Using the microwave, boiling water for pasta, and using a knife to make a sandwich are all independent living skills. Prepare your special needs learners for life by having them prepare three easy-to-cook items. Each skill is laid out as...

Get to talking with your special needs class. In pairs, they take turns telling each other where to go on a schematic map. They work to ask questions, answer questions, and check if their partner understands their directions, or if he...

Another awesome ASL instructional activity! Teach ASL to a special ed class, hearing impaired child, or for your own enrichment. This instructional activity provides comprehensible ASL language development. Each highlighted blue area...

To learn about various topics and improve their social skills, learners with special needs play along with music on drums and other sound objects. Teachers take digital pictures of the students participation and use them to make bulletin...

Students receive activity bags to bring home and share with their families. They are excited to have "homework" and they accomplish several skills by completing the activities within the bags. This is great for special needs students.

I love planning parties, they are a great way to get social, require organizational skills, and engage cooperative problem solving. Teens with visual impairments put their heads together to plan an event for their friends. They...

In a home environment, learners with special needs practice creating nutritious meal plans. They talk about healthy food choices, then use the food pyramid as a guide to planning three balanced meals. They use a food group check sheet to...

Maybe the idea of putting placemats on trays doesn't sound that great, but it is, especially if you have a physical disability or are visually impaired. This task is one that can be used in a vocational setting and helps develop skills...

Mittens and socks, two of my favorite clothing items!  Young learners with special needs, explore clothing appropriate for cold weather. They identify both socks and mittens, discuss weather appropriate clothing, and listen to the...

Did you ever play capture the flag? I did, and it was so much fun! Your learners with special needs, physical handicaps, or visual impairments can play a classic and highly engaging game with a few minor adaptations. The best part is,...

Golf is a popular game that is enjoyed around the world. Invite your pupils with visual impairments or blindness to putt a few balls or make a hole in one. This lesson provides several very good suggestions as to how you can teach an...

Drill and practice is the method of teaching for today. Special needs pupils practice rounding to the next dollar value when purchasing an item at the store. They are shown flash cards with a monetary value, they then have 3-5 seconds to...

Best resource ever! Teaching and learning to teach ASL just got easier. For special education teachers or those working with hearing impaired learners, this instructional activity provides story and time telling practice using ASL. Each...

There are so many different types of tools we use in the kitchen, everyday. Help your special needs learner discover how to recognize, identify, and use various kitchen utensils and appliances. Using picture cards and drill prompting,...

Children with special needs participate in several activities to reinforce shape and color recognition. They sign the word leaf, sing a song about leaves, and bounce leaves around on a parachute. They then help the instructor name...

Appropriate assertive and non-verbal assertive communication is the focus of this lesson designed for the special education classroom. Using mirrors, class members practice assertive responses to a variety of situations.

Here is a great little reading and vocabulary development lesson created just for learners with special needs. The lesson is constructed with both core content and necessary adaptations in mind. The group will use PECS, pointing/gesture,...

I really like this activity. Learners with special needs play a stoplight game to practice giving and responding to the need for personal space. Each child is given a green light and red light card, when you say, "Go" they walk around...

Such an ambitious lesson! Third graders with special needs listen to an audio recording of the novel, Moby Dick. They stop often to discuss each of the main characters and analyze their actions in the story. They then make puppets of one...

Use photographs to teach young special education or speech students how good speech looks, as well as sounds. Kindergarteners are photographed making the F, TH, W, R L, and S sounds. They then use the images to identify each sound that...

Talk with your pupils about the importance of staying focused at the grocery store. Your special education class will discuss how to create and use a shopping list. They will make a shopping list and pretend to use it in a role-play...

The ASL lessons from lifeprint are amazing, but can be complicated. While this instructional activity is perfect for those needing to learn or teach ASL to the deaf community, it could also provide a valuable communication tool. This...

Don't forget to brush! Help your special education class excel at taking care of their wonderful smiles. They'll discuss proper brushing and flossing techniques, watch a video on dental hygiene, and then brush their teeth. 

A series of food-related sentences and words are the focus of this practical and straight-forward lesson. With a 70 minute video lecture and ASL demo, this resource features images and clips of very useful ASL vocabulary words. While it...