Imagine you teach in a classroom where things are feeling hectic, students are constantly climbing under the table, and the coffee you brought in for the day was sipped by someone who, let’s just say, wasn’t you. Wait! Did I just describe your classroom? If so, you most likely have someone in the class who needs to bump up their communication and social skills. Take that active and high-energy attitude and work on building expressive language skills through intentional activities.
You may already know that receptive language skills focus on the ability to understand what is said to us, while expressive language skills focus on the ability to express our wants, needs, and ideas. Kids often use expressive language skills to express a desire, to express a need, or to tell someone about something, even if their communication or expression is without words.
It's ideal to target skills through students' interests, and worksheets are a great tool for assessing progress, while also serving as a perfect complement to hands-on activities. So, in your preschool classroom or your special ed classroom of students with autism, language skills can be built using these 3 strategies.
1. Direct Instruction
2. A Variety of Toys
3. Use Play Activities
Use Direct Instruction Worksheets
Find the marker box or the crayons, print these off, and let’s find out what they know! If you're looking for a way to keep practicing language skills or assess where students are at, my Build Language Skills Printables for Students with Autism & Similar Special Needs can get you started.
They focus on essential language skills like labeling items, recognizing colors, identifying alphabet letters, and understanding action words, prepositions, and opposites.
These printables work well with any curriculum, providing extra support for students with I.D., autism language skills struggles, or younger learners in primary grades just getting started.
They include some pretty needed topics.
IDENTIFYING
The pages include: Same and Different, Matching Picture to Picture, More Matching Picture-to-Picture, Matching Photo to Photo, Matching Object to Outline, Matching Object to Photo, Matching Picture to the Real Object, Color Wheel, Match Colors, Match Colors 2, Identify Colors, Say the Color, Read Color Words, Spell Color Words, Match Days of the Week, Match Days on the Calendar, Spell the Days of the Week (page 1 of 2), Spell the Days of the Week (page 2 of 2), Match Months, Months, Name the Months, Alphabet, Match Letters, Match Letters 2, Match The Letters of Your Name, Alphabet Bounce, Alphabetical Order, Upper and Lowercase Match, Match Upper and Lowercase (Page 1 of 2), Match Upper and Lowercase (Page 2 of 2), Eyes, Mouth, Arms & Feet, Parts of the Body, Mark the Same – Parts of the Body, Matching Words - Parts of the Body, Spelling Test, Items at Lunch, Things We See at the Salon, What is This?, Objects, Seasons, Seasons 2, What Do You Wear When It Is Hot?, & Dress Jen for Cold Weather.
SORTING & ORGANIZING
In this section the pages include: Sorting the Items, Sort 2, Sort 3, Sorting, Sort By Shape, Shapes, Big and Small, Sort by Size, Cut and Sort, Sequencing, First, Next, Last, Categories, Name the Group, Opposites, Match the Opposites, Color by Opposite, & What Does it Feel Like – Opposites.
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MOVING AROUND
Moving around focuses the language learnig on, Verbs, Action Words, Class Jobs, Bounce, Prepositions, In Front, Next to, Between and Behind, Prepositions 2, Which Preposition, Prepositions at School, & Follow the Actions.
LOOKING & LISTENING
The final section has these pages: Label School Skills, Follow School Directions, Follow 2-step Commands, Answer Who Questions, Answer What Questions, Where?, Asking When, & How to Get Someone’s Attention.
These worksheet pages offer valuable opportunities for students with autism to strengthen their language skills in meaningful ways.
Use Toys
While the Build Language Skills Printables for Students with Autism & Similar Special Needs worksheets are a fantastic tool to add to your skills curriculum, using various toys can be an easy way to work at this goal. Here are a couple of examples of how incorporating toys in your special ed classroom can support expressive language skills development.
First, if a child who loves dinosaurs is working on naming items or colors, it would likely be effective to design an activity around colorful dinosaurs. The adult will select several different dinosaur toys for the activity. They will match the number of colors to meet the child’s current abilities. For example, if a student does not verbally express any colors yet, this activity will be completed with only one or two colors of dinosaurs. If the student can label three colors, then four or five colors would be used. The adult would play with the dinosaurs with the child, frequently using the name of the targeted color and modeling it in phrases and sentences.
For example,
- They might say “A blue dinosaur!” as they bring it out and then say, “This is my blue dinosaur!” or “This dinosaur is blue!” throughout play.
- It is important to model the skill several times before expecting the child to do so. Modeling of a communication device is needed as well for students using a communication device.
- The teacher or clinician might take two dinosaurs and model play for the child saying something like, “I am a blue dinosaur!” “I am a yellow dinosaur!” in a conversational manner while voicing for each dinosaur.
- Some children may not engage in the play routine, but that does not mean they are not listening or learning.
- After multiple models, the teacher or clinician may begin to ask simple questions about the color of the dinosaur or pause before saying the color to allow the child to fill in the blank. For example, they might say, “This dinosaur is __?”
- If the child does not fill in the blank, they may give a phonemic cue (e.g. “This dinosaur is __ ? b- b-__? Blue!”) or point to the communication board to relay the message.
Second, if a child enjoys swinging on a swing, and is also working on requesting items or activities, it is prudent to design an activity around swinging. Before you can expect the child to demonstrate the skill, first model it for them or have another child model it.
For example,
- On the swing set, another child or an adult may ask, “More?” or “Swing, please!”
- When the child observes the other person getting what they asked for, they are likely to attempt to express their desire in the same way, if it is a preferred activity.
- If the child does not do so, it should be modeled repeatedly. The child should also be given multiple methods to ask in addition to verbal requests, such as using sign language or pointing to a picture.
- For this type of activity, it is important to be in front of the child and at the level of their face if possible. Cues may include modeling or asking questions. Match the cues to the child’s level. If they are not yet expressing words, work on getting htm to try approximations or single words.
- If they are expressing single words, work on them builiding two-word combinations. If they are expressing two-word combinations, work on eliciting sentences.
- Many teachers and clinicians use what is called “The Rule of Three”. This is where the skill is modeled for the child, and they have three attempts to complete the task.
- If they do not complete the target task during an activity such as this, they should still get to use the swing or be allowed to engage in the activity. There are underlying communication skills that are targeted and elicited during these activities, even if the child does not produce the target.
- Interactions such as smiling and laughing with them all build foundational communication skills and strengthen relationships.
Use Play
Children learn most naturally and willingly through play. Exaggerate those expressions and start getting silly through play. It is ok to add some fun into the school day while still working on needed receptive language skills. Playing is an engaging approach since it offers a natural, motivating way to practice communication. Here are strategies to enhance language skills through play.
1. Start with Structured Play Activities
To make play effective, add some structure. For example, use visual supports like picture cards to help students follow the steps. You could try a role-play activity like setting up a mini grocery store or pretend doctor's office. This is a fun way to get students to practice greetings, asking questions, or even naming items. Check out our blog on teaching play skills for some helpful tips!
2. Try Pretend Play
Dramatic play is a great way to bring out language skills for autism support classrooms. Create a pretend kitchen or shop where students can request things like, “I want milk,” or give instructions like, “You be the cashier!” You can guide them by modeling phrases they can use. The goal is to build communication by showing them how to communicate in everyday situations.
3. Play with Cars or Blocks to Spark Communication
Pick toys that naturally invite communication. For example, if a toy car needs to be pushed to move, wait for them to ask for help—whether that’s with words, signs, or gestures. Encourage phrases like, “Help, please” or “Let’s go!” When you’re building with blocks, have them ask for specific pieces or describe what they’re building. You could count 1, 2, and 3 tbefore making a block tower fall. The anticipation may capture their attention. More communication tips are here if you want them.
4. Add Sensory Play
Sensory activities, like playing with playdough or water are great for language skills for autism support classrooms to practice. While they’re exploring textures, encourage them to talk about it: “Is it squishy?” or “I want more water.” You can also focus on action words, like “squish,” “pour,” or “mix”, as they play.
5. Use Music and Movement
Songs with movements are fantastic for language and body part recognition. Try singing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” while pointing to each part.
Here is a list of movement songs.
Movement songs make the connection between words and actions fun and easy to understand. You can also play games like “Simon Says” to practice following directions using simple actions and words.
6. Encourage Peer Play and Turn-Taking
Finally, set up easy close-ended play activities where students can work together. This gives them a chance to ask for things, share, and comment on what others are doing. You could have a group game where everyone builds something together. Again, building block towers are a great way to get something like this started. Help them along by modeling phrases like “Can I have that?” or “Your turn!”
Why do we love play as a lesson?
- Similar activities can be tailored to match the preferences of any student, and nearly any language skill can be targeted through play.
- Children are more intrinsically motivated to engage in play than in drills or lecture-based activities.
- You can easily meet children where they are with their communication skills and target their proximal zone of development, through their preferred items and activities.
To recap, the Build Language Skills Printables for Students with Autism & Similar Special Needs serve as a valuable tool for reinforcing expressive language skills, receptive language skills, and for assessing strengths. Using various toys can be an easy way to work at building these skills. Additionally, you could get paid to play! As long as you track the data (smile.) So, see if you can, use a toy to get that one friend from under the table, grab your backup coffee, and let’s build some language skills!
Want to build more than language skills in your students?
Click the yellow box below for autism educator tips.