Independent skills are a must-have in any special education classroom. In fact, the more independent skills we can teach and promote, the better! I have a total of four independent centers in my classroom but my favorite is this independent task box center.
Keep reading to learn how my students use this center and what activities are inside of my bins!
Visual Schedules
My visuals are from Simply Special Ed however, The Autism Helper has this very same setup that can be found here.
Each area/symbol on my boxes have different subjects and work tasks as follows:
Shapes = Fine Motor
- Empty bottles/containers with small materials such as:
- Pencils and cap erasers
The idea of these “put in” style tasks is for the student to open the container and use a pincer grasp or tongs to push items through the opening. These tasks work on hand strength, eye coordination, and crossing midline as well as important life skills (opening containers)! These tasks are also great for building behavioral momentum for the center.
Letters = ELA
- Snap-n-Learn Alphabet Alligators
- Matching cards from Especially Education’s Made For Me Literacy
- The Autism Helper’s assorted task cards using clothespins
- Errorless “put in” tasks geared towards ELA
Numbers = Math
- Errorless “put in” tasks geared towards math
- Color Shape Matching Eggs
- Colored Craft Stick Sorting Box – this one I made myself
- The Autism Helper’s assorted task cards using clothespins
- Matching cards/books from Especially Education’s Made for Me Math
My classroom alternates tasks frequently, especially our work boxes. I like to use these photo storage containers to help keep and store our work boxes. They are such a great organizational tool! The task boxes that are on the shelves for student use are stored in these clear shoe storage boxes.
To take another in-depth look at my independent task box center, watch my YouTube video below, and for a comprehensive tour of my classroom, check out this video!
What questions do you have? Do you have an independent task box center in your classroom? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
- Independent Centers: My Classroom Lifesaver - May 5, 2025
- Autism Acceptance Week: An Opportunity to Learn and Celebrate - April 7, 2025
- Three Types of Visual Supports - March 18, 2025
8 Responses
How many kids are typically at that table at a time??
How many students work in your independent task box area at a time?
Hi Lisa! Thank you for reading and for your question. Depending on my student groups, I have anywhere between 1-4 students in this area at a time. The table I use is a large one but I wouldn’t recommend more than 4. Hope that helps!
Hi Margaret! Thank you for reading. Depending on my student groups, I have anywhere between 1-4 students in this area at a time. The table I use is a large one but I wouldn’t recommend more than 4. Hope that helps!
What’s your system for keeping track of which student completed each bin? Do you have a different finished box for each student?
Hi Abbie! Thanks for reading and asking questions. To keep track of which student completed each bin, I suggest laminating the editable task list and writing it down each week. You can find that in this resource here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Work-Task-System-for-a-Special-Ed-Classroom-280269. I do not have a different finished box for each student – all of my students use the same box.
Love your whole work task system!!!! Do you have a list of the work tasks you use? I would love to see it ( or buy it) I want to create one in my learning center. Thanks so much!
I’ve watched the YouTube video a dozen times. It’s really helpful. I have downloaded your colored coded book but would like to know what file you used for the IEP implementation form.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.