Simple Tools for Supporting Early Learning in Children with Special Needs
Helping children with special needs learn early skills doesn’t have to be expensive. Many useful tools can be made at home. These tools can support their learning, make it fun, and suit their specific needs. Here’s a list of simple things, including homemade ideas, that you can use to teach children with special needs:
1. Visual Aids
Ready-Made:
- Picture cards showing routines, emotions, or objects.
- Visual schedules with magnetic strips or Velcro for easy updates.
Homemade Ideas:
- DIY Flashcards: Draw pictures or print them, stick them on cardboard, and cover them with tape for durability.
- Routine Boards: Use paper or a board with drawings or printed images for daily tasks.
Why It’s Useful: Visual aids help children understand routines and feel more comfortable.
2. Touch and Feel (Tactile) Materials
Ready-Made:
- Playdough, textured flashcards, and sorting toys.
Homemade Ideas:
- Homemade Playdough: Mix flour, salt, water, and food colouring to make your own playdough.
- Textured Shapes: Cut letters or numbers from sandpaper or stick yarn onto cardboard.
- Sorting Toys: Use buttons, bottle caps, or pasta for sorting activities.
- Pulses for Tactile Play: Use dried pulses like lentils, beans, or chickpeas. Create tactile bins where children can explore the different textures, sort the pulses by size or colour, or fill and empty small containers with the pulses.
Why It’s Useful: Tactile learning promotes sensory development and strengthens motor skills. Pulses add variety to tactile play, encouraging children to experiment with different textures and develop fine motor control.
3. Adaptive Tools
Ready-Made:
- Thick crayons, special scissors, or adjustable chairs.
Homemade Ideas:
- Thicker Grips: Wrap pencils or crayons with tape or foam to make them easier to hold.
- DIY Scissors Support: Use rubber bands to help scissors open and close more easily.
- Posture Supports: Use pillows or rolled-up towels to help the child sit comfortably.
Why It’s Useful: These tools make activities easier and build confidence.
4. Fun Toys and Games
Ready-Made:
- Toys that light up or make sounds, puzzles, and matching games.
Homemade Ideas:
- DIY Puzzles: Cut pictures from old books or magazines into simple pieces.
- Matching Games: Use socks, spoons, or other household items for matching.
Why It’s Useful: Playtime teaches problem-solving and social skills in a fun way.
5. Sensory Tools
Ready-Made:
- Weighted blankets, sensory bins, and fidget toys.
Homemade Ideas:
- Weighted Lap Pads: Fill a small cloth bag with rice or beans to make a simple weight pad.
- DIY Fidget Toys: Use rubber bands, beads, or pipe cleaners to create fun tools.
- Sensory Bins: Fill a box with rice, beans, or sand and add small objects for the child to explore.
Why It’s Useful: Sensory tools help children stay calm and focused.
6. Books and Storytelling
Ready-Made:
- Board books, interactive books, and story props.
Homemade Ideas:
- Personalized Books: Create stories using photos of the child and their family.
- Story Puppets: Make puppets from socks or paper to act out stories.
Why It’s Useful: Reading and storytelling build language skills and imagination.
7. Simple Technology Tools
Ready-Made:
- Tablets with educational apps or audio players.
Homemade Ideas:
- Recordings: Use your phone to record songs or instructions for activities.
- DIY Projectors: Use a flashlight to create shadows on a wall for interactive play.
Why It’s Useful: Technology can make learning more engaging and personalized.
8. A Calm and Organized Space
Ready-Made:
- Low-distraction areas with organized storage and comfortable seating.
Homemade Ideas:
- DIY Storage: Use shoeboxes or jars to store toys or learning materials. Label them with pictures.
- Calm Areas: Create a cozy corner with cushions and a calming tool like a glitter bottle (water, glitter, and glue).
Why It’s Useful: A calm space helps children focus and feel safe.
9. Emotional Support Tools
Ready-Made:
- Charts to show emotions or kits for calming down.
Homemade Ideas:
- DIY Emotion Cards: Draw simple happy, sad, and angry faces on paper plates.
- Calm-Down Bottles: Fill a bottle with water, glitter, and glue for a soothing visual effect.
- Reward System: Use a jar and add tokens like beads or stones for good behavior.
Why It’s Useful: These tools help children understand and manage their feelings.
10. Water Activities
Ready-Made:
- Water tables, sensory water toys, or splash mats.
Homemade Ideas:
- Transferring Water: Set up two bowls and provide a spoon or small cup to transfer water from one to the other.
- Water-Filled Balloon Play: Fill balloons with water and use them as a weighted ball. Children can transfer the balloons from one container to another, sort them in a tray, and kick them for fun. This activity enhances their strength, energy, and confidence.
- Water Play with Sponges: Let children use sponges to soak up water and squeeze it into a different container.
- Water Pouring and Scooping: Use measuring cups, spoons, or ladles for scooping and pouring water from one container to another.
Why It’s Useful: Water activities are great for improving hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, hand strength and sensory development. The tactile experience of touching and feeling the water can also have a calming effect on children.
11. Active Involvement from Parents and Teachers
- Spend time understanding what the child likes and needs.
- Share ideas between home and school.
- Use everyday household items to teach.
Why It’s Useful: Involvement ensures the child gets the most out of their learning experiences.
Conclusion
Early learning for children with special needs doesn’t have to be costly or complicated. With homemade tools like playdough, sensory bins, and visual charts, you can create an effective and fun learning environment. Using creativity and patience, you can help children with special needs build skills, grow, and enjoy learning.