Life Skills Activities for Special Children, Grades K-5

 

 

Another very practical and easy to use book by teacher Darlene Mannix. Written in the same format as Life Skills Activities for Secondary Students, these life skills are geared toward younger kids, grades K-5. The table of contents alone can be a useful tool in writing goals and planning activities. Sections and chapters can be viewed as goals with lesson skills serving as objectives to measure progress. The introduction states that the book offers research-based resources, for those who appreciate evidence-based practice. The book has four sections:

• Basic Survival Skills - Relating basic information, telephone skills, money skills, time skills, reading and writing skills
• Personal Independence - Clothing and dressing, keeping yourself clean, keeping your room clean, food and eating skills, living a healthy lifestyle
• Community and Independence - Community places and people, helpful and safety information
• Getting Along with Others - Being a good citizen, working with people, having a social life

Each section is then broken down into chapters and each chapter is divided into lessons. Each lesson includes:

• Objective - Skill you will be working on, written as a goal
• Discussion - Questions/statements to introduce and start a discussion on the new lesson. Introduction and instructions for the activity sheet you will pass out.
• Answers - Answers for the worksheet
• Extension Activities - Two additional activities you might consider adding to the lessons.
• Reproducible Activity - Page to copy and hand out to participants. Examples of how questions are answered or scenarios are evaluated include choosing the correct answer from multiple choices, answering yes/no to a list of questions, finding information from a picture of a map or phone book page, etc. Most activities involve writing of some kind but could easily be done verbally instead.

I add my own extension activities to each lesson, as many as it takes to teach the skill, but I have found this book a great aid in breaking down goals into relevant measurable objectives and tracking progress on them. Each chapter also includes a check-off list of all the lessons in that chapter (a way to make sure you are staying on track and documenting what you have covered) and a parent letter. This letter can be sent home to let the parent(s) know what you are working on and it suggests practical activities they can work on with the child (home program ideas for home health). To see the entire table of contents and several pages of the book, check out this Amazon link and click on the picture of the book for a Look Inside.

 

If you are interested in purchasing this book or just want more information, click on the image below.

 

Imaginets

Imaginets - 42 wooden pieces, 50 patterns

 

Imaginets has been an often used favorite. Create objects from the picture cards using a variety of brightly colored, shaped wooden pieces. The pieces come in a wooden case, as pictured above. The inside of the case has a white board finish on both sides. The wooden pieces have a magnetic layer on the back and stick very securely to the white board. The pieces will stick to both sides, so you can build on either or both sides. You can also draw on the white board with dry erase markers, but I have never done it, so I don't know if it cleans up well or leaves a shadow, like some white boards. I have found Bic erasable markers do not wipe off totally on some surfaces, so I avoid them altogether. My favorite brand is Expo and I blog about them here.

 

The challenge cards are numbered 1-50 and increase in difficulty as the numbers go up.  Looking at the box (above), you will see that the ladybug is made up of five pieces, the scooter takes a few more, and the dog and dinosaur take considerably more. The pieces store securely in the wooden carrying case and stay stuck to the side they are on once the lid is closed. I especially like using this activity to work on spatial orientation.

 

I often use the magnetic pattern sets with beginners or individuals who have conditions that impact their fine motor precision because magnetic pieces, once laid, are harder to disturb if bumped than non-magnetic pieces.

 

You can also buy additional pieces and pattern cards in an expansion pack. I blog about that here. There is also a Deluxe model that I blog about here.

For more activities of this type, check out my post What's in Your Therapy Box? Pattern Blocks Edition.

Try this:

• Play with the pieces before starting and point out the differences in shapes, colors, number of sides, etc.
• Put the first piece in place in front of the individual if he cannot look at the model and figure out where or how to start.
• Orient and place a piece for the individual as he watches if he is having trouble with placement. Then pick the piece up, and give it back to him to try again.
• Hand the individual a piece he will need and ask him to turn it in-hand to position it for placement.
• Use consistent directional and positional language such as above, to the right of, under, and flush.
• Find all pieces for the card ahead of time instead of asking the individual to sort through unneeded pieces. Place only those pieces and the card on the table in front of the individual. Or start easier by giving the individual just one or two pieces at a time to place.
• Ask the individual to search through all of the available pieces to find the ones he needs. Turn some pieces so they are facing the wrong direction, upside-down, overlapping other pieces, and/or put them on their sides for a more challenging search.
• Correct errors as soon as they are made as continuing to build on an error may throw off the rest of the model.
• Teach the individual to recognize and correct errors. After the individual places a piece incorrectly ask "Are you sure?" or say "Try again". If he cannot figure out the error, correct the piece while he watches. Then pick up the piece and hand it to him to place.
• Give fading prompts as the individual learns to identify errors and correct mistakes on his own.
• Ask the individual to cup his non-dominant hand. If he has trouble doing this, place a small ball in his hand and ask him to curl and squeeze lightly his fingers around the ball, then remove the ball and ask him to continue to hold his hand in that position. Places several of the pieces he will need in the cupped hand and keep the hand cupped while he places the pieces on the board.

• Prop the card up in front of the board and ask the individual to look up and then down to the board and create the design.
• Work on manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, visual discrimination, visual closure, visual form constancy, spatial relations, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, executive functioning skills, recognition of shapes and shape names, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

In the case: 42 wooden magnetic pieces, 25 double-sided challenge cards (50 images)

To purchase this item or for more information, click on the image below.

 

Pony Popper

In the package: Plastic pony, 6 firm foam balls

Work on spatial relations/position in space, hand/finger strength, eye-hand coordination, coordinated use of two hands, manual dexterity, socialization skills, process skills, executive functioning skills, play exploration and participation 

A fun way to get in some target practice. The pony comes with 6 balls that you will launch toward any target you want to set up. To start, set up targets around the room that you want to launch balls at. Then, place one of the balls in the pony's mouth and push it in. The pony is made of stiff plastic and it will take some hand strength to push the ball into the mouth and then to squeeze it back out. Now aim toward your target and squeeze the pony's stomach to launch the ball. This will take both hands for most people. Balls can travel up to 20 feet, depending on how hard you squeeze and how far you pushed the ball into the pony. Not an activity for those with very weak hands. There are lots of different animals to choose from and the balls from one set will fit the others with the exception of the small seasonal sets that are sold in store like Target (those balls are typically smaller). Kids have loved these.

Try this:

• Measure the distance you can pop the ball.  Go again and see if you can beat your distance.
• Make a large round target and tape it to the door. Divide the circle into several sections (like a bullseye) and assign points to the sections. Aim for the middle, and give points for wherever the ball hits. Play again and try to beat your score by getting closer and closer to the middle on most balls.
• Set up small targets and see if you can knock them over.
• Take the popper outside and aim for targets where you won't accidentally hit and break something (keep away from dogs or animals who might chew and/or swallow them).
• Set up targets on a level plane at equal distances, then a variety of elevated planes at equal distances, then at different distances.
• Set up buckets at different distances and aim to get them into the buckets.
• Hang (or hold up) a hula hoop and see how far back you can stand and still pop them through the hoop.
• Set up empty pop cans on the picnic table or ledge and see how many you can knock over.
• Make a game out of picking up the balls that fly astray (there will probably be lots) to make it seem less like work and more like fun. For instance give a point for each ball collected.

If you are interested in purchasing a popper/extra balls/target, or just want more information, click on one of the images below to go to Amazon.com.

DUPLO My First Build

DUPLO My First Build

In the box: 59 colorful pieces, 4 pattern cards

I think LEGO and DUPLO construction sets are some of the best toys out there for working on a multitude of skills simultaneously. DUPLO sets are designed for younger kids - ages 1 1/2 - 5. Pieces are made from colorful, hard plastic, and they are too big to accidentally swallow and big enough to be easily manipulated by younger kids.

If you've followed my blog at all, you will immediately know what attracted me to this particular set - pattern cards!  Some kids have a hard time knowing what to do when a pile of blocks are placed in front of them and they are asked to "build something". Introducing pattern cards brings structure as well as a long list of visual perceptual skills into play. There are not enough pieces in the set to construct all of the models on the cards at the same time. Some will have to be disassembled to build others.

Like LEGOs, kids can use DUPLO blocks over and over, never building the same thing twice.  LEGO and DUPLO sets of all kinds are almost always big hits with the kids. 

Try this:

• Start with a few minutes of free time so that the child can examine the pieces and how they snap together.
• Cover up all the pieces on the pattern card except the ones you are working on if the child does not know where to look or does not understand that you proceed from bottom to top.
• Instruct the child to place the pieces on top of the card while gathering the pieces that will be needed for a specific model. Take them off, then build.
• Create the models from the picture on the box once the child can build from the step-by-step pattern cards.
• Give the beginner a piece at a time while building and point to the piece on the card to show where it should go.
• Take time for creative play after you are done building.
• Encourage the individual to use a stabilizing hand to hold the model as pieces are added with the other hand.
• Put all the pieces in a pile for the individual to look for the pieces he needs. Turn some of the pieces upside down or on their side so the child will have to recognize them from different perspectives. Place some pieces under or behind other pieces so some pieces are only partially visible.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, figure ground, visual form constancy, manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, eye-hand coordination, creative play, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

If you are interested in purchasing this or just want more information, click on the image below.