All children have the capacity to learn, grow and have fun! Each child is unique and part of your challenge is to find activities that meet their individual needs. When caring for a child with special needs, you may find that you an adapt many activities to suit the child.
For Children with Sensory Disabilities
These activities are especially beneficial for children with sensory integration disorders. They will help stimulate your child’s tactic awareness and body and space perception.
Handprint Octopus
Your child may enjoy creating an entire underwater scene around the handprint octopus, so have her do this on a large sheet of paper where she can color in a background scene.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 monthsDuration of activity: 15 minutes
What you need:
Tempera paint
Shallow pie tin
Large sheet of blue construction paper of poster board
Markers or crayons
1. Pour the paint into the tin. Help your child dip her hand into the paint and then press it firmly onto the paper. Have her repeat this process with her other hand. Be sure that her hand prints overlap, with the fingers spread out in opposite directions.
2. Once the paint is dry, she can use the markers to add facial features and details.
Silhouette
One you create your child’s silhouette picture, you may wish to do one for the entire family. You may also wish to create a traditional silhouette by cutting the outline from black construction paper.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 30-40 months
Duration of activity: 25 minutes
What you need:
Masking tape
Large sheet of white paper
Chair
Bright light (a clip-on office lamp works well)
Dark-coloured market
Crayons
1. Tape the paper onto a flat wall.
2. Seat your child sideways on the chair with the lamp behind her. Put the chair for enough from the wall that your child’s shadow falls the paper.
3. Trace around your child’s silhouette using the marker.
4. Remove the paper and allow your child to decorate her profile.
Paint a Song
This activity will help your child with emotional expression and creativity.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
What you need:
Large sheet poster board
Tempera paint
Pie tins
Paintbrushes
Variety of music recordings
1. Set up the paper and paints for your child to create.
2. Play music of differing tempos and moods. Ask your child to listen to the music and let the music guide the way she paints. For example, when listening to a waltz, she may paint with slow, sweeping strokes.
For Children with Autism
Children that are diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder need experiences and encouragement interacting with other people. These activities encourage both social and verbal skills.
Little Mouse
This is a tickle and cuddle activity. Be aware that some children do not like to be tickled!
Activity for an indidvidual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
Recite the following poem while using your fingers to trace the path described.
Hurry hurry little mouse
Begins down at your toes
Hurry hurry little mouse
To your knees he goes
Hurry hurry little mouse
To where your tummy is
Hurry hurry little mouse
Here is a mousy kiss
(blow raspberry on child's stomach)
Mouth Music
Your young child loves to imitate, and this is a great way for him to learn!
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-30 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Lose your own inhibitions and demonstrate many sounds that you can make. Encourage your child to join in. Suggested actions include kissing the air, making raspberries with your tongue, humming, cooing, blowing through your lips, clicking your tongue, squeaking, and growling.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Teddy bear, teddy bear turn around,
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground,
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn out the light,
Teddy bear, teddy bear, say “good night”.
Remember to adapt activities to meet your child’s needs or challenges. These activities can be done in different ways and don’t require a child to be ambulatory.
Roll Over
Your chil will need a lot of room for this activity. A grassy spot in the yard would work well.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-30 months
Duration of actiity: 10 minutes
Have your childlie down with her arms at her sides. Teach her the following rhyme. Encourage her to roll over when the movement is called for in the song.
There were five in a bed and the little one said,
"Roll over, roll over."
So they all rolled over, and one fell out.
There were four in the bed and the little one said,
"Roll over, roll over."
So they all rolled over, and one fell out.
(Continue to one)
Only the little one was left in the bed he said,
"Good night, sleep tight."
Row the Boat
Young children learn that they must take turns for this activity to work. Provide them a soft surface so that they can get exuberant without getting hurt. Younger children can work with a more mature partner.
Activity for two children.
Age group: 30-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
1. Seat children on the floor facing each other, with lets outstretched.
2. Have one child rest her legs over the other’s. Once they are positioned, have the chid hold hands.
3. Show them how to make a see-saw motion One child slowly leans back, while the other child is puled forward Then the forward child leans back pulling her partner forward. Encourage them to go slow and smoothly and not to jerk each other.
4. Encourage the children to row back and forth while singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”
Blowing Games
Children enjoy seeing the cause and effect of their breath.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 24-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
What you need:
Table or accessible flat surface
Ping-Pong balls or cotton balls
Straws (optional)
1. Set your child in front of a table or an accessible flat surface.
2. Place cotton balls or Ping-Pong balls near the edge of the surface.
3. Demonstrate how to blow the items across the surface. The child may use a straw or blow directly.
For Children with Language Disabilities
Children learn language skills by using language. It is important that they have many opportunities to interact with others as they start to use language to communicate.
Microphone Craft
Bring out the star in your young child. Once he has a microphone, put on some music, and let him ham it up.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
What you need:
Tin foil
Toilet paper tube
Black marker
Small craft foam ball
1. Help your child mold the tin foil over the paper tube so that both the bottom and sides are covered.
2. Have your child use the marker to color the craft ball.
3. Wedge the ball a third of the way into the tube.
Walking Finger Puppets
You can make an endless cast of puppet characters this way.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
What you need:
Scissors
Cardboard or poster board
Crayons or markers
1. Discuss with your child what characters he would like to make.
2. Cut out an outline of the character 4” tall. The online should include the head, neck, arms, and torso, but not the legs.
3. Cut 2 holes 1/4” from the edge of the bottom of the torso. These holes should be wide enough for your child’s fingers to fit through and approximately 1” apart.
4. Let your child decorate the puppet the crayons or markers.
5. Have your child stick his fingers through the holes. Show him how to use his fingers for the puppet’s legs and move them to make the puppet walk.
Guessing Bag
This activity will encourage the child to use his sense of touch and to make inferences.
Activity for an individual child or a group.
Age group 34-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
What you need:
A variety of small household objects
Brown lunch bag
1. Place 3-6 objects in the bag. Be sure the objects do not have any sharp points or loose pieces.
2. Ask child to put his hands in the bag and feel one object at a time.
3. Encourage your child to describe what the object feels like and then guess what it is.
Sign Language
Learning sign language will help your toddler lessen frustration before she can communicate verbally. Even children without any disabilities can benefit from learning sign language.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 12-40 months
Duration of activity: 5 minutes
1. Sit near the child so that she is facing you and can see you clearly.
2. Demonstrate the sign while you say the word and act out or gesture the meaning.
3. Practice the signs with your child.
How to sign "More": Close both hands together with thumb and middle finger touching and tap hands together.
How to sign "Yes": Make a hand into a fist, holding it at about shoulder height and make fist bob back and forth.
How to sign "No": Take index finger together with your middle finger and tap them together with your thumb.
How to sign "Sleep": Fold hands palms together and place along cheek.
How to sign "Happy": Take an extended hand and brush it in little circles p on the chest a couple of times.
How to sign "Hungry": Take hand and make it into a c-shape with the palm facing the body Start with a hand around your neck and move it down.