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Example from more unstructured fun session with fun activities!

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Great YT tutorial video by a Spanish Teacher!

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How to create & play GIMKIT step by step tutorial

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Online Learning Activities

Practice speech and language with these online learning activities. Even a one year old can do it!

You can teach your child to press a key, guide the mouse, click the mouse button, and even drag and drop. Of course, even if your child lacks the computer skills to play a certain game, you can still play by having the parent control the mouse and encouraging your child to use words to tell you what to do next. Computer games are a wonderful way to practice speech words and sounds because the games are highly motivational.

Activities for 1 Year Olds

Bubbles, Songs, Train & Trampoline - Six simple games that teach cause and effect by simply pressing a key on the keyboard. Great for children with little or no computer skills. Games can be played without mouse skills.

Activities for 2 Year Olds

Sesame Street Keyboard-O-Rama Alphabet identification.

Shapes and Colors Talk about the shapes and colors in this fun activity.

Sesame Street Games - Help Elmo learn about going potty.

Bear in the Bathroom - Point and click to help Bear get ready for his day. Brush his teeth, take a bath, wash hands, dry his hair, and go potty. Have your child tell you what he wants the bear to do next.

Easter Egg Match: Same or Different? - This is an Easter egg memory card game. Turn over two cards at a time and try to make a match.

Activities for 3 Year Olds

Counting Practice Count the pictures that you see.

Letters and Pictures - Select a letter and view a picture that starts with that letter.

ABC Letters - Sing your ABC song to this game as you make the letters appear.

Butterfly Match: Same or Different? - This is a butterfly memory card game. Turn over two cards at a time and try to make a match.

Letter Puzzles Alphabet identification.

Making Choices Read-A-Long Story - Read this story to your child. Your child can click the mouse to turn the pages. This interactive story allows your child to make choices that can change the outcome of the story.

Shape Picture Match - Can you find the shapes that are the same? This is a memory card game. Turn over two cards at a time and try to make a match.

Chicken Talk Help your child make requests. Ask your child what they want the chicken to do (jump, sit, fly, sleep, etc.) Parents can type in these commands and then watch with your child as the chicken listens and follows instructions.

Alphabet Letters - Learn the letters of the alphabet! Point and click on a letter to see and hear words that begin with the letter.

Christmas Match: Same or Different? - Are these two pictures the same or different? This is a Christmas memory card game. Turn over two cards at a time and try to make a match.

Activities for 4 Year Olds

The Counting Game - Great for preschoolers developing counting skills and number recognition.

The ABC Letters and Sounds - This fun activity teaches upper and lowercase letters and beginning phonics skills.

The ABC Game - What sound/letter does the word house start with? This game focuses on phonics, letter recognition, and listening. To play, choose the picture that starts with the letter identified on the screen.

Cup Stacking - A fun letter recognition game! Children will see an alphabet letter in black on the screen and must find it and press it on the keyboard in order to stack the cups. See how many cups you can stack.

Activities for 5 Year Olds

Alphabet Zoo - Learn alphabetical order with this fun game! This game involves first, second, and third concepts as well as alphabetical order.

Whack a Mole - This game uses the same concept as whack-a-mole only you "whack" the image that is different from the other two images. Some images are letters and some are shapes. It takes concentration, a keen eye, and some problem solving skills.

Sheep Herding - Herd the sheep into their pens by moving the mouse. Just remember, the sheep run away from the mouse cursor!

Activities for 6 Year Olds

Learning Colors - A simple beginning reading game that teaches your child to recognize the sight words for colors.

Wonka Says - Lots of point and clicks in the game. Watch the screen to see a sequence and copy that sequence with your mouse. This game focuses on attention and memory.

Snowman - Point, click, and drag the mouse to make this snowman. Print or email the picture when you are done.

Snowman Gift Tag - Point and click to help the snowman get dressed up. Put on a Santa suit, funny faces and lots of extras. Then use the print button to have your child print out their "hand made" gift tag to put on a present.

Arts and Crafts Home Toys for Speech Therapy

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Practice speech and language with these online learning activities. Even a one year old can do it! You can teach your child to press a key, guide the mouse, click the mouse button, and even drag and drop.

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yt video

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How to Make a Choice Board in Google Slides

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SimpleK12.com

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How to Make a Choice Board in Google Slides

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© Copyright 1997 - 2023 Audible, Inc Conditions of Use…

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Monster Mansion Match is a fun matching game for kids. Click on the windows of the Monster Mansion to reveal the friendly monsters inside and match two of the same monster. Watch out for the Little Angry Red Monster though! He likes to move the windows around on you. Do you have what it takes to mak…

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The Cat in the Hat . Spina-ma-jigger | PBS KIDS

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The project is funded by a Ready To Learn grant (PR/AWARD NUMBER U295A150003, CFDA No. 84.295A) provided by the Department of Education to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Educational activities for iPad/Fire Tablet. Various prices per actvitiy kit.

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Osmo's groundbreaking system fosters social intelligence and creative thinking by opening up the iPad and iPhone to the endless possibilities of physical play.

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Interactive/Engaging Quiz Platform for distance learning. $59.88

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Gimkit is a game show for the classroom that requires knowledge, collaboration, and strategy to win. Get started for free!

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Building a Meaningful classroom website (google site template for free)

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Building a Meaningful classroom website (google site template for free)

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Google Site Template Worksheets & Teaching Resources | TpT

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Browse google site template resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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SlideDeck - Part 2 Distance Learning & Behavior Support

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SlideDeck - Part 2 Distance Learning & Behavior Support

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Part 2 Distance Learning and Behavior Support.pptx

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Support for MOLLY OF DENALI® is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the GBH Kids Catalyst Fund, and by public television viewers.

Original production funding was provided by a Ready To Learn Grant from the Department of Education, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American People, the T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan, Homer and IKEA®.

The contents of the first season of this program were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. [PR/Award No. U295A150003, CFDA No. 84.295A]

MOLLY OF DENALI® is produced by GBH Kids and Atomic Cartoons.

Molly of Denali, ®/© 2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Corporate Sponsorship

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Grow giant vegetables with Molly and Trini for the Alaska State Fair! Learn about how to keep the plants healthy, and watch out for hungry hares.

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Sesame Street - Cookie Monster Food Truck!

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Sesame Street - Cookie Monster Food Truck!

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Play Sesame Street games with Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, Grover, and more!

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Alphabats - Rhyming Words is a fun word game that helps students practice phonemic awareness. Kids click on the bats’ bellies to hear the words, then match the words with rhyming sounds. After matching 6 words correctly, players get to help the bats collect fireflies.

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Alphabats - Alliteration is a super fun way for kids to practice phonemic awareness. Click on the bats’ bellies to hear the words, then match the words with the same beginning sounds. Match 6 words correctly, then help the bats collect fireflies!

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Looking for a super fun way to learn numbers? Try ABCya's Number Bingo! Choose your number range and find the correct number on the Bingo board! Can you collect all 20 Bingo Bugs?

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Connect the Dots is a fun way for children to practice counting. There are ten levels with over thirty different puzzles!

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Drama/Creative Games for a Virtual Space!

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Drama/Creative Games for a Virtual Space!

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Big List!

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Prepositions

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Match the emotions

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Math game

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Video + Questions!

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How to tell how big a problem really is

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How to make a good guess by Looking, Listening, and Thinking

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Hidden Rules and Expected and Unexpected Behaviors

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Example of how to cope with feelings of sadness

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Example of how to cope with anger or being mad

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Article

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Core words are an essential part of any Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system.

What are these core words? Why should we use them? And most importantly, what are some practical tools and strategies that can help us implement a core word approach?

What are core words?

While spoken language has at least 250,000 words, a list of only 200 words accounts for about 80% of the words you use every day! These words are called "core words".

Core words are usually:

verbs ("go", "come"),

adjectives ("good", "little"),

prepositions ("to", "on"),

pronouns ("you", "that"),

articles ("the", "a"), and

conjunctions ("and", "but").

Only about 10% of the first 200 core words are nouns, and these nouns are very general ("girl", "house") rather than specific ("porcupine", "celery").

AAC learners need quick access to these core words. It gives them a powerful and flexible tool to communicate whatever they want to say.

Some AAC learners rely on preprogrammed sentences or phrases such as "I want" and "I see". With core words, they can choose from a small set of words to create their own sentences. Then they can express ideas, and even work on grammar.

Some AAC learners only have the chance to make choices from photos of objects. With core words, they can learn to communicate for a wide variety of reasons.

Some AAC learners are given new curriculum words for each new lesson. With core words, they can build their language skills by using flexible words to answer questions about any topic.

Don't forget fringe words and the alphabet!

Core words are essential, it does not mean that we do not provide other important vocabulary. Core words should be within an AAC system alongside "fringe" words.

Fringe words are very specific words. They have a more narrow meaning than core words. They describe particular things.

Fringe words are usually:

nouns, and

more specific verbs ("leap", "dice"), and

more specific adjectives ("elegant", "delicious")

Each individual fringe word is not used as often as a core word, so AAC systems are usually arranged with the core words on the first, or "home" page, and fringe words are located in other folders.

All fringe words are not equally important for every person. Everyone has certain subjects that they really love to talk about. The important things in our lives: favorite people, places, and thing. These words are different for each person. These personal fringe words need to be added to the AAC. We want to make sure these words are available and easily to reach in the fringe folders.

Also, all AAC systems should have access to a keyboard. This allow an AAC learner to start scribbling/writing with a keyboard as soon as possible. They can do this even if they haven't learnt to read and spell.

Core words, with easy access to fringe words and a keyboard, make up a balanced AAC system. This allows for powerful and independent communication for AAC learners.

4 challenges to teaching core words

For many years we have taught AAC users to make choices or name objects, so as an AAC community teaching the "fringe"/noun words seems to come easily.

Many people find core words harder to teach. These are our challenges:

1. Core words are more abstract, and less "picturable";

2. Many core words have multiple meanings;

3. When starting with a core word board, people may seem overwhelmed with all the words on one page;

4. Choosing a place to start teaching core words can feel complicated.

So where do we start? The answer actually turns out to be simple - we teach core words by using them on the AAC system while we talk.

Modeling core words

Core words can be taught in the same way as any words on the AAC system. We model core words as often as we can in everyday situations. When modeling, we point to core words on our AAC system as we talk with AAC users.

Watch Amanda and Abby model core words on quick communication boards in poster.

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Core word teaching strategies - AssistiveWare

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Starting with a core words symbol-based AAC system can be overwhelming. This article provides different strategies to help you teaching core words.

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Article about visual supports to help with music

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When I first met our guest blogger almost 20 years ago, she was using more visual supports in her music therapy sessions with kids who had ASD than most SLPs were using in their language therapy. Marlene Sotelo has worn many hats in her professional life, but her passion for helping people with ASD communicate more effectively seems to have permeated all of them. In this post, she discusses some of the ways she uses visual supports to help make music therapy effective.

Music is a powerful force that transcends time, cultures, and languages. It can transport you to the past, and bring you hope and excitement for the future. In addition, music can be an effective tool in teaching children with varying abilities. The predictability, rhythmic patterns, and repetitive nature of the structure music lends itself to the development of language, cognitive skills, and motor skills, especially for individuals with disabilities due to its motivating properties. Although I am a trained musician and music therapist, I have seen therapists and teachers use music as an effective and motivating tool with very little training in music. Pre-recorded music can be just as effective as live music in reaching your therapeutic goals if you select the right type of music for the individual you are working with, at the correct level of complexity.

In my work as a music therapist with children with varying developmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, I have found the use of visual supports quite helpful in various ways.

1. Visuals can be used during music activities to help clarify expectations, such as a visual schedule of the music activities or songs you will be doing during music time.

2. Visuals can be used to allow the child to make choices such as selecting a song to sing or an instrument to play

3. Visuals can be used to teach and reinforce academic concepts such as the child's name.

4. Visuals can be used to promote active participation even in children that are non-verbal .

5. Incorporating basic AAC devices can also enhance participation in music activities. You can include picture communication symbols and/or a single switch device such as a Big Mac.

Any song can be adapted using visual supports to promote participation and communication. The key is to select the parts of the song that are repetitive and predictable so that the child is set up for success in their participation. Visuals will help the child know how to participate such as when to clap in the BINGO song, or when to fill in a specific letter.

The most important thing to remember is that music is FUN. So if you are looking for a refreshing way to spice up your teaching or therapy session, let music bring the beat back into your sessions.

-
Marlene Sotelo, Ed.D., BCBA-D, MT-BC, is director of education and training for the Broward County Satellite Office of the UM-NSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities and an adjunct faculty member at the Center for Psychological Studies and Abraham S. Fischler School of Education. Working in the Broward County School system, she acquired experience as a special education, general education, and inclusion teacher. She has provided therapeutic interventions to children with autism and other developmental disabilities both privately and at the Miami Children's Hospital Dan Marino Center. She has presented and consulted internationally on effective teaching strategies, curriculum development, program monitoring, and positive behavioral support strategies for children with autism. Marlene is a board certified music therapist, and behavior analyst.

This post was written by Carole Zangari

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Using Visual Supports to Bring Music Alive with Marlene Sotelo

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When I first met our guest blogger almost 20 years ago, she was using more visual supports in her music therapy sessions with kids who had ASD than most SLPs were using in their language therapy. Marlene Sotelo has worn many hats in her professional life, but her passion for helping people with ASD communicate more effectively seems to have permeated all of them.

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Example of Core Words for Play-doh activity

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If you are a preschool teacher, you probably go through a lot of play dough. If you are a preschool parent, you probably go through a lot of play dough, too. It can get pricey, which is why you need this absolutely perfect no-cook playdough recipe without cream of tartar, and it really is...well...absolutely perfect.

*** This post has been updated to include a free printable recipe. Be sure to grab it from the end of this post. ***

I love this playdough recipe because, not only is it quick and easy to make and smells delicious, but it's also the perfect consistency for hand strengthening. Preschoolers need hand strengthening activities to prepare them for life skills. It also prepares them for learning the correct and mature pencil grasp. Playdough is also a great accompaniment to a variety of preschool themes and math activities.

And, did I mention it's cheap? I don't know about you, but with the quantities of play dough made around here, cream of tartar can get pricey. Or, if you're like me, you've used the last of it in your mom's best snickerdoodle recipe and now you have none left for play dough.

So, a playdough recipe without cream of tartar is a really valuable thing!

This recipe does not call for cream of tartar to stabilize it, and the recipe doesn't call for expensive extracts or essential oils for fragrance .

Aside from this playdough recipe being so extremely affordable, the playdough itself really is just perfect. It is malleable, but not sticky, holds its shape beautifully, but without being crumbly.

Other perks include the fact that this is a no cook playdough recipe, which makes it super fast and easy to make. This is easily our favorite recipe.

Disclaimer: I have had my fair share of play dough fails. Remember this Facebook post of my failed red play dough that brought my sweet daughter to tears? Well, tears no more, because I'm also sharing some tips and tricks to making play dough perfect the first time!

Scented No-Cook Playdough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar

Ingredients

Cooking Supplies Needed for No-Cook Play Dough

Playdough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar

***I created this recipe to make small batches so it would be easy and quick to make several colors. Each batch makes just a bit over one cup of play dough. If you want to do rainbow colors like the above photo, begin with white and work your way all the way through the rainbow. This way you won't have to wash or rinse in between batches.***

1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
3/4 cup of water minus 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 packets kool-aid (optional for fragrance and coloring)

*** This post has been updated to include a free printable recipe. Be sure to grab it from the end of this post. ***

Directions for Making Play Dough without Cream of Tartar

Measure the water and lemon juice into a heatproof, microwavable 2-cup measuring cup. Heat in the microwave until just boiling, about three minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the flour and salt.

If using Kool Aid for the fragrance, slowly (and I mean s-l-o-w-l-y, because the mixture will foam a bit) pour the kool-aid packets into the HOT water and lemon juice mixture and add additional food coloring to intensify the color if desired.

Slowly pour the liquid into the flour and salt mixture, and stir with a wooden paddle until it just barely begins to form a dough.

Drizzle the tablespoon of cooking oil over the dough and stir again until it forms a ball. At this point, you may want to knead the dough with your hands.

It may feel a bit sticky, too, but DO NOT add more flour. As the dough cools it will thicken and become less sticky. (Just like how gravy turns to sludge once refrigerated).

Now, once the dough is completely cooled, you may add flour a tablespoon at a time until it is the perfect consistency.

Allow the dough to cool a bit on a sheet of aluminum foil, parchment or wax paper. By the time you finish the next batch of play dough, the first will be cool enough to store. I love to store playdough in these freezer jam containers because the screw on lids are more airtight than snap-on lids.

I've never had this recipe not turn out, and it's definitely an added bonus that this playdough recipe doesn't call for cream of tartar. Save that stuff for Snickerdoodles!

And if you have a preschooler in your life and you make loads of playdough, my 45 Playdough Recipes E-book is for you!

Now Play with that Scented Play Dough!

My daughter took a giant whiff of blue raspberry lemonade scented play dough. As far as a scented play dough recipe goes, the possibilities are endless! Literally. We made grape scented play dough. Apple scented playdough. Peach mango scented playdough. It'll make your kitchen smell like a fruit orchard! (Or a Bath and Body Works shop).

Get Your FREE Printable Playdough Recipe Here

Think you'll be making this playdough recipe a lot? Print a copy of the recipe to save it for later. Just click the image below. to have it sent to your email.

Try Some of My Favorite Playdough Accessories

More Like this from Stay at Home Educator

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Scented No-Cook Playdough Recipe without Cream of Tartar

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you are a preschool teacher, you probably go through a lot of play dough. If you are a preschool parent, you probably go through a lot of play dough, too. It can get pricey, which is why you need this absolutely perfect no-cook playdough recipe without cream of tartar, and it really is...well...absolutely perfect.

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We have talked about block play as a wonderful way to learn new things numerous times, and this week we thought it would be great to share some activity ideas how to actually do it. Some of these you have probably already tried, some may be new for you - anyhow, just let the imagination flow and have fun with blocks and your kids! It is all that matters! Learning new things will come just as a sideffect (a really nice one, right?:))

1. How many blocks does your tower have? Try building one as high as you can and count how many BIG and GIANT blocks did you use. You can even give the tower a name and imagine, where in the World it could be located. If you want to introduce the competitive spitit - organize a little contest and find out who of you will manage to keep it balanced the longest!

2. Play an addition or subtraction game. Depending on the age of the child, you can count the blocks she/he is giving to you or do the opposite - you give and he/she counts. After giving him/her e.g. 10 blocks, ask to give 3 back and count how many left. Do it in a fun and joyful manner and the child will get excited easily. For toddlers you can introduce also speed, e.g. how many blocks can you give me in one minute? When they try to be as quick as possible, they usually break at one moment and just start laughing - embrace these joyful moments, hug, praise him/her and then switch to some more dynamic activity with e.g. running or movements.

3. Use blocks as musical instruments. Show your child that with one or two blocks you can make different sounds. You can bang them together, scratch them, play as drums, put in the blocks some objects that make sound when shaking, and etc.

4. Train spelling with alphabet blocks. Cardboard block are very diverse - you can also write on them! If you child is learning to spell, train or test him/her during playtime by writing some letters on the blocks and ask how many words he/she can make out of these blocks. Can you make a sentence?

5. If you have both big and giant building blocks, make a game of comparisons. Which is bigger? Are they anyhow different? Draw something on them and make the difference even more significant, so that your kid has more details and things to describe and talk about.

6. Toss the blocks - who will throw them further? Of course, be gentle and pretend to be a little bit weaker, so that your kid can enjoy the feeling of winning time to time. But you probably already know this, right? :)

7. Blueprints and pattern recreation - build something and ask your child to re-create the same object or the other way around - you can try repeating your kid! This will diversify the block play and will be a good contrast after letting you kid to build freely. Sticking to patterns is a useful skill to master.
You have some other activities in mind? Is any of these popular at your home already? Tell us in comments! :)
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7 Activities With Building Blocks - gigibloks.com

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We have talked about block play as a wonderful way to learn new things numerous times, and this week we thought it would be great to share some activity ideas how to actually do it.

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Wash hands: AAC Core vocabulary Put, Go, Turn, Get, Hey

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Read alouds on her youtube channel!

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School-based SLP in the age of COVID-19, figuring out telepractice and resources, probably doing this wrong 🤷. Not quite ready to make my YouTube debut, but ...

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Whole Body Listening Larry at School Book 

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Behavior Babe Podcast on Covid-19 & Telehealth

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Learn touch typing online using TypingClub's free typing courses. It includes 650 typing games, typing tests and videos.

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When playing the game, no personal information, or inappropriate language can be shared or seen by any other user.

Prodigy is serious about protecting the privacy of teachers, parents and students. We have partnered with an independent privacy expert (iKeepSafe) to ensure full compliance with all federal privacy legislation (like FERPA and COPPA) as well as state legislation (like SOPIPA or AB1584 in California).

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When playing the game, no personal information, or inappropriate language can be shared or seen by any other user. Prodigy is serious about protecting the privacy of teachers, parents and students. We have partnered with an independent privacy expert (iKeepSafe) to ensure full compliance with all federal privacy legislation (like FERPA and COPPA) as well as state legislation (like SOPIPA or AB1584 in California).

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It  can record video for the teacher and pictures of the learning tasks- take data from that! 

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It  can record video for the teacher and pictures of the learning tasks- take data from that! 

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Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform

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Free Kids 12 Piece Online Jigsaw Puzzles for Kids - 12 Piece Puzzles for Tablets & Mobile Devices - Page 1

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Free Kids' 12 Piece Online Jigsaw Puzzles - Kids' jigsaw puzzles to play online. Fun for all ages! These mobile-friendly puzzles are ideal for tablets but can also be played on computers and smart phones. Get started by clicking or tapping a picture.

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Easily create beautiful interactive video lessons for your students you can integrate right into your LMS. Track students' progress with hassle-free analytics as you flip your classroom!

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On line circle time with an SLP! Live and interactive

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On line circle time with an SLP! Live and interactive

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You are invited to a special Zoom Circle Time designed just for neurodiverse toddlers and preschoolers. We will meet via Zoom on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:00am-8:20am right from the comfort of your home! Join fellow parents and children to welcome one another, sing songs, learn, share, thrive and stay connected in the midst of social distancing. Each week will follow a theme and will include:

1. Hello Song: We will welcome one another with a familiar "hello" song.

2. Detective Time: Listen to Hanna's clues and build inferencing skills as you guess what surprise animal or item Hanna brought to share.

3. Group Song #1: We'll join together to sing a fun, familiar song related to the weekly theme.

4. Check the Weather: Everyone can crawl, walk or run to their widows to peek outside and check the weather. We'll share our weather reports with the group.

5. Sharing Time: Each participant will have an opportunity to share something special they bring related to the weekly theme. It might be an animal, a book, a vehicle...each week is something new!

6. Group Song #2: We'll join together to sing a second fun, familiar song related to the weekly theme.

7. Story Time: Hanna will read a story to the group that relates to our weekly theme.

8. Goodbye Song: Wave goodbye until our next circle time meeting.

Hanna will use her professional Speech-Language Pathology lens to share tips and ideas for parents to support their child's learning, development, emotional-regulation and social communication during this time of social upheaval.
Although registration is not required to participate, I encourage you to register ahead of time using the form below so the themes, songs and activities can be most ideally planned. There is a suggested donation of $5.00 for each circle time session, though all are welcome regardless of ability to donate! Donations can be made via Venmo or Paypal (see profiles below).

The Zoom Details to join are:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89361722524?pwd=WUU3YzlSMjRvTDlQSmpTbkEvZzdxQT09
Meeting ID: 893 6172 2524
Password: 783012

Anticipated Upcoming Weekly Themes:During sharing time each child will share a vehicle toy, book picture, activity, etc.
4/27-5/1: Animal Sounds
During sharing time each child will share an animal toy, stuffy, book picture, etc. and we will all practice making that animal's sound.
5/4-5/8: Vehicles

*Future themes will be shared as we get closer to those dates.

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You are invited to a special Zoom Circle Time designed just for neurodiverse toddlers and preschoolers. We will meet via Zoom on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:00am-8:20am right from the comfort of your home! Join fellow parents and children to welcome one another, sing songs, learn, share, thrive and stay connected in the midst of social distancing.

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Vooks - Storybooks brought to life with beautiful animation!

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Vooks is an entire library of kids storybooks brought to life with beautiful animation, read-aloud narration, engaging music and sound, and read-along text.

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Behavior supports and distance  learning 

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Behavior supports and distance  learning 

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Learning apps for children | Study at home

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Engage kids of different ages with learning at home with the Kahoot family of learning apps. Read more about our apps and download them.

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Sponsored by World101 and Listenwise

Disclaimer 1: This post was written in the Spring of 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, so a lot of the information here is discussed through the lens of distance learning launched by a global pandemic. I have attempted to broaden the lens beyond our current situation to take other distance-learning situations into account.

Disclaimer 2: I recommend quite a few tech tools in this post. Before you proceed with them, please check with your district to make sure the tools comply with your specific use policies for age, privacy, etc.

If you've found yourself teaching in a distance-learning situation, especially if it's been foisted upon you by circumstance, you'll discover pretty quickly that distance learning offers different challenges from face-to-face instruction. And if you look online, you'll find tons of ideas and resources that can help you tackle those challenges, so much that it's easy to get paralyzed at the volume of it all. This is especially true if you're expected to hit the ground running with very little notice.

To help you, I'm going to take my best shot at sharing clear, carefully curated information on distance learning. We'll do this in four parts:

In Part 1 I'll address your head and your heart, the very real, valid emotional and psychological factors that may be preventing you from doing a decent job with online learning.

In Part 2 we'll get into the nuts and bolts of distance learning, options for content delivery, different ways students can demonstrate learning, and some of the tech that can make it all work.

In Part 3 I'll share some general tips and advice I've gathered from teachers in the field.

And in Part 4 we'll talk about troubleshooting, solving some of the more specific problems that come up often when we talk about online learning.

PART 1: START WITH YOUR HEAD AND YOUR HEART

None of the practical stuff is going to do any of us much good if we're in a distracted, panicked headspace and haven't tended to the ways our current situation has impacted our emotions. Here are three things you can do to get your head and heart in a better place.

Get Perspective

There will likely be times when the people in charge of you start to expect too much, or you expect too much of yourself. If you're in a situation like the one we happen to be in right now, in the spring of 2020, you may need to regularly step back from what's right in front of you and remember that we're dealing with life and death circumstances right now. None of this is normal, and there really is no precedent to follow. Most people are doing the best they can on any given day, and that means things will not go smoothly. And by "people," I mean everyone: students, parents, your colleagues, your administration, your family members, and you. YOU. Giving yourself plenty of grace is key at times like this.

If you need something to help you regain perspective and cut yourself some slack, read Carolyn Todd's editorial, Is Anyone Else Just Barely Functioning Right Now?

Now if you personally have a cool, level head at the moment, but someone else is pressuring you to do more, keep in mind that they are feeling their own unique pressure to perform, and they're passing that on to you. It may be an opportunity to validate their feelings, or it may be time to push back on expectations that are simply unreasonable.

Get Physical

When things start to feel like too much, start moving. Decades of research has pointed to the link between physical activity and brain function, but most of us don't need research to know that some of our best ideas come to us when we change things up and go for a walk, a run, or a bike ride. This is especially important during times when we are more likely to be cooped up in our homes, such as, say, a quarantine imposed by a global pandemic.

Get with Other People

One of the things that has really overwhelmed me in the process of putting this post together is knowing that everyone's situation is a little different and not having the tools to address each situation.

One way to alleviate this is to get in touch with others who are more familiar with your specific needs. Apart from collaborating with your colleagues, a great way to share ideas is to find and join online groups. Two I'm recommending here are on Facebook. If you're not on Facebook, I strongly suggest you set up an account just for the purpose of collaborating with others.

Dealing with Educational Inequities in Distance/Online Learning: This group was created "in response to the growing list of resources and practices during the COVID-19 shutdown that further increase the educational divide as it relates to accessibility; race; socio-economic status; gender; and other marginalized communities. We want to demonstrate real solutions in distance/online learning that can provide solutions for all learners."

PART 2: THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF ONLINE LEARNING

Online learning has so many components to it; each one could honestly get its own whole blog post. Since I can't go too in-depth all at once, I'll just do an overview of all the pieces and link out to a few resources that can help you learn more about each one.

1. CONNECTING AND COMMUNICATING WITH STUDENTS

It's essential that you have clear, consistent, accessible channels for communicating with your students. Different pathways for communication will need to be established. The first two are essential and asynchronous, meaning participants can access the conversation whenever it's convenient; they don't need to be present at the same time. The third pathway is optional and is usually synchronous, meaning participants must "attend" the conversation at the same time.

Must Have: Outgoing Communication asynchronous On this pathway, you give instructions, post announcements, and generally inform your students about what's going on and what's expected of them. Some teachers are creating daily or weekly videos for this purpose, while others are writing out instructions in places like Google Docs, and others are doubling up-pairing short videos with written instructions so students get the information through different modes.

It seems like one of the most important considerations with outgoing communication is that you keep it consistent: Pick one place to deliver and store outgoing messages and stick with that, so students know where to look, nothing gets lost in the mix, and no one gets overwhelmed with information overload.

Must Have: Incoming Communication asynchronous This pathway is for students and parents to reach out to you with questions, feedback, and updates on their ability to complete required work.

Nice to Have: Two-Way Communication
synchronous OR asynchronous On this pathway, you and your students can communicate back and forth in a more open dialogue, where you broadcast yourself live and students attend as participants in one-on-one, small-group, or whole-class sessions.

Video conferencing: For this pathway, many teachers are using video conferencing tools like Zoom, Google Hangouts Meet, and Microsoft Teams. These can be great for community-building and giving students a sense of connectedness with you and each other.

It's important to note that these platforms also have their pitfalls, one of which is that they may directly violate your school's privacy policies, so be sure to check with the people in your district who are in charge of compliance with those policies to make sure you're ok. This article from Edsurge does a good job of explaining the potential problems with video conferencing; it focuses specifically on Zoom, but the concepts would apply to any video conferencing tool.

This infographic, created by the Celina High School SWAT Team in Celina, TX, and their advisor, Tisha Poncio, offers tips for students when participating in video conferences:

Alternatives to Video Conferencing: If you've decided not to go the video conferencing route for now, you can still set up text-based discussions that can get students interacting:

Discussion boards: Many platforms, like Google Classroom, Blackboard, Edmodo, and Microsoft Teams, give you the option to set up ongoing, text-based discussions on individual topics. You can make these optional, open for students to ask questions on their work, or make participation a required part of students' grades.

Backchannel discussion: If you'd like something that feels more dynamic and "live," try a backchannel discussion, which can happen at a set time (synchronous) or stay open for a longer period of time to allow students to participate when it's convenient for them (asynchronous). You can open up a text-based chat room in YoTeach (which is very similar to the now-defunct TodaysMeet). If your students are 13 years or older, you could also set them up on Voxer, which allows them to use voice or text to carry on discussions.

2. KEEPING EVERYTHING ORGANIZED

Ideally, you and your colleagues will have chosen a single platform for storing and delivering assignments, collecting student work, posting announcements, and so on. Many schools are already set up on a learning management system (LMS) like Google Classroom, Canvas, Blackboard, or Edmodo. If you don't already have something in place, and you don't have time to learn a new platform, it's probably not a good idea to jump into anything new.

But creating a central hub should be a priority. What parents and students are saying most often is that it's incredibly stressful to have to keep up with multiple platforms and multiple streams of information, with some pieces coming through email, others through Remind, others through an LMS, and so on. With more than one child at home and more than one teacher per child, things can get out of hand very fast. It's perfectly fine to use different tools as part of your instruction-you might assign Quizlet flashcards, Edpuzzle lessons, Newsela articles-but for communication, keep things as streamlined as possible.

One simple approach taken by some schools is to maintain a single document (usually a Google Doc) for the whole school. In that document are links to individual documents for each teacher.

This type of document-which is just a really simple hyperdoc -creates a central hub where parents and students can start every single time, then click over to the places where they can find updated information for their classes. Even if you don't use this specific model, setting up something like it will make your whole school run more smoothly.

Individual teachers can then replicate this type of hub for their own classes, creating a central folder or file where students can find daily or weekly assignments and other communications.

3. LESSON DESIGN

Entire degree programs have been created to show teachers how to design lessons for online learning, and I wasn't able to delve into this enough for this post. What I did find are two resources that you might find helpful without getting another master's degree:

One principle that I've seen in several discussions of online learning is the idea that it works better when you give students some choices, choices in how they take information in and choices in how they demonstrate learning. The next two sections will share some possibilities for both of those.

4. OPTIONS FOR DELIVERING CONTENT

One of the main things you need to do when setting up online instruction is figuring out how students are actually going to take in the content. You have a few options, and it's a good idea to not just stick to one avenue, since you ideally want to give students multiple modes of intake.

Readings

Google Docs or Microsoft Word Files: As long as you remember to manage the security settings on these so they can't be edited, these kinds of files are perfectly fine to use as reading materials.

Regular PDFs: One advantage of using PDFs is that you generally don't have to worry about them being altered by the student, and things like fonts and other design elements will be preserved no matter what device a student is using.

PDFs with Annotation Tools: Several tools like Edji and Kami allow users to annotate PDFs, which would make a great close-reading assignment.

Websites: There's a ton of outstanding free content online that would make excellent reading material for class assignments. On CommonLit, Newsela, and Actively Learn, you can find good reading material for many grade levels and subject areas. NewseumED offers fantastic primary sources for history and social studies.

Websites with Customized, Added Layers: With any website at all, you can use Insert Learning to layer on your own instructional content, such as notes, discussion questions, quizzes, and other embedded content.

Videos

Video is a very popular way to deliver content online, because it has the potential to restore the voice and visuals that are lost when we move away from face-to-face instruction. Once you have a good video, you can share it directly with a link or use a tool like Edpuzzle or PlayPosit to build a complete lesson around that video.

You have two options for sourcing your content: use videos that were created by someone else, or create the videos yourself.

Created by Someone Else
Obviously, the internet is absolutely loaded with videos, and using them means you don't have to make them yourself. What's challenging is finding videos that (a) are appropriate for student viewing, and (b) accurately represent the content you want to deliver, in a way that's succinct and maybe even entertaining. Finding videos that meet these criteria can be really time-consuming if you don't know where to look.

To save time, it helps to go to sources that have already proven themselves as creators of high-quality educational videos.

Khan Academy offers a massive library of videos on math, science, and arts & humanities, including history and government, so that would be a great place to start.

Look for YouTube channels created by organizations that already have a strong reputation for good content, like National Geographic, the History Channel, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

As with anything else, your colleagues are going to be one of your best sources for finding good stuff, so ask around at school, or find a group on Twitter that can recommend something for you.

Created by You The good thing about creating your own videos is that you have total control over the content. Probably the easiest way to create instructional videos is with screencasting software, which simply records whatever is on your screen while you narrate into a microphone. So you could, for example, create a PowerPoint-based lecture, then just deliver that lecture on your screen and use screencasting software to record it.

Here are two affordable, popular options for screencasting:

Screencastify
screencastify.com
This recorder is built right into Google Chrome, which makes it an incredibly convenient tool for creating on-the-spot screencasts. As of right now, the editing tools are still kind of rudimentary, which means you're not likely to end up with a very polished end product. Still, for many purposes, this tool gets the job done quickly and easily. Watch this video to learn how to use it.

Screencast-o-Matic
screencast-o-matic.com
This popular recorder is one that you download onto your computer, which is slightly less convenient than one that's built into a browser, but the editing features available with the paid plans might make it worth it for you. This video gives you an overview of how it works.

Static Slide Presentation

Slideshows that combine text with appealing visuals can be a nice alternative to text readings. They're also much quicker and easier to create than videos, and viewing them requires a lot less internet bandwidth.

These kinds of slideshows, which students would click through on their own, should ideally be designed with that independent experience in mind. Unlike a presentation that you give live, these would not be simply a support for a speaker; they'd need to stand completely alone, with all the necessary text on the slides, rather than in the speaker notes.

Rather than sharing these as a file, which would require you to adjust editing permissions and would likely result in the student looking at it in editing mode, you can share it in presentation mode so the slides take up the full screen and it feels more like an experience, like in this sample presentation. Learn how to set this up with a Google Slides presentation in the video below:

Audio

Content can also be delivered via audio, which can be a nice change of pace for students who are used to text or videos only, and because audio files are much smaller than video files, they're less likely to strain home internet capabilities.

Listenwise houses a fantastic library of curated, standards-aligned podcasts.

You can find lots of other podcasts on pretty much any topic imaginable. Here are some good ones that are produced specifically for student audiences.

Recording your own audio instructions, reflections, or lectures is simple and quick. You can use a voice recording app on a smartphone or a web-based tool like Online Voice Recorder to create MP3 files, which are just audio files, then upload those files right into whatever platform you're using to distribute information to students. In many cases, students will be able to play them right on that platform.

Interactive Learning Experiences

Some tools have come along in recent years that allow you to create interactive online learning modules, where students click through various instructional components, play games, take interactive quizzes, and so on. Although some activities may not justify the time it takes to put these interactives together, they can offer something different and more fun than the standard fare. You can find these on sites like GoConqr, Deck.Toys, BookWidgets, and Wizer. The one platform that seems to have the most robust collection of options is Genially. Take a look:

5. OPTIONS FOR DEMONSTRATING LEARNING

Just as there are many different ways to get the content into students' heads, you can also offer choices for how students demonstrate their learning. Probably the quickest, most traditional way to measure whether students learned the material is to give them some kind of test or quiz, but that may not be the best way to get students to experience the content in a deep way. Sticking only to tests also favors students who work well in that mode, rather than allowing other students to shine in areas they might be stronger in. Beyond all that, it's not much fun.

On Twitter, I asked teachers for some fresh ideas for "end products," and got tons of ideas back. Below I've listed some really good ones. Before you jump on these, be mindful that these end products still need to align with your instructional goals and are not what we call Grecian Urn assignments, creative-looking projects that don't ultimately have much instructional value.

Book: Students create a children's book, mini-textbook, handbook, comic, or other kind of book. These can be done on paper or created with apps like Book Creator.

Google Tour: Using Google Tour Builder, students can create customized tours that combine photos, text, and targeted locations on Google Earth. These could be used to create tours that explore current events, historical periods or phenomena, science or geography topics, global research topics, students' personal histories or future plans, or completely fictionalized stories that take place in various locations around the world.

Infographic: On paper or using a tool like Piktochart, have students create an infographic to represent or teach about an idea or set of data.

Lesson: Have students write their own lesson on a chunk of your content. Provide them with the basic structure of a lesson to follow, including objectives, direct instruction, guided practice, and some sort of assessment to measure their success.

Model: Students can create a physical model representing some aspect of your curriculum, then photograph it from various angles or create a video tour of the model with their own narration.

Museum or Multimedia Collection: Have students curate a collection of artifacts representing a curricular concept, along with their own written captions, in a Google Slides presentation. Two fantastic resources for gathering these artifacts are the Smithsonian Learning Lab and the Google Arts & Culture website.

Podcast: Have students use the recording tools mentioned in the "Audio" section above or an app like Anchor to record a podcast where they express an opinion, tell a story, or teach about a content-related topic. If students have a lot of material, they can break their podcast into multiple episodes and do a series instead.

Scavenger Hunt: Have students participate in a content-based scavenger hunt and take photos to record their findings. An app like GooseChase can make this even more fun.

Sketchnote: Have students create a sketchnote to represent a content-related topic using paper or with a drawing app like Sketchpad.

Video: Students can create their own videos as creative, informative, persuasive, or reflective pieces. These can be public service announcements, commercials, mini-documentaries, instructional videos, short feature films or animations, or TED-style talks. Tools for creating these can range from quick response platforms like Flipgrid, to screencasting tools listed in the previous section, a tool that creates stop motion videos like Stop Motion Studio, or simple online video creators like Adobe Spark.

Website: Using tools like Weebly, Wix, or Google Sites, have students develop a website to document a long-term project or teach about a particular idea.

PART 3: GENERAL TIPS AND ADVICE FROM TEACHERS

Begin again.

If distance learning has been introduced suddenly, where it takes the place of face-to-face learning rather than being the standard from the start, treat the beginning of the shift the same way you'd treat the beginning of a school year, by establishing routines and protocols before digging deeply into content, and giving extra energy to rekindling culture and relationships on the new platform even if they were already established in the face-to-face setting.

Keep home responsibilities in mind.

When schools are closed district-wide, all children are out of school and under one roof. This means older kids may be shouldering some responsibility for caring for their younger siblings, and that could impact how well they are able to keep up with deadlines, log in for synchronous events, or respond to communication in a timely manner. Letting students know up front that you get this, and maintaining flexibility with deadlines, can go a long way toward keeping lines of communication open and avoiding misunderstandings.

Make social interaction a priority.

When we are kept apart from one another for whatever reason, our need for human interaction increases. So if you're teaching a distance learning course that was set up that way to begin with, it's important to build in structures to keep students interacting with each other and with you.

This principle is even more vital in situations where distance learning is coupled with large-scale social isolation.

Some of the tools and systems I mentioned earlier, like video conferencing and discussion boards, can meet this need; even your own outgoing video, audio, and written communication can be used for more "human connection" reasons. A good general rule to keep in mind is that you don't need to use 100% of your time for instructional purposes; allowing space for regular conversation, venting, and laughter can be incredibly important.

Keep messaging to a minimum.

I mentioned this earlier, but it's important so I'm repeating it. If kids and parents are receiving multiple messages from multiple teachers every day, and families have multiple kids, they can become overwhelmed really quickly, and things will start slipping through the cracks.

Try to limit the number of platforms you and your school are using for distributing information. Ideally, you'll have one clear channel for sending out announcements and messages, and those will be limited in number. Parents and students will have one place to look for all important information, and that "place" will be clean, simple, easy to navigate, and updated regularly so that all users can count on the information being current. The closer you can get to this ideal, the more smoothly things will go.

PART 4: TROUBLESHOOTING

Two specific problems tend to come up more often than any others when it comes to distance learning. Although neither one is completely solvable, here are some of the ways schools are addressing them:

1. Students Who Do Not Have Home Access to Tech

The whole notion of distance learning becomes a problem if some of your students don't have devices or reliable internet access. Here are some ways to address this problem:

Get more students connected. In a 2017 post, When Your School is Short on Tech, I showcased some ways that schools are getting unconnected families online, including information on how some schools partner with organizations like Kajeet to loan WiFi hotspots out to families. Although some of the solutions may not be relevant to a distance-learning situation, you may find some resources that can be helpful in your community, even if they can't be implemented right away.

Offer non-digital options. Some districts are working around the problem by offering paper resources for pick-up and drop-off. This is how we did distance learning in all the years before the internet, so it's certainly possible to do it again.

Use the phone. If you've tried other avenues and still can't get a hold of some families, a regular phone call might be your best option. If you want to keep your number private, you can set up a Google Voice account, which allows you to call, text, or message another phone without sharing your personal number, or use some of these phone settings to block your regular number. If you are reaching out to families that don't speak your language, try the free TalkingPoints app, which allows you to communicate with them in their language.

Use the mail. Although not ideal or cheap, it may be possible to mail materials back and forth (if you have office staff still going to school each day, they may be able to help with this). Even if instruction isn't possible this way, consider the impact it would make if you took ten minutes to mail a hand-written letter to an otherwise unconnected student, just to let them know you're thinking about them.

Consider home visits as a last resort. This isn't out of the question. And if you're deeply concerned about reaching students who can't be reached in any other way, it may be possible to just drive to their neighborhoods and, maintaining all precautionary measures and social distancing, check in with them. One visit might be all that's needed to at least establish a phone connection that you can maintain from that point on.

2. Meeting Special Education, RTI, and Language Learning Needs

So many of our students have individual needs that we have figured out how to meet in a school setting. When school moves to a distance-learning model, both teachers and parents are often at a loss for how to continue working with students with IEPs, those who receive RTI support, English learners, and other students who get one-on-one time with educators specifically trained to meet their needs.

Since this one is really far out of my wheelhouse, I reached out on Twitter for help. Really, your best bet is to read the replies to see what might work for you. You'll not only get some good ideas, you're likely to connect with people you can reach out to for even more good ideas.

Apart from that, I have a two more resources to share:

Microsoft has a growing suite of tools made specifically to make online learning more accessible for all learners. One or more of these may make it easier for you to meet more students' needs from a distance.

The TalkingPoints app enables teachers to communicate with parents in the parents' native language, and it even works if parents only have text-based phones.

As I neared completion on this post, I opened up my inbox and found five other resources that had been sent to me for possible inclusion in this post. Looking through them made me realize I had missed gobs and gobs of information here. I felt completely deflated and overwhelmed all over again, but then, as I have often had to do in the past couple of weeks, I took a deep breath, closed up the things that were distracting and upsetting me, and said to myself, "Today you have done enough."

I hope this has helped you in some way. If not, tomorrow is another day.

Come back for more.
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Distance Learning: A Gently Curated Collection of Resources for Teachers

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Sponsored by World101 and Listenwise Disclaimer 1: This post was written in the Spring of 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, so a lot of the information here is discussed through the lens of distance learning launched by a global pandemic.

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Sample social skill web session Schedule

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Sample social skill web session Schedule

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1. Say hello and check in with Mom (5 mins)

2. Play I spy (5 turns each)

3. Watch Jack Jack video and make 4-5 comments ( I like, I see)

4. Play online tic tac toe (5 times)

5. Show and tell favorite toy ( 4-5 comments)

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What are social stories?

Social storiesTM were created by Carol Gray in 1991. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why.

The terms 'social story' and 'social stories' are trademarks originated and owned by  Carol Gray.

What are social stories for?

Social stories can be used to:

develop self-care skills (eg how to clean teeth, wash hands or get dressed), social skills (eg sharing, asking for help, saying thank you, interrupting) and academic abilities

help someone to understand how others might behave or respond in a particular situation

help others understand the perspective of an autistic person and why they may respond or behave in a particular way

help a person to cope with changes to routine and unexpected or distressing events (eg absence of teacher, moving house, thunderstorms)

provide positive feedback to a person about an area of strength or achievement in order to develop self-esteem

as a behavioural strategy (eg what to do when angry, how to cope with obsessions).

How do social stories help?

Social stories present information in a literal, 'concrete' way, which may improve a person's understanding of a previously difficult or ambiguous situation or activity. The presentation and content can be adapted to meet different people's needs.

They can help with sequencing (what comes next in a series of activities) and 'executive functioning' (planning and organising).

By providing information about what might happen in a particular situation, and some guidelines for behaviour, you can increase structure in a person's life and thereby reduce anxiety.

Creating or using a social story can help you to understand how the autistic person perceives different situations.

Example

My toys

My toys belong to me. They are mine.

Many of my toys were given to me

Some of my toys have my name on them.

I may play with my toys or share them with someone.

I have toys that are mine.

Carol Gray's The new social story book, 2015

How to write a social story

Carol Gray says you will need to  picture the goal, gather information, and tailor the text.

Picture the goal

Consider the social story's purpose. For example, the goal may be to teach a child to cover their mouth when coughing.

Now think about what the child needs to understand to achieve this goal. For example, they need to understand why covering their mouth when coughing is important, ie it stops germs from being spread which may make other people sick.

Gather information

Collect information about the situation you want to describe in your social story. Where does the situation occur? Who is it with? How does it begin and end? How long does it last? What actually happens in the situation and why? If it is for a situation where a particular outcome is not guaranteed, use words like 'sometimes' and 'usually' in the story.

Stories should appeal to the interests of the person they are written for and avoid using words that may cause the person anxiety or distress. The content and presentation of social stories should be appropriate to the person's age and level of understanding. Use age-appropriate photographs, picture symbols or drawings with text to help people who have difficulty reading or for younger children.

Gather information about the person including their age, interests, attention span, level of ability and understanding.

Tailor the text

A social story needs to have a title, introduction, body and conclusion. It should use gentle and supportive language.

It should answer six questions: where, when, who, what, how and why?

It should be made up of descriptive sentences, and may also have coaching sentences. A descriptive sentence accurately describes the context, such as where the situation occurs, who is there, what happens and why, eg:

A coaching sentence gently guides behaviour, eg:

Carol Gray's The new social story book, 2015

How to use social stories

Carol Gray has developed guidelines on how to use social stories effectively.

Carol Gray's The new social story book, 2015

What are comic strip conversations?

Comic strip conversations, created by  Carol Gray, are simple visual representations of conversation. They can show:

Comic strip conversations use stick figures and symbols to represent social interactions and abstract aspects of conversation, and colour to represent the emotional content of a statement or message.

From Carol Gray's Comic strip conversations, 1994

By seeing the different elements of a conversation presented visually, some of the more abstract aspects of social communication (such as recognising the feelings of others) are made more 'concrete' and are therefore easier to understand.

Comic strip conversations can also offer an insight into how an autistic person perceives a situation.

How to use comic strip conversations

Comic strip conversations can help autistic people understand concepts that they find particularly difficult. People draw as they talk and use these drawings to learn about different social situations.

In a comic strip conversation, the autistic person takes the lead role, with parents, carers or teachers offering support and guidance.

Start with small talk (for example, talking about the weather) to get the person you are supporting familiar with drawing while talking and to mimic ordinary social interactions.

Ask a range of questions about a specific situation or type of social interaction. The autistic person answers by speaking and drawing their response.

Summarise the event or situation you've discussed using the drawings as a guide.

Think about how you can address any problems or concerns that have been identified.

Develop an action plan for similar situations in the future. This will be a helpful guide for the autistic person.

For complex situations, or for people who have difficulty reporting events in sequence, comic strip boxes may be used, or drawings can be numbered in the sequence in which they occur.

Comic strip conversations can be used to plan for a situation in the future that may be causing anxiety or concern, for example an exam or a social event. However, remember that plans can sometimes change. It's important to present the information in a way which allows for unexpected changes to a situation.

How to make your own comic strip conversation

You can use just paper, pencils, crayons and markers, use computer word processing applications, or you could use an app.

Ask the person you are supporting to choose what materials they would like to use.

Some people may like to have their comic strip conversations in a notebook, or saved on their smartphone or tablet, so that they can refer to them as needed, and easily recall key concepts.

More information

Timmins, Dr. S. (2017) Successful Social Stories for School and College Students with Autism, Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Timmins, Dr. S. (2016) Successful Social Stories for Young Children with Autism Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Gray, C. (2015) The new Social Story book: 15th Anniversary Edition. Future Horizons Firm

Gray, C. (1994) Comic strip conversations: illustrated interactions with students with autism and related disorders Carol Gray social story sampler

Gerhardt, P., Cohen, M. (2014) Visual supports for people with autism: a guide for parents and professionals. Woodbine House

Howley, M., Arnold, E. (2005) Revealing the hidden social code. Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Aprendices Visuales - books with pictograms.

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Social stories and comic strip conversations

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Social storiesTM were created by Carol Gray in 1991. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. The terms 'social story' and 'social stories' are trademarks originated and owned by  Carol Gray.

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Kelly, A.N. (Producer). (2019). Kate Disney on Accessing ABA for Military Families [Audio podcast].
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Welcome to Behaviorbabe - Podcast Episodes - This site was created for multiple reasons: as an independent marketing tool, an educational outlet, and as a forum for colleagues, parents and any other interested person who wants to know, learn or discuss Applied Behavior Analysis.

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Gordon Leaks + More Adventures | Kids Cartoons | Thomas and Friends

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Winter
Webinar Series

Our free, 30-minute training webinars offer ABA support to caregivers of children with autism and professionals in the field. We'll share strategies designed to help families with distance learning, creating structure, managing challenging behaviors, and more.

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Our free, 30-minute training webinars offer ABA support to caregivers of children with autism and professionals in the field. We'll share strategies designed to help families with distance learning, creating structure, managing challenging behaviors, and more.

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One of the goals of the Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities is to provide educational resources on developmental disabilities to the community. To that end, CEDD has sponsored the production of the following educational videos and online training modules.

ADEPT (Autism Distance Education Parent Training) Interactive Learning is an original MIND Institute/CEDD 10-lesson interactive, self-paced, online learning module providing parents with tools and training to more effectively teach their child with autism and other related neurodevelopmental disabilities functional skills using applied behavior analysis (ABA) techniques.

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ADEPT Training | Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities | UC Davis MIND Institute

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One of the goals of the Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities is to provide educational resources on developmental disabilities to the community. To that end, CEDD has sponsored the production of the following educational videos and online training modules.

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How to be a good sport in life and in sports.

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How to be a good sport in life and in sports.

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Sportsmanship: How to be a good sport in life and in sports.

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"No fair!"
"You cheated!"
"It wasn't my fault we lost!"

Have you ever played on a team with somebody who hated to lose? Or maybe you have a tough time if you lose anything - even a game of tic-tac-toe.

Some kids find it extra-hard to lose, but everyone needs to learn how to do it. Learning to lose without losing your cool is a skill, like learning to ride a bike. You might not be able to do it at first, but over time it will get easier. And when you can handle losing, people will call you a good sport.

Why Learn to Lose Gracefully?

Everyone wants to win. But any time two teams or kids are facing each other in a game or contest, someone will lose (unless it's a tie). Kids lose in small ways, like in a game of checkers, but they also might face losing in bigger ways, like when their team loses a championship game.

Losing is disappointing, so it's not surprising that kids don't like it. Adults don't like it either, but everyone can learn to control how they react to a loss. In other words, what should you do when you lose?

The tricky part is that sometimes you might react before you even realize it. For instance, it's the last out of your Little League game and, in a flash, the other team has won. There they are celebrating on the field and you burst into tears. Oh dear, you probably don't want to be crying right now, even though it's OK that you feel sad.

Cool Down

The important thing is what you do next. Do you storm over to the other team's dugout and accuse them of cheating? No! The best thing to do is to try to collect yourself and get in line with your teammates so you can congratulate the other team. Maybe you've seen Little League players do this. Each team lines up and they walk along sort of high-fiving the other team's players and saying "good game."

To be sure, the losing team may not feel like it was such a good game, but this tradition is one way to teach everyone how to be a good sport. If you feel like crying later or you want to complain about the game, you can do that - but it's best to do it off the field and after you've had a chance to cool down. After a little time passes, you might not feel as upset as you were right when the game ended.

Losing - On Your Own

Sometimes kids lose on their own, like in a neighborhood game of basketball. These situations can be extra-hard if there are no grownups around to be the referees. Then it's up to kids to decide among themselves whether something counted as a basket or a foul. It's good for kids to learn to play without a grownup deciding everything but it also can lead to a lot of arguing. All kids want their team to win and may feel very strongly about plays that don't go the team's way.

How do you solve these disagreements? It's best if everyone tries to be fair. Some kids still might cheat or bend the rules, but you can do your best to be fair. That might mean giving the other team the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you thought a basket shouldn't count and the other team thinks it's OK. If it's close, you might say, "OK, it can count." Hopefully, the other team will be just as sportsmanlike when one of your calls could go either way. Even if they're not, you certainly can't be accused of cheating or playing unfairly. You've done your part to bring good sportsmanship to the game.

Kids who are good sports - and don't freak out when they lose - will become known as kids who are fun to play with. Kids might not be as eager to play with someone who gets angry all the time and won't ever give the other guy or girl a break.

10 Ways to Be a Good Sport

Here are some ways that you can show others what good sportsmanship is all about:

1. Be polite to everyone you're playing with and against. No trash talk - which means saying mean things while you're in the middle of a game.

2. Don't show off. Just play your best. If you're good, people will notice.

3. Tell your opponents "good game!" whether you've won or you've lost.

4. Learn the rules of the game. Show up for practices and games on time - even if you're the star of the team.

5. Listen to your coaches and follow their directions about playing.

6. Don't argue with an official if you don't agree with his or her call. If you don't understand a certain call, wait until after the game to ask your coach or the official to explain it to you.

7. Don't make up excuses or blame a teammate when you lose. Try to learn from what happened.

8. Be willing to sit out so other team members can get in the game - even if you think you're a better player.

9. Play fair and don't cheat.

10. Cheer for your teammates even if the score is 1,000 to 1! You could inspire a big comeback!

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date Reviewed: 14-09-2014

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Kidshealth: How to Be a Good Sport | Akron Children's Hospital

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"No fair!" "You cheated!" "It wasn't my fault we lost!" Have you ever played on a team with somebody who hated to lose? Or maybe you have a tough time if you lose anything - even a game of tic-tac-toe. Some kids find it extra-hard to lose, but everyone needs to learn how to do it.