Foundations
Core Activities
The "Yes" Basket
Fill a basket with sensory-safe, pre-approved items the child may freely explore. Place it in a consistent classroom location so the child always knows where to find comfort objects. Rotate items weekly to maintain interest.
Create a "Yes" Basket at home with favorite textured items, chewy tubes, and picture cards. Position it in a familiar spot. Let the child help choose items to build autonomy and reduce anxiety during transitions.
Sensory Bins
Set up themed sensory bins (rice, water beads, kinetic sand) at a dedicated station. Label each bin with picture symbols. Use timers so every child gets a turn. Pair sensory play with language prompts: "How does it feel?"
Use household items -- dried pasta, shaving cream on a tray, or cooked spaghetti. Place bins on a towel for easy cleanup. Narrate textures: "Squishy! Bumpy!" to build vocabulary alongside sensory exploration.
Picture Books & Social Stories
Read social stories before new activities (field trips, fire drills). Use picture-heavy books at circle time and prompt children to point at characters' emotions. Create a "story corner" with soft seating.
Make personalized social stories with photos of your child in familiar settings. Read them nightly. Ask "What happens next?" to build prediction skills. Laminate pages for durability.
Movement Breaks
Schedule 3-5 minute movement breaks every 20 minutes. Use animal walks (bear walk, crab walk), stretching songs, or a freeze-dance activity. Provide visual cue cards so children can request a break independently.
Create an indoor obstacle course with pillows and tunnels. Play "Simon Says" with gross motor actions. Jump on a mini trampoline or roll a therapy ball. Movement before homework or mealtime helps regulation.
Growth
Core Activities
The "I Need" Board
Mount a velcro board at the child's desk with picture/word cards: "I need a break," "I need help," "I need quiet." Teach the child to hand the card to the teacher instead of acting out. Gradually add more nuanced cards.
Place an "I Need" board on the refrigerator. Include cards for snack, drink, hug, space, and help. Practice using the board during calm moments so it becomes automatic during stressful ones.
Choice Boards
Offer 2-4 options for free-choice time using a visual board. Choices might include reading corner, puzzle table, art station, or sensory bin. Limit options to reduce overwhelm while honoring autonomy.
Use choice boards for meals ("Pasta or rice?"), after-school activities, and clothing. Photograph real items for the board. Let the child peel and place their choice to build fine motor skills.
Social Role-Play
Practice common scenarios: ordering food, asking a friend to play, handling disagreements. Use scripts with sentence starters, then gradually fade the prompts. Video-model examples when possible.
Use stuffed animals or action figures to act out social situations. Practice greetings with family members before playdates. Replay real events and discuss "What could we try next time?"
Fine Motor Crafts
Incorporate cutting, gluing, beading, and lacing into themed projects. Provide adapted scissors and large-grip tools. Break multi-step crafts into individual illustrated steps pinned at the workstation.
Try playdough sculpting, sticker peeling, threading cereal onto string, or painting with cotton swabs. Keep a craft bin ready so the activity can start quickly before interest fades.
Independence
Core Activities
The Self-Advocacy Script
Provide laminated scripts: "I learn better when..." "Could I have extra time?" Practice delivering them to teachers in low-stakes settings first. Role-play IEP meetings so the student can voice their own needs.
Practice self-advocacy at restaurants, doctor visits, and stores. Use sentence starters: "Excuse me, I need..." Help the child write a personal "About Me" card explaining their needs to share with new teachers.
Executive Function Coaching
Teach planner use, color-coded binder systems, and task-chunking strategies. Use visual checklists for multi-step assignments. Check in mid-class: "What step are you on?" Build in self-monitoring checkpoints.
Help set up a homework station with a physical timer, checklist whiteboard, and color-coded folders matching school. Practice the evening routine: backpack check, planner review, lay out tomorrow's clothes.
Cooking as Learning
Use simple recipes (no-bake cookies, smoothies) to teach sequencing, measurement, safety, and teamwork. Provide visual recipe cards with numbered steps and photos. Assign roles: measurer, mixer, timer-watcher.
Cook one meal per week together. Start with assembling (sandwiches, wraps) and progress to stovetop tasks. Use a visual recipe binder. Practice kitchen safety rules with picture cues posted near the stove.
Collaborative Board Games
Use cooperative games (Pandemic, Forbidden Island) where all players win or lose together. This removes competitive stress while building turn-taking, strategic thinking, and verbal negotiation skills.
Host a weekly family game night. Start with cooperative games, then introduce light competition. Explicitly teach good sportsmanship phrases: "Good game!" "Nice move!" Model graceful losing.
Transition
Core Activities
The Independence Map
Create a visual roadmap of post-graduation goals: employment, education, housing, and social life. Break each area into milestones. Review and update quarterly in advisory or transition-planning class.
Display the Independence Map in the teen's room. Celebrate each milestone with a sticker or photo. Discuss long-term dreams and match current activities to future goals during family meetings.
Self-Advocacy Skills
Students lead their own IEP or transition meeting. Practice requesting accommodations in college and workplace scenarios. Build a personal portfolio: strengths, needs, preferred supports, and goals.
Practice self-advocacy in real-world settings: scheduling own appointments, communicating with employers, and navigating public transportation. Build a "My Accommodations" wallet card.
Community Safety Training
Role-play interactions with police, strangers, and emergency services. Teach how to call 911, share personal information safely, and identify trusted adults. Practice community outings with graduated independence.
Walk the neighborhood together, identifying safe spaces and emergency contacts. Practice using an ID card with emergency information. Role-play "What would you do if..." scenarios weekly.
Money Management
Run a classroom store or mock budget exercise. Teach coin/bill identification, making change, reading price tags, and comparing prices. Use visual calculators and money-sorting trays.
Open a savings account together. Use a visual budget chart: income, savings, spending. Practice real transactions at stores with increasing independence. Introduce debit card safety.
Life Skills Checklist
Use a comprehensive checklist covering hygiene, laundry, cooking, time management, transportation, and social skills. Assess quarterly and set new targets. Connect checklist goals to community-based instruction outings.
Post the life skills checklist on the bedroom door. Assign one new skill per month to practice. Celebrate mastery with a special activity. Document progress with photos for the transition portfolio.
Innovation Block
Cutting-edge communication methods and visual support systems to enhance every tier.
AAC & Communication Methods
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PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) -- Low-tech picture cards for requesting. Ideal for Pre-K through elementary. Builds toward spontaneous communication.
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Speech-Generating Devices (SGDs) -- Tablet-based apps like Proloquo2Go, TouchChat, and LAMP Words for Life. Customizable vocabulary organized by category.
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Core Word Boards -- High-frequency word boards (go, stop, more, help, want) that work across all environments. Low-cost and easy to laminate.
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Sign Language Supplements -- Key signs (more, all done, help, eat, drink) paired with spoken words. Useful as a bridge while building other communication systems.
Visual Support Systems
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Visual Schedules -- First-Then boards, full-day strip schedules, and interactive digital schedules. Match complexity to the child's developmental level.
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Social Stories & Comic Strip Conversations -- Illustrated narratives that explain social situations, expectations, and appropriate responses in concrete visual terms.
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Visual Timers & Countdowns -- Time Timer, sand timers, and app-based countdowns that make the passage of time concrete and predictable.
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Emotion Thermometers & Zones of Regulation -- Color-coded systems (green = calm, yellow = alert, red = overloaded) that help children identify and communicate their emotional state.
Activity Library
Filter age-appropriate activities by environment, sensory profile, age level, and category.
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Resource Database
Curated books, physical tools, and digital resources categorized by functional goal.
Focus Tools
- Visual Timer App -- digital countdown for task persistence
- Fidget tool kits -- tactile objects for sustained attention
- Noise-canceling headphones -- reduce auditory distractions
- Task strip schedules -- break assignments into visible steps
Regulation Tools
- Zones of Regulation -- color-coded emotional awareness curriculum
- Calm Down Corners -- portable kit with breathing cards and sensory items
- Weighted lap pads -- deep-pressure input for grounding
- Emotion thermometer posters -- visual scale from calm to crisis
Communication Tools
- Choice Boards (PDF) -- printable decision-making supports
- AAC Apps -- Proloquo2Go, TouchChat, LAMP Words for Life
- PECS starter kits -- picture exchange system materials
- Social story templates -- customizable illustrated narratives
Featured Resources
| Resource | Age Range | Functional Goal | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Timer App | All Ages | Executive Function | Innovative Digital Tool |
| The Zones of Regulation | K-8 | Emotional Control | Behavioral Success Tool |
| Choice Boards (PDF) | Pre-K - 5 | Communication | Parent/Teacher Resource |
| Life Skills Checklist | 9-12 | Transition | Vocational Activity |