There is a sneaky teacher trick that I love to bust out. The whole “let’s play a game” maneuver. My kids cheer and think they have gotten out of doing work and even worse – learning. But don’t worry – there are countless ways to make games educational. This is a great antecedent intervention for your escape behavior kiddos because they aren’t going to realize they need to escape a work task – it’s just a game.
The theme of my year has been all about pushing my kids and really challenging them. I got the amazing opportunity to test out some games from Simply Fun. Their philosophy is learning and connecting through play. They have so many creative and innovative games that target a huge range of skills. The best part is – they do the work of making specific accommodations for you. Check out this part of their website:
Their provide specific strategies and interventions for a huge list of common characteristics of children with autism and special needs. Um?? AMAZING. Beyond that – the quality of these games are truly exceptional. You know in our world we need sturdy. You know in my (OCD) world I need organized. Each game fits the bill in every way.
I’m going to share my classroom’s newest game obsession – Walk the Dog. This game targets math skills, problem solving, and strategy. I realized how important teaching and working on strategy is. This is a critical cognitive thinking skill that is often challenging to focus on. Learn more about using this game with children with autism here: WTD.
Each player collects dogs from the front or back of a long line by drawing and playing cards. But, beware of the dog catcher who may steal some of your favorite dogs. To win, collect five of the same breed in a row, or have the most dog points in your own line. The visuals in this game were perfect for my students to understand the rules:
This game was great to target math skills:
I’m excited to share two more amazing games from Simply Fun within the next month! I LOVE this company.
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