toothbrush!" Then, once you do that, you can ask, "What's next?" or "Let's check what's next" and point to the next step.

Or let's say you have a checklist for bedtime. Something like this. Show your child how to do a step and then check that step off on the list. You can also model gestalts like "What's next?" or "All done!" while checking items off of the list.

6. Adapt as Needed

Once you start using a visual support, it's important to monitor how well it's working for your child. Consider asking the following questions:

  • Are there any tweaks that you might need to make to the design? (e.g., wording/phrasing, types of images used)
  • Does it need to be more interactive? (e.g., dry erase checklist, adding velcro elements)
  • Do you need to change the format? (e.g., needs to be a checklist versus a story, needs to be more portable)
  • Is it working in its current location or does it need to move elsewhere? (e.g., try it in a different room)
  • Has your child's interests changed? (e.g., they've moved from Pokemon to Minecraft)
  • Has your child's needs changed? (e.g., need to expand emotions chart to include more advanced emotions)
  • Has your child shared any feedback about the visual? (e.g., they don't like the pictures)

Based on the responses to questions like these, you should adapt and tweak the visual support so that it will better suit your needs.

Tips for how to start using visual supports

Recap of Getting Started with Visual Supports

Okay, let's do a quick summary of those tips again.

  • Consider your child's needs and preferences to make sure the visuals are tailored to your individual child
  • Start small and build gradually to avoid overwhelming your child
  • Use simple and clear visuals that are easy to interpret and are tailored to your child's level of understanding
  • Involve your child in the process, everything from picking the visuals to placement of the visuals
  • Model how to use them so your child knows what their purpose is and how to make the most of them
  • Adapt as needed so that they better suit your needs

Now that you know how to start using visual supports, you might want to consider these different examples of visual supports for different needs.

Tips for how to start using visual supports

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Wednesday, January 15, 2025

What are Visual Supports?

What are visual supports? A look at what they are, who benefits from them, how they work, and why they're important.

Whether you are new to supporting neurodivergent learners or not, you've likely come across the term visual supports before.

But, what does that mean exactly? What are visual supports?

Well, below you'll learn what they are, who benefits from them, how they work, and why they're important. So, let's dig in.

What are visual supports? A look at what they are, who benefits from them, how they work, and why they're important

What are Visual Supports?

Visual supports are tools, images, items, or aids that are used to support understanding, communication, and learning by providing clear and concrete representations of tasks, concepts, or expectations.

Keep in mind that visual supports can take many forms. They can be simple or complex. They can be photos, videos, objects, drawings, or checklists. They can be posters, visual schedules, or communication cards. The possibilities are endless really. If want to see more examples, then I highly recommend checking out this list of different types of visuals.

Definition of visual supports

Who Benefits from Visual Supports?

In short, everyone! That means that all kids can benefit from using visual supports, regardless of age, ability, or neurotype. After all, visual supports can cater to a wide range of learning styles and abilities. In other words, they support all learners.

Consider this: When you travel to a foreign country, you might not be able to read or speak their language. However, you know that that little airplane icon on a sign is pointing you towards the airport, right? That's because visuals can communicate so much and improve our understanding of things.

Now, obviously, our focus around here is on neurodivergent learners, particularly hyperlexic and autistic learners. For these types of learners in particular, visual supports are effective because they align with their strengths in reading and visual processing, while also supporting their weaker areas of comprehension, auditory processing, and verbal communication.

Remember, visual supports can benefit all kids though, not just hyperlexic or autistic learners.

How Do Visual Supports Work?

Visual supports can transform abstract concepts into something more tangible, accessible, and easier to process. For example, what's easier to understand: someone saying "five more minutes" or a visual timer that physically shows five minutes?

Also, visuals can simplify complex or abstract concepts into individual parts, making the information more concrete and digestible. Take this deodorant visual schedule, for instance, that transforms "put on deodorant" into its individual steps like removing the lid and then putting it back on when you're done.

Additionally, unlike spoken language that quickly disappears, visuals are static and permanent. That means that kids can refer back to them as much as they need and as often as they want.

Visuals can also help reduce ambiguity because they're clear and predictable. For instance, you don't have to rely on remembering what was said because you can reference the written instructions or the classroom's visual schedule for what's next.

How do visual supports work?

Why are Visual Supports Important?

There are lots of benefits to using visuals. Yet, the short answer here is that visual supports are important because they enhance understanding, communication, and learning for ALL learners.

Visual supports enhance understanding, communication, and learning for all learners

A Recap of The Basics of Visual Supports

Here's what was covered above regarding the basics of visual supports:

  • Visual supports are tools that provide clear and concrete representations of tasks, concepts, or expectations
  • They come in many forms from visual schedules and checklists to photos and posters
  • They benefit all learners, regardless of age, ability, or neurotype, but are particularly helpful for our neurodivergent learners
  • Visual supports are accessible, static, and clear, transforming abstract concepts into something easier to process
  • They support understanding, communication, and learning for all learners

So, hopefully that helps answer the question what are visual supports?

What are visual supports? A look at what they are, who benefits from them, how they work, and why they're important

Continue reading "What are Visual Supports?"