How many of you of you depend on visuals and schedules to get you through life? I know I do. This is just a short but definitely not exhaustive list of how visuals and schedules support me in my day-to day routines.
My Google calendar tells me where I have to be and what time each day
I rely on street signs and visual markers (and sometimes GPS) to help me navigate around my area
The signs at the stores tell me where to find things and where to return it to if I don't want it anymore
Icons on my phone and desktop help me quickly find the apps I need (and want) to use
I could go on but I am guessing you get the drift. I would imagine that if you previously thought you didn't rely that much on visuals, you might also be considering that you use them much more than you thought you did.
But what does this have to do with designing for disability and preschool???
Well, as it turns out, visuals are a pretty important learning tool for preschoolers too. And using visuals can support both typically developing preschoolers and those with identified delays and disabilities to better understand the rules of the classroom. This first post will be part of a series that starts with visuals so I will start with two classroom management visuals and discuss their impact and share a few more with each post.
Line Up Spots
Line up spots can be movable (poly spots or carpet sitters) or they can be shaped paper that is affixed to the floor using contact paper. If you have a student with a disability in your class, it can be helpful to make the characters shaped like a preferred character, letter, or color to increase buy-in during the teaching period.
Line up spots are an incredibly useful tool as they can help keep teach children where to stand while they are waiting and also keep children from bumping into one another. If you have children in your classroom who get upset when other children bump into and touch them, these are wonderful at prevention and teaching/talking about personal space.
Teaching the use of line up spots takes repetition and practice that might include:
Giving clear directions (stand on the red circle)
Modeling
Singing a line up song during the transition (remember that preschoolers have short attention spans)
Label the Toys with Pictures and Words
Want to make clean up easier? Label your shelves and bins with pictures and words. If kids (or substitute teachers) have to guess where the items go, they definitely aren't going to return to the right spot.
Bonus: labeling with pictures supports matching skills and early literacy skills.
Resource: Create your own classroom labels here
Tips to Make Clean Up Easier with All Children
Make it fun (Clean to music, make it into a game like who can clean an area fastest or make baskets into the toy bin)
Give short, clear directions. (Put the food in the cabinet)
Use gestures if needed (Point to where things go)
Partner kids together to help each other
Next post: Visuals continued
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