speech activities for nonverbal students

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29 Nonverbal Communication Activities For All Ages

February 20, 2023 //  by  Seda Unlucay

Nonverbal communication is an essential part of effective communication, yet it is often overlooked. It includes elements such as facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, and more. This collection of 29 games, hands-on resources, presentations, and books can help children develop empathy, read others’ emotions, and become more aware of their own nonverbal cues. They can also support increased cooperation skills, improve self-confidence, and strengthen communication skills with people from all backgrounds. 

1. Try an Engaging Game of Charades

Charades is a fun game where players act out words or phrases without speaking. One player picks a word or phrase and acts it out while the others try to guess what it is. The player cannot use words or sounds but can use gestures, facial expressions, and body movements to convey the meaning. 

Learn More: Woman’s Day

2. Snack Time Nonverbal Communication Game

In this game of “Silent Snack Time,” children cannot use words to express their opinions, but instead, rely on gestures and facial expressions like thumbs up or down to communicate whether they like or dislike each snack. 

Learn More: Equinox Family Consulting

3. Put on a Silent Puppet Show with Nonverbal Language 

Students will prepare for a puppet show by learning to use nonverbal communication like tone of voice and facial expressions to convey emotions. This fun activity will help students develop nonverbal communication skills and understand the importance of nonverbal cues. 

Learn More: PBS

4. Build Family Relationships With a Maze Game 

These worksheets are designed to help students identify positive and negative expressions and emotional words to navigate through colorful mazes. The fun and engaging K-5th grade worksheets feature characters from different educational programs and offer varying levels of difficulty. 

Learn More: Centervention

5. Develop Active Listening Techniques by Becoming a Social Spy

This nonverbal communication activity involves becoming a “social spy” and observing people’s actions to determine their emotions.  The activity helps students develop their observational skills, identify different body language, and interpret mixed emotions. 

6. Create a Visual Communication Book with AAC Picture Cards

This resource is designed to help students who are non-verbal or have limited verbal skills and are on the autism spectrum, with a focus on getting started with AAC (alternative/augmentative communication).

Learn More: Autism Little Learners

7. Play a Game Red Light, Green Light

The red light green light game involves nonverbal communication and helps to improve social skills, listening, and following directions. The players move forward on a “green light” signal and stop on a “red light” signal, and the game promotes quick decision-making and attention to others’ movements.

Learn More: Empowered Parents

8. Develop Effective Communication Skills by Playing House

Playing house provides numerous benefits, including improved social skills, imaginative thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and empathy. It also helps them to learn about roles and responsibilities, develop language and communication skills, and gain a better understanding of the world around them.

Learn More: WikiHow

9. Hide and Seek to Develop Non-Verbal Types of Communication 

Hide and seek is a classic game where one person counts while the others hide. The seeker must then find the hidden players. The benefits of this perenially favorite game include improving physical activity, problem-solving skills, and social interaction between players.

Learn More: Rookie Road

10. Play a Game of Mime

Mime is a fun game where players act out a scene or a story using only their body language and facial expressions, without speaking. It helps kids develop their communication and observational skills, as well as creativity and imagination. To play, simply choose a theme, assign roles, and start miming. It’s a great way to promote teamwork and socialization while having loads of laughs.

Learn More: Family Education

11. Develop Active Listening Skills with A Game of Animal Sounds

To play animal sounds for non-verbal kids in an engaging tone, use interactive toys or picture books with sound buttons. These tools will help them connect with the animal world and aid in language development, recognition of emotions, and sensory processing. 

Learn More: Primarily Learning

12. Play a Sorting Game as a Non-Verbal Communication Exercise

This color-sorting game for non-verbal kids involves matching colored objects to the corresponding colors of various bins, mats, or containers of your choice. The game can be made more interactive and engaging by incorporating a reward system or using tactile materials to enhance sensory input.

Learn More: The Autism Helper

13. Develop Attentive Listening Skills with a Game of Ice Cream Parlor

Playing ice cream parlor involves following instructions and creating ice cream cones with various toppings and flavors. apart from motivating kids with a favorite treat, this hands-on game develops cognitive and fine motor skills while allowing for creative expression. 

Learn More: Learning 4 Kids

14. Develop Attention to Body Language with a Game of Zapped

To play this fun game, prepare folded paper squares, place a dot on one, and put them in a container. Each player draws a square, and the person with the dot becomes the “zapper.” The game involves getting others to sign a form without speaking, while the zapper winks to eliminate players. 

Learn More: Teacher Created

15. Build a Tower to Improve Nonverbal Communication Skills

Building a tower with blocks can help nonverbal kids improve their imitation skills, which may in turn improve their speech and communication abilities. Additionally, the game allows for creative expression and fosters imagination while helping kids learn to follow instructions and work on their patience as they wait for their turn to build. 

Learn More: Twinkl

16. Develop an Understanding of Nonverbal Messages

This resource aims to help children better understand non-verbal communication to identify how others are feeling and behaving. The worksheet provides visual examples of different non-verbal cues and asks questions to help students practice interpreting them, encouraging empathy and social awareness.

17. Soft Skills for Non-Verbal Communication 

Looking for a fun way to help non-verbal children in your class communicate their basic needs and wants? This handy tool teaches kids to use symbols to indicate when they need help, a bathroom break, a rest, and more. Simply download and print the board, then show your students how to use it. 

18. Slideshow on Receptive Language Skills

The non-verbal social communication slideshow presents a range of non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, and eye contact, which are essential in interpersonal communication.

Learn More: Tiny Tap

19. Movie-Based Game With Detailed Instructions 

In this engaging activity, players are separated into two groups. One team will privately communicate the title of a movie to the other team, who must then act out clues to help their team guess the correct movie. The clues may be the movie’s name or a famous scene, but no verbal communication is permitted.

Learn More: Optimist Minds

20. Follow the Leader

Follow the leader is a game where one person leads the group and others follow. It’s a fun way to learn about leadership and teamwork. It can be used in many different settings, such as classrooms, sports teams, and corporate meetings.

21. Play a Board Game

When I Dream is a non-verbal communication game that involves blindfolding one player, who must guess words based on one-word clues given by other players, who are dealt hidden roles as good spirits, evil ones, or neutral tricksters. The game is a great option for non-gamers, with easy rules and a short playtime, and offers replay value with the different roles that keep the game fresh. 

Learn More: Discover Hub Pages

22. Activity to Learn How to Pay Attention to People 

These picture cards aim to teach students about nonverbal communication, helping them to identify and interpret nonverbal signs, understand the emotions of others, and learn how to recognize what people are thinking. 

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

23. Perfect Activity for Autistic Children 

This mini-unit is designed for students with poor communication skills, such as those from disadvantaged backgrounds or on the Autism spectrum. It comprises three stories that can be made into small books, with comprehension questions presented as worksheets that allow students to circle their answers instead of writing or speaking.

24. Magic Maze Game 

Magic Maze is a cooperative board game where players work together to pull off a heist. Each player controls a character with unique abilities, and they must navigate through a maze-like shopping mall to gather items and escape without being caught. 

25. Fishbowl Game with Slips of Paper

Fishbowl is a fun and engaging game that is typically played with slips of paper. In the game, players split into two teams and each member writes a word or phrase on slips of paper. The slips are then placed in a bowl or container, and the teams take turns trying to guess the words or phrases by drawing them out of the container and giving verbal clues. 

Learn More: Sara’s Favorite Things

26. Murder Mystery 

Wink murder is a classic party game that promises endless entertainment and suspenseful thrills!  The “murderer” is tasked with winking surreptitiously at their targets, while the “detective” tries to figure out who the culprit is before they strike again. 

Learn More: DBP Theatre Dance

27. Perfect Presentation for School Students

This animated, kid-friendly video explores the importance of both verbal and non-verbal communication skills, and how they can be utilized in social settings. It explains how non-verbal cues, such as body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice, can significantly impact the message being conveyed. 

Learn More: RFA Renthlei

28. Read A Book About Non-Verbal Social Cues

“Clark the Shark,” tells the story of Clark, a young shark who struggles to control his enthusiasm and boisterous behavior, which often leads to him unintentionally hurting others. Through various mishaps, Clark learns the importance of nonverbal communication, such as reading facial expressions and body language, to understand how others are feeling and adjust his own behavior accordingly. 

Learn More: The Colorful Apple

29. Game With Handmade Deck of Cards

In this card-based game, teams of three or four people barter and trade pieces to complete their cards, with the team that completes the most winning. The game fosters accepting loss and improving outcomes; players can reflect on their communication strategies and styles afterward to enhance their skills.

Learn More: User Like  

15 Therapy Activities to Engage Non-Verbal Children

Working with non-verbal children can present a unique set of challenges. It is not uncommon for Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and Special Education Teachers to encounter non-verbal children in their therapy jobs. Therapists’ resources are often limited in the variety of activities to engage this audience. However, speech therapists can maximize learning moments for their students by utilizing a variety of effective tools and resources. Luckily, there are several activities you can incorporate into your therapy job – here are 15 of the best!

1. Routines Boards – Use visual boards with single-step actions to help clients learn common routines. You can create a board for brushing teeth which includes Get Toothbrush, Wet Toothbrush under Faucet, Apply a Small Amount of Toothpaste, Brush Front of Teeth, Brush Back of Teeth, Brush Sides of Teeth, etc. Include as much or as little detail as the individual client needs to complete the task. Other visual boards might include Packing Backpack for School, Doing Homework, and Cleaning Up After Dinner.

2. Red Light, Green Light – Non-verbal children often struggle with basic commands. Use games like Red Light, Green Light to encourage them to follow directions in a way that can be carried over to the home environment. Use rewards for positive responses. To play Red Light, Green Light, line the children up in a straight line. Explain to them that, when you say Green Light, the children move forward. When you say Red Light, the children must stop. The terms “Red Light” and “Green Light” can then be used for other actions as one of their basic commands.

3. Practice Sharing – Play is an important activity for non-verbal children, and school-based therapists can facilitate this activity by practicing sharing. While the child is engaged in play with an object such as a toy car or tea set, occasionally take the toy from them. Then help the child learn ways to communicate that they want the toy back. This may be through the use of sign language or body language.

4. Daily Journals – Even non-verbal children have something to say, and journaling can be a valuable tool that school-based therapists can incorporate. Journals can be written or provide pictures and illustrations for children who cannot write. Use writing prompts to stimulate ideas. Prompts might include Favorite Foods, I Feel ____ When ____, My Best Friend Is ____.

5. See and Say – For younger children, animal sounds are a great way to introduce verbal communication. Use toys such as “See and Say” to help children identify animals by their sounds and begin to verbalize those sounds. Simple animal toys can also be used to facilitate this activity.

6. Modeling – The students take turns modeling the emotion shown in the picture using pictures of emotions such as sad, happy, angry, and hurt. This helps non-verbal children recognize emotions in others and learn how to display those emotions so that children can be recognized as expressing them .

7. Hide and Seek – Using a toy or other reward, a therapist’s job is to hide an object in the room and encourage the student to use functional communication to locate the toy or reward. Sign Language, PECs, or body language can be used to seek answers to the object’s location.

8. Sensory Bags – Sensory bags are a great way to help non-verbal children develop coordination, learn concentration, and use multiple senses while exploring their environment. Sensory bags can be made with various materials, including rice, flour and water, and even hair gel. Create bags that allow children to draw or search for treasures.

9. Playing House – Role play games can be an excellent way to help younger students learn words for common household items or social interactions. Other ideas for role play include restaurant, school, or store.

10. The Name Game – Non-verbal children often struggle with recognition of their own names. Speech and language therapists can play the Name Game to help them identify with the sound of their own name and respond appropriately. Play this game in small groups of 3 or 4 students calling out names at random, including the names of the students present. Whenever a student’s name is used, have the other students point to that student and have the student whose name was called, stand up. When the student stands, provide a small reward such as a sticker or a small piece of candy.

11. Textures and Feelings – While non-verbal children struggle to communicate with the spoken word, they do not lack a sense of touch, and certainly have a full range of emotions. School-based therapists can put together a box of materials with different textures to help identify emotions that “feel” like the textures they are touching. Sand paper might be frustration, while cotton balls might be love. Use pictures or word queue cards with emotions.

12. Build a Sandwich –  Therapists can help non-verbal children learn steps and details through the use of pretend assembly play. Using materials to create the ingredients for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or S’mores is a fun way to teach students the importance of steps and how to navigate directions.

13. Face Puzzles – Use Face Puzzles to allow children to show what emotions they may be feeling or help them identify what emotions would be appropriate in various settings.

14. Experience Books – When a child goes on a field trip or has a unique experience, that activity can be utilized as an ongoing teaching tool through the use of Experience Books. During the field trip, take lots of pictures of the things the child sees and does. Then print those pictures out with short sentences that help to recall and describe the experience. Picture books can help children identify objects and emotions they may not experience daily but can recall and are familiar with.

15. Same and Different – Sorting, matching, and classifying are the beginning steps to communication, whether verbal or non-verbal. Playing activities like Same and Different allows the therapist to integrate these skills with more advanced levels of communication. Same and Different activities come in the form of worksheets, card sets, and even iPad apps.

In addition to these, there are a variety of websites that offer online speech therapy activities, including Owlie Boo , Mommy Speech Therapy , and Tiny Tap .

Whether teaching children the beginning stages of becoming verbal or working with students who cannot become verbal, we hope these activities help to expand your list of tools and make your therapy job easier!

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39 Communication Games and Activities for Kids and Students

Kids spend astounding amounts of time on their electronic devices and with this shift, they are losing their skills in how to communicate their needs—with their own voices.

Picture the kids you know having no access to wi-fi. There might be a revolt when you start to ask them to communicate with you without a phone or device.

With the availability of alternative sources of social support (Leung, 2007), reaching kids in a one-to-one setting is difficult. The skill of self-expression in real life and face-to-face interaction has far-reaching implications.

Improving communication skills in children of all ages today could benefit generations to come, salvaging the power of verbal communication in a world buzzing with technological alternatives.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free . These science-based tools will help you and those you work with build better social skills and better connect with others.

This Article Contains:

What are communication activities, exercises, and games, the importance of teaching kids communication skills, 5 tips on how to teach communication skills to children, how to spot communication difficulties in all ages, 6 games and exercises for toddlers and preschoolers in kindergarten, a look at communication in the classroom, 4 ways students can improve communication skills, 6 communication games and activities for elementary students, 7 games and activities for middle and high school students, 5 communication games and activities for college students, 5 nonverbal communication activities and games, 5 active listening games and exercises, 5 assertive communication activities for teens, a take-home message.

Certain activities, exercises, and games can teach children to communicate better. In most settings, adults decide the communication style and social norms. The rules of etiquette are also decided by adults.

These days, it is revolutionary to teach communication skills in “kid terms” with room to advance the skills as children develop. Imagine a world where every adult practiced their face-to-face communication.

The following are effective communication fundamentals (Stanfield, 2017):

• Conversation skills;
• Established listening and speaking procedures;
• Respectful vocabulary;
• The power of the pause;
• Practice speaking and listening in natural settings;
• Introspection;
• Turn-taking.

Any activities, exercises, and games that include these fundamentals can improve skills in communication. Interactive games encourage kids to express their needs. Plus, when kids see these activities as fun and engaging, the more likely they are to participate.

There are profound psychological implications for underdeveloped communication skills. Conversely, more effective communication skills result in a higher quality of life.

Communicating well enables people to know and ask for what they need, and can result in higher self-efficacy  (Nørgaard, Ammentorp, Ohm Kyvik, & Kofoed, 2012). With higher self-efficacy, there are lower instances of violence (Khoury-Kassabri, 2012), bullying (Clark & Bussey, 2020), and self-destructive behaviors (Forman & Kalafat, 1998).

Research with people who are hearing impaired revealed the impact on feelings of loneliness and depression (Knutson & Lansing, 1990). Now, the same effect is showing for children who are not severely hearing impaired.

When there is difficulty in basic communication, there is a barrier to a fundamental human need, thus resulting in emotional and psychological problems. We are hard-wired to connect and belong with other humans (Ryan & Deci, 2000).

For example, when a toddler cannot communicate their needs, a tantrum might follow. When a pre-teen child cannot effectively communicate, frustration might ensue. When a teenager cannot effectively communicate, a perfect storm might occur. And when adults cannot understand and state their needs, lives can fall apart.

Everyone benefits from practicing good communication. Right now, children are in desperate need of effectively communicating with their peers and with adults.

Good communication is a habit, and it needs to start young.

Effective communication skills equip children with the ability to have their needs met. As children age, their skills need to increase as difficult situations occur. In school and social settings, a child’s peers play a significant role in how these skills develop.

Communication Skills in Children. Image by Bessi from Pixabay.

Any parent of a teen is aware of how these skills are a part of a teenager-parent relationship. Modeling appropriate communication skills is a great way to show children (and teenagers) how people use kind communication to get “what they want.”

Basic communication skills are needed for basic survival. Something as basic as eye contact can be difficult to maintain for many children, even though it is the most critical part of nonverbal communication (Zeki, 2009). Looking people in the eye is a skill. It takes practice to understand the importance of eye contact for the development of good manners and social connection.

So how do we begin teaching kids communication skills? Every setting offers learning opportunities. When children know how to listen and respond, they also develop deeper understandings of empathy and compassion .

When kids communicate well, they are more likely to recognize and pursue opportunities with confidence and self-efficacy (Nørgaard et al., 2012).

Download 3 Communication Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients with tools to improve communication skills and enjoy more positive social interactions with others.

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Every day, if you work with kids or have them yourself, you model how to ask for what you need. Even simple moments where you ask a coworker for a pencil can be goldmines of modeling.

Here are five specific tips.

1. Be a Model

The old adage, “ Do as I say, not as I do ” rears its head once again. Kids are more likely to do “as you do” regardless of what you say. Parents who model good communication have children who are—shocker—better at communicating with others.

It is important to note that sometimes, difficulty in communication may have underlying factors such as the presence of autism, attention disorders, or auditory disability.

2. Create a Framework for Communication Procedures

Teaching children how and when to communicate is a foundational skill. Chronic interrupting and volume control are disruptions to communication everywhere, not just for children. Set boundaries for kids to know when it is appropriate to interject with their opinion. Positively reinforce kids or students who follow the known expectations.

Regardless of the framework specifics, teach kids how to get your attention—without inappropriate disruption.

3. Don’t Embarrass Children by Correcting Them in Public

Shame is powerful, and can negatively influence a desire to learn for anyone. Kids will make mistakes in their communication, as do adults. That two-year-old who called a stranger “fat” needs to understand why that is inappropriate, but they do not need to be corrected in front of everyone.

Gently correcting errors in private is a basic principle of positive discipline, and it helps promote a growth mindset where children feel safe. If a child is embarrassed in public, they will make fewer communication attempts in the future, or worse, continue the act for attention.

4. Teach Empathy

5. Show the Power of the Pause

The power of  mindful  communication is very important. Kids are especially unskilled with controlling their impulsive behavior, as are many adults. Simply teaching kids to think about the impact of their words and any other decision-making overall, can help kids reflect before they act.

It is equally important to value the pauses between statements and encourage a culture of pausing to also create space for others to speak who may need more processing time.

Apprehension in oral communication also can lead to difficulties in psychological well-being (McCrosky, 1977). There is an increasing rate of anxiety with regard to communication skills in children. A child suffering from Communication Apprehension will even avoid situations where oral communication is needed, just to avoid the pain and anxiety associated with that communication.

A great deal of research has been done in the development of emotional intelligence and its relationship to effective communication skills (Irvin & Richardson, 2002). Higher test scores exist in individuals with higher reported rates of emotional intelligence, this adds value to the need for improving skills as early as possible. Development of social and communication skills is important for kids, especially those entering Middle School.

While these present as difficulties, they are not in most cases complete barriers to effective communication. Altering skills to fit the obstacle in effective communication is paramount to a child’s success.

Infants and Communication Skills. Image by Lisa Runnels from Pixaby.

This is not to downplay the importance that a spectrum disorder, an attention disorder, or an auditory difficulty may play in communication in children. Children with these obstacles may find more difficulty with social communication than their peers due to their struggle with effective communication.

Current research is trying to link other obstacles children may have with these developmental differences.

Here are some concrete ways to spot difficulties in communication:

• Immature language;
• Speech that is difficult to understand;
• Struggling to talk and or listen in conversation;
• Avoidance of verbal communication.

Most of these games do not take long, and the skills they teach are foundational to future lessons.

1. Guess the Object

This is a fun game for kids to practice the power of description. Cut a hole in a box that is large enough for their hands. Make sure that they understand that they’re not allowed to peak into the hole. Place an object in the box. Have the child describe what the object feels like. Have the class take turns guessing what it might be.

2. Show and Tell

Many kids love to share at this age. Devoting time for children to share things is an encouraging way for them to hone their communication skills. Encourage classmates to think of questions about what their classmate has shared, as a way to develop active listening skills.

3. Feelings Corner

Many times, children at this age have trouble communicating how they are feeling. Emotions can be so abstract; they may not yet have the skills to recognize them at first. Have a designated area for kids to express these feelings, where a printout of an emotions wheel is on display. Have matching emojis that the child can silently hand to their teacher.

Create space during the day for the teacher to address these feelings with any participants. This creates a place for trust and understanding in an age group prone to outbursts when feeling misunderstood or wronged.

4. Turn-Taking

Taking turns in speaking is much like sharing a favored toy, and children need to learn the skill. An engaging exercise for this age group is color circle time. Each child gets a turn in the center of the circle speaking about a chosen subject.

For instance, the color yellow. The child would get 15 seconds to list all of the yellows he or she sees in the room. Then that child names another color for the next child in the center. Before the next turn, each new participant says two things that they heard from the previous sharer.

5. Picture-Telling

Have a variety of pictures for each child. Give each a time limit and let them describe what they see in story form. During this exercise, they are processing visual cues and utilizing their ability to speak them to the classroom. The other children practice their listening skills.

6. Finish-the-Nursery-Rhyme Story

Children need to be familiar with the particular nursery rhymes for this activity to be fun. Help kids imagine and express alternative endings to nursery rhymes in a fun and creative way. Have each kid add to the shared ending and as a class, develop alternative endings to various nursery rhyme stories.

Storytelling is a rich way to practice listening and communication.

Improve communication skills in children with highly effective games – Kreative Leadership

Classrooms are not for the faint of heart. Teachers deserve the credit for establishing the parameters for their students to learn basic communication. What a teacher tolerates and encourages from their students is one way that children absorb communication habits.

Kids are clever. They know what they can “get away with,” and they look to adult figures for examples of how to speak and act. Thus, classroom parameters are paramount, especially when students get to “make the rules” too. Adults always make the rules,  but when students help with the process, they are likely to exhibit more buy-in.

Criticism and judgment from classmates should be avoided in classroom culture as much as possible. These issues must be addressed, while also recognizing students practicing clear and kind communication.

The language and tone used in classrooms are important. Teachers who berate and shame kids may speak of frustration with unhappy and critical students.

Kids are smart—they respond to respect.

As the leader in the classroom, teachers are in a position to influence positive language and tone. Congruent communication is one way for teachers to demonstrate skills in the classroom (Brown, 2005). The role of active listening and body language among adolescents can help create an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding between teacher and students.

Empathetic listening by the teacher creates a connection with the students that allows them to feel “heard.”

Social interaction among peers is also important in the growth of communication skills. The more inclusive the focus of a classroom, the more growth each student will experience.

We are hard-wired to cooperate with others. Fostering positive interactions will benefit the entire culture of the classroom, as well as teach children skills that will serve them throughout life.

Practice makes improvement—not perfection. Once kids are aware of these skills, the practice is available in every interaction.

• Active listening skills through reinforcement
• Group projects with collaboration
• Know the benefit of open-ended questions
• Developing empathy

World’s Largest Positive Psychology Resource

The Positive Psychology Toolkit© is a groundbreaking practitioner resource containing over 500 science-based exercises , activities, interventions, questionnaires, and assessments created by experts using the latest positive psychology research.

Updated monthly. 100% Science-based.

“The best positive psychology resource out there!” — Emiliya Zhivotovskaya , Flourishing Center CEO

Telephone is a common “playground game,” and also a powerful metaphor for teaching miscommunications and the practice of sharing information. The rest of the games, like Telephone, are also quite fun.

1. Telephone

Have students gather together in a circle. The instructor will whisper one short topic, sentence, or phrase into the ear of the student next to them. This phrase will be whispered into the ear of each student around the circle until arriving back at the instructor, who will then compare the original sentence to the one that it became.

2. Emotional Charades

Write-out scenarios that might provoke emotion in participants. The scenarios should be generally light emotions like forgetting your lunch, losing your phone, hearing a rumor about you, waiting for a bus, or forgetting your homework.

Each student then gets a scenario and acts it out with no speaking. After the scenario is guessed, discuss the emotional response. The more easily students can verbally express their emotions, the more easily a teacher can communicate with them and reference confusing feelings.

3. Audio Book Interaction

Scholastic has many interactive books available to students for free. The benefit of this interactive experience is for the student to align reading with speaking the words of the book.

4. Internet Resources

www.creatubbles.com is one website that unites students around the world and offers a platform to learn about creative and effective communication skills.

5. Role-Playing

This is a great way to expand empathy and perspective-taking. Setting goals for the roles is helpful, to guide the students toward vocabulary that will better facilitate cooperation.

For instance, assigning students as parents or teachers allows the kids to be creative in thinking of words that adults would use, and how it might feel to be in a situation from a view other than their own.

6. The Follow All Instructions Activity

Create a list of detailed instructions. The first instruction should be READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS FIRST. The last listed should be IGNORE ALL OTHER INSTRUCTIONS AND WRITE YOUR NAME ON THE TOP OF THIS PAPER.

The purpose of the activity is for students to communicate the importance of reading all instructions first before beginning any project. It offers a great conversation as well, for students of all ages.

So far we have covered a lot of games geared towards younger audiences, although they can be applied to older students too. Now we offer resources specifically for older students.

1. Famous Pairs

Create a list of well-known famous pairs. For instance, peanut butter and jelly, Romeo and Juliet, Superman and Lois Lane, etc. Each participant should receive a post-it-note with one half of a famous pair on their back.

Moving throughout the room, with only three questions per person, the participants try to figure out who the person is on their back.

Once the person has discovered who they are, they need to find their partner. If the other partner has not figured out his/her identity, they must not reveal themselves until they know.

2. The Best Parts of Our School

Many students are negative when it comes to their interpretation of school. In an effort to recognize what is good about your school, this activity is connective and a communication skills builder. This activity should be conducted over three days.

The first day is spent with each student listing 10 things that they consider the best parts of their school. The second day is spent in groups. The groups will create a coordinated list of agreed-upon best parts of their school. The third day is spent creating a class collective list after each group presents their best parts of their school ideas to the class.

3. The Enigmatic Self

We are often mysterious to others. This game promotes self-awareness about what you find mysterious about yourself. In this activity, students write down three things about themselves that no one else knows. In groups of 3 or 4 students, each read the mysterious aspects to each other.

Each group collects the mysteries. At a later time, each group reads the fact list and the remainder of the class tries to guess who the facts are from on the list. Encourage deep respect for these mysteries. Encourage students to celebrate the uniqueness of each other.

Classrooms with solid trust are often built on awareness and appreciation of each other.

4. Stand Up for Fillers

How many people use “like” or “um,” or “uh” or “so,” or “right” to fill a silent space? It is a nervous habit that is often rooted in the perceived discomfort of silence. This activity helps eliminate these fillers in conversation or in public speaking.

Each student is given a topic that they will speak about for 1-3 minutes (topic is not important; it should be simple). During their speaking time, the remainder of the class will stand when they hear any of these fillers occur in the speech.

The class is listening and the speaker is hyper-aware of the words that they use. It is a deliberate shock to the speaker to see the entire class stand when they hear these fillers and helps to be mindful about using precise vocabulary.

5. Blindfold Game

Create an obstacle course with everyday items in the classroom. Sort students into two groups. One person is blindfolded while the rest of the group decides how to communicate (from their seats) instructions on how to navigate through the course wearing a blindfold. Time each group and discuss which communication style was the most effective.

This activity builds trust and requires accurate communication to successfully navigate through the course. *Be sure to have at least one person to stand near the blindfolded student to help them stay safe during the course.

6. Drawn Understanding

Have two students sit back-to-back. One student has an object and the other has colored pencils and paper. The student with the object must describe it in as much detail as possible, without directly saying what it is.

The second student must draw the object as best they can, based on the communication of the student with the object.

7. Find It Together

Another blindfold is needed for this activity. Divide the group into pairs. One of the students is blindfolded. It is their job to retrieve specific objects from a designated circle. The other student guides their blindfolded partner to retrieve the correct object.

This game can get chaotic because of other blindfolded participants. It requires discussions after the activity, as well as voice recognition and teamwork. A closing discussion question could be something like, “How did people ignore the distractions of other sounds?” It can lead to great conversations on listening and volume control.

Students at the college level have likely developed some effective communication skills. At this level of education, there are still deep needs to practice communication—it is a skill that needs work.

1. The Guessing Game

This activity is a fun way to introduce and show the difference between closed and open questions. Split your class into two equal groups/teams. One person from each team will leave the room for a minute and think of a business object (any common business object that can be found in any office like a stapler, printer, etc.).

When each person returns, it’s the team’s task to ask him/her closed-ended questions only to try and guess the object. If needed, explain that closed-ended questions are those that can be answered only by a yes or no. Once any team finds the object, this means that they won this round. And they can go for another round.

After two or three rounds, end the game and lead a classroom discussion. Tell the group that it took a long time and effort to find out the object in each round, but what if they had no time and only one question to ask to find out the object: what would that question be?

The question would be “What is the object?” which is an open-ended question. Open-ended questions are an excellent way to save time and energy and help you get to the information you need fast.

However, closed questions can also be useful to confirm your understanding or to help you control the conversation with an overly talkative person/customer.

2. One Word Letters

The instructor will start a clock (2-minute time limit). During the two minutes, the pair will write a single letter between them. Each of them will add only one word at a time.

The pair is to write as quickly as possible, not going back to re-read anything, but the last word added.

Letters and Communication Practice. Image Retrieved as Free Photo by Pixaby.

Grammar and spelling are unimportant. Punctuation is only added for sense in the letter. The letter may be written to anyone that the pair decides. It does not need to be a finished letter.

Once the time is up, the letter is read aloud to each other, or the group if classroom trust is solid.

Something interesting occurs when this activity is repeated. The original letters are nonsensical and amusing.

As the process is repeated, the pair’s language begins to become more cohesive. It makes for a rich discussion.

3. Study Groups

Creating space for college students to manage a group culture is practice for future employment and collaborations. Study groups are one way to create the space for effective communication skills to be fostered.

Setting up the study groups for the class can form new bonds between students, and challenge them with handling situations that students might not naturally enter. The benefits of effective learning and the development of cooperative communication skills are far-reaching (Colbeck, Campbell, & Bjorklund, 2000).

4. Team Debate Projects

Collaboration is an important skill for students to have in the world of employment, opinions, and creating solutions. To understand any selected course material, have students argue a point against another within a mediated session.

There are many resources on how to facilitate team debates. Discuss the complications that may arise with debates, and how they can practice listening and being willing to change their mind if the argument is convincing.

5. Peer Mentoring

Leadership development requires advanced communication skills. A productive way to develop these skills is through the active engagement of peer mentorship programs. The give and take that exists within this relationship will fully develop skills in both parties.

Mentors benefit from the self-confidence boost that their guidance is needed, while mentees benefit from advice and a role model.

These games can all start or end with a discussion on what is more valuable in communication: nonverbal or verbal cues?

1. You Don’t Say

Divide the group into smaller groups of 5-7 people. Write out a list of non-verbal behaviors.

Have the groups act out and interpret the meanings of these behaviors. This activity helps participants recognize nonverbal communication cues from others. Within their groups, have students display one of the nonverbal behaviors, while everyone else in the group shares or writes down what nonverbal message they are receiving.

Non-verbal behaviors can include:

• Leaning back in a chair with arms crossed;
• Leaning forward in a chair;
• Resting chin in both hands;
• Resting chin on knuckles;
• Rubbing your temples;
• Tapping fingers on the table;
• Looking at your watch;
• Staring around the room;

Ask the participants afterward to share their small-group findings. Ask the class if anyone has ever experienced a nonverbal cue that signaled to them much stronger than any words? Chances are that they have, and this provides context from their direct experience.

2. Picture Telling with Writing

To promote creative communication, this activity engages descriptive language and storytelling. Hold up a picture with people in it. Have the group write about what the people are doing and feeling in the picture.

With smaller children, the instructor can ask them to draw what happens next. This is a great form of imagination and emotional expression.

Have a list of topic questions prepared. Divide groups into partners. Have one partner act out the answer to the topic question. The second partner guesses by writing what they believe the answer is on a piece of paper.

4. Movement Sticks

Hold two poles between the fingers of pairs. Together the pair will adjust to the movement of the poles. This is a fun and interactive way to attune body language.

Divide the group into pairs. Have one partner be chosen as a leader. The other will follow the facial expressions and body language of the leader. This works on eye contact and emotional awareness, along with improvement in awareness of body language cues.

Switch the leader with the follower for the second round. Ask the class if they preferred to follow or lead, and why?

These games have been around for decades and are still fantastic for teaching active listening skills. Everyone knows the directions, and most people enjoy playing.

• Red Light, Green Light
• Musical Chairs

4. Popcorn Storytelling

This game is fun for all ages. Have the group sit in a circle. Give the group a starting sentence. For instance, “Once upon a time, a tiny gray elephant….” Have each participant add to the story based on what the previous participant has added to the story. It is a great demonstration of utilizing active listening.

5. What’s My Favorite Movie?

Have each participant describe their favorite movie to a partner. Then, in pairs ask them to repeat their partner’s favorite movie. Only those who have actively listened will be able to accurately repeat the favorites. It’s tough when the game has many participants.

Saying ‘yes’ to every request or opportunity can be harmful, especially when it stands in the way of us living in line with our values.

In Greg McKeown’s book ‘ Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less ,’ the idea of saying ‘no’ to increase valued living is put forward. McKeown suggested that we can learn to say ‘no’ gracefully to prioritize doing things that serve us. However, saying ‘no’ is often easier said than done.

So, here are guideposts to help you learn to say ‘no’ gracefully.

• Saying no to someone can be made easier by tapping into our values. Research shows that living our lives according to our values benefits our health and wellbeing. Thus, saying yes to someone or something that commits you to something that feels ‘wrong’ is doing yourself a disservice. When we feel the tension between what we feel is right and what someone asks us to do, we experience value-incongruence. Navigating these moments by tuning in to our values will allow us to say ‘no’ more easily.
• Saying no to someone’s request can often feel like we are saying no to the person. Learning to recognize that declining the request is not the same as declining the person enables us to do what’s right for us without fearing that we are hurting someone’s feelings.
• Rather than focusing on what we will lose by saying no, consider what we will gain. We can reorient our attention to what we will gain by ‘missing out’ to make it easier to say no.
• When someone asks us for something, they ask us to give them something. This is a cost. Recognizing what we are giving away by saying yes can help us say no.
• Finally, communicate clearly. Vague attempts to ‘soften the blow’ with non-committal language only lead to confusion and make our eventual ‘no’ that much harder.

Assertive communication is a healthy way to express one’s needs. Being respectful and honest may still cause discomfort, and negotiating that discomfort is a critical skill. The following are activities that can help teens to develop these vital communication skills.

1. Emotion Awareness

Being attuned to our own emotional needs is the foundation of understanding why we are happy or frustrated with others. Many teens have trouble putting words to how they are feeling, and that is often a matter of knowing how to identify complex emotions.

In this activity, provide each participant with a sheet of various emojis. Take the group through various emotion-invoking scenarios. Have them keep track and label the emotions that popped up for them. Being able to name emotions as they are cued is a first step in improving emotional intelligence, and also relaxes the amygdala from over-firing.

Divide the group into pairs. The pair will get two different sets of instructions.

Person 1 instructions will read: Person 2 will make a fist. You MUST get that fist open. Person 2 instructions will read: Person 1 is going to attempt to get you to open your fist. You must NOT open your fist unless he/she asks you politely and assertively.

Most people will try to pry the fist open. It is an opportunity to efficiently explain assertive communication. Knowing the power of good communication skills is important in building them properly.

Discuss with the students how the directions influenced their actions. Did they consider a peaceful way of asking? Why or why not? What communication role-models do movies and media offer?

3. Situation Samples

Have a list of scenarios where assertive communication would be the most effective. Offer the teens an opportunity to practice responses to the situations. Have them demonstrate aggressive, passive, and then assertive styles.

When they know the difference, the better they may practice it in real life scenarios.

Some sample scenarios could be:

• You are standing in line at the check-out and two salespeople are engrossed in a deep conversation ignoring you.
• Your teacher graded a paper that you feel should have received a higher mark.
• Someone calls you a name that is hurtful.

Go through various options for responses and get the teens brainstorming.

4. Eye Contact Circle

This nonverbal skill is essential in assertive communication. A creative way to build this skill is with this circle. Create a circle with group participants. Each participant will answer the same question (ie: what is your favorite ice cream flavor) and after answering must find mutual eye contact with someone across the circle.

Once this eye contact is made, the participant must call out their partner’s name and slowly switch places with them, while maintaining that eye contact. Eye contact is one of the basic principles of communication and trusting others.

5. Role-playing

Put the group into pairs and have them play different roles. Have the teens brainstorm scenarios from the past where they wish they had been more assertive. This also can be used in the workplace with employees, where people brainstorm in pairs.

This gives people the chance to learn from mistakes, and the empowerment to express their needs during the next uncomfortable situation. Have a list of possible scenarios ready, just in case the brainstorming doesn’t produce enough opportunities to explore.

17 Exercises To Develop Positive Communication

17 Positive Communication Exercises [PDFs] to help others develop communication skills for successful social interactions and positive, fulfilling relationships.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Good communication is a skill that serves people in every area of life. Even the best communicators make mistakes, let alone those of us still learning how to improve. Imagine a world where everyone knew the emotion behind their message and tried to communicate with assertive kindness.

Equipping children with effective communication skills results in higher levels of emotional intelligence, higher test scores, lowering incidents of bullying, and improvements in overall mental well-being. There is so much to gain from practicing these skills.

With the omnipresence of technological advances, kids need to practice these face-to-face skills more than ever.

Building these skills in all age groups builds a society for empathy and emotional resilience. The more practice kids get in school and at home, the better these skills will become. Adults and kids alike have endless opportunities to change how they speak and address their shared needs.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free .

• Brown, D. F. (2005). The significance of congruent communication in effective classroom management. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas , 79 (1), 12-15.
• Clark, M., & Bussey, K. (2020). The role of self-efficacy in defending cyberbullying victims. Computers in Human Behavior , 109.
• Colbeck, C. L., Campbell, S. E., & Bjorklund, S. A. (2000). Grouping in the dark: What college students learn from group projects. The Journal of Higher Education , 71 (1), 60-83.
• Forman, S. G., & Kalafat, J. (1998). Substance abuse and suicide: Promoting resilience against self-destructive behavior in youth. School Psychology Review , 27 (3), 398-406.
• Goode, D. A. (1986). Kids, culture and innocents. Human Studies, 9 (1), 83–106.
• Irvin, J. L., & Richardson, T. L. (2002). The importance of emotional intelligence during transition into middle school. Middle School Journal, 33 (3), 55–58.
• Khoury-Kassabri, M. (2012). The relationship between teacher self-efficacy and violence toward students as mediated by teacher’s attitude. Social Work Research , 36 (2), 127-139.
• Knutson, J. F., & Lansing, C. R. (1990). The relationship between communication problems and psychological difficulties in persons with profound acquired hearing loss. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders , 55 (4), 656-664.
• Leung, L. (2007). Stressful life events, motives for internet use, and social support among digital kids. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10 (2), 204–214.
• McCroskey, J. C. (1977). Oral communication apprehension: A summary of recent theory and research. Human Communication Research , 4 (1), 78-96.
• Nørgaard, B., Ammentorp, J., Ohm Kyvik, K., & Kofoed, P. E. (2012). Communication skills training increases self‐efficacy of health care professionals. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions , 32 (2), 90-97.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). The darker and brighter sides of human existence: Basic psychological needs as a unifying concept. Psychological Inquiry , 11 (4), 319-338.
• Stanfield, J. (2017). 8 Tips to teach effective communication skills. Retrieved from https://stanfield.com/8-tips-teach-effective-communication-skills/
• Zeki, C. P. (2009). The importance of non-verbal communication in classroom management. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences , 1 (1), 1443-1449.

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Communication is the key. People need other people to survive. Great communication can lead to great achievements. That’s why we need to teach our kids to converse their thoughts and emotions with each other. I have some info on communication skills as well. Check out here https://aliciaortego.com/communication-skills-for-kids/

Hey Kelly Your article gave me lot of information and encouragement as I am taking up a communication course for some teachers. Thanks a lot dear

I teach Communication skills in a Nursing School. I find your activities very engaging and allows the student to realise the importance of good communication.

I am a teacher in a High School Medical academy. We are working on Communications skills and I cant wait to use some of these games with my students. They are so technology oriented that They will need to learn these skills for the medical field. I wanted to share too that a game I used for team work and communication was the one where yo have items on a table covered and you have them peek for a few seconds then cover back up and they have to make a list. They will need to work together and communicate in order to make the list correct. Tank you for your suggestions.

Ms Miller, You’re article was so helpful for me, as a mother of a a child whose anxiety is increasing related to a language based LD recently diagnosed. Oral expression is a challenge esp as she is entering middle school. I am in Toronto Canada and in search of a good Speech Pathologist who can help. Given that Covid has created a remote reality, could you suggest a a good SP taking patients remotely?

Thank you for sharing these articles. They are very interesting and useful

The article was very beneficial with different activities one could do with the students in class or they could do with parents at home. I particularly like the fact that those activities build students’ self-efficacy since this is an important aspect for the primary years program.Thank you very much.

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Compare and contrast a variety of topics with 5 different activities and over 400 prompts! Improve understanding and use of similarities and differences using this comprehensive activity. 

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NOTE: This resource includes 1 printable PDF with a Boom Cards companion. The Boom Cards contains part of the PDF resource. Boom Cards are digital resources. PDF pages can be used digitally with PDF applications or can be printed for in person use.

Picture & Word Describing Webs

This set of 70 picture description webs targets describing pictures and words by color, shape, size, location, material, function, category and more. Includes 8 wh- questions for each word!

Teaching slides are also included to teach your students how to describe pictures.

⭐️ Picture Description Webs:

• 8 fill in the blank questions to target descriptions
• Color description targets
• Size description targets
• Shape description targets
• Location description targets
• Material description targets
• Function description targets
• Category description targets
• Who (who uses it?) description targets
• Color coded targets to improve memory of ways to describe

⭐️ Teaching Slides:

• Question example for each description target
• Concrete examples of each description type 

⭐️ Bonus Pages on PDF:

• Colored blank picture web template with 8 questions
• Black and white picture web template with 8 questions

BONUS! A blank PDF template for a color web and a black and white web are also included.   Your students have the opportunity to draw their own unique pictures and create webs.

70 trials, plus blank webs, allows for unlimited practice of picture and word describing. 

Help your students learn how to describe with this activity! PDF and Boom Cards versions are included.

Predicting in Short Stories

This activity includes   50 predicting stories . Unique and original scenarios for predicting practice!

✨ As seen on Boom Cards Top Premium Decks ✨

Each scenario   includes a "what" question and a "how" question   for further discussion and analysis for your students.

50 stories means you won't need any other activity for predicting! Use these randomized trials track data over multiple sessions.

⭐️   50 Predicting story slides

• Unique predicting scenarios
• What question for predicting
• How question for analyzing prediction

BUNDLE Figurative Language

This BUNDLE of figurative language cards includes idioms, metaphors, hyperboles, personification and similes. Over 255 practice targets with figurative language!

The set targets multiple skills so your students will have an in depth understanding of each type of figurative language! This set is a truly comprehensive approach to understanding and using figurative language.

⭐️ 60 Idioms

• Yes/no questions for every trial
• What questions for every trial
• Free response (students have an opportunity to create their own idioms) for every trial

⭐️ 40 Metaphors

• Free response (students have an opportunity to create their own metaphors) for every trial

⭐️ 40 Similes

• Free response (students have an opportunity to create their own similes) for every trial

⭐️ 45 Hyperboles

• Free response (students have an opportunity to create their own hyperboles) for every trial

⭐️ 40 Personification

• Free response to give students opportunity to create short stories with personification

⭐️ 35 Allusions

• 2 what questions for every trial
• Free response to encourage building allusions in sentences
• Allusions to Historical figures, literature, famous fictional characters, locations/landmarks, Greek mythology, movies and more

⭐️ Each deck includes a teaching slide

• Definitions
• Help your students understand and identify figurative language before practicing

Preview Boom Cards HERE.

Prepositions & Spatial Concepts

This set of   prepositions targets spatial and location concepts with 60 trials ! Teach your students prepositions and location with this robust, comprehensive deck.

You can pick which preposition to target, or practice with randomized slides. The teaching module will   teach your students everything they need to know about each preposition   before practicing! 

⭐️   Prepositions include:

⭐️   learning module includes:.

Use the practice slides to practice prepositions with multiple choice. Navigate between the learning module and practice cards using the buttons at the bottom of each slide.

CLICK HERE for Boom Card Preview.

To use Boom Cards, you  must  be connected to the Internet. Boom Cards play on modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge). Apps are available for modern Android, iPads, iPhones, and Kindle Fires. For security and privacy, adults must have a Boom Learning account to use and assign Boom Cards. You will be able to assign the Boom Cards you are buying with "Fast Pins," (a form of play that gives instant feedback to students for self-grading Boom Cards). For assignment options that report student progress back to you, you will need to purchase a premium account. If you are new to Boom Learning, you will be offered a free trial of our premium account. Read here for details: http://bit.ly/BoomTrial .

Main Idea & Supporting Details

Main idea and supporting details with 5 different ways to practice and 50 unique prompts! Improve reading comprehension and writing skills using this main ideas and detail resource.

This product contains a PDF version and a Boom Cards companion.

This resource includes   5 different ways to practice main idea and supporting details , including stories with questions, main ideas vs. details, create-a-story, grouping, and pictures with questions. Real photos are also included in this resource.

⭐️ Main Idea & Details:

• 10 Stories & Questions
• 10 Main Ideas vs. Details
• 10 Create-A-Story
• 10 Grouping
• 10 Pictures & Questions
• Improve understanding main ideas and details
• Increase reading comprehension abilities
• Expand skills for creating stories

To use Boom Cards, you must be connected to the Internet. Boom Cards play on modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge). Apps are available for modern Android, iPads, iPhones, and Kindle Fires. For security and privacy, adults must have a Boom Learning account to use and assign Boom Cards. You will be able to assign the Boom Cards you are buying with "Fast Pins," (a form of play that gives instant feedback to students for self-grading Boom Cards). For assignment options that report student progress back to you, you will need to purchase a premium account.  If you are new to Boom Learning, you will be offered a free trial of our premium account.  Read here for details: http://bit.ly/BoomTrial .

Expanding Language with Wh Questions and Real Pictures

Expand expressive language using wh- questions and sentence generation prompts with real pictures.   Improve expressive language, answering questions, labeling verbs, and story generation!   What, where, and who questions are included for every picture!

⭐ Expanding Language with Real Pictures

• 80 real life pictures
• 3 wh- questions   for every story
• Free response prompt   for every story
• Large variety of actions and topics within pictures
• What, where, and who questions for every story
• Printable pages

⭐ Targeted Skills

• Improve expressive language
• Enhance skills for answering questions
• Boost sentence and story generation skills
• Develop verb describing and labeling

Sequencing and Planning

This set of 50 sequencing and planning activity deck will help your students improve their planning skills! The deck includes a variety of sequencing and planning scenarios and trials for your students.

Each open-ended short story includes 3 color-coded wh- questions to guide sequencing.

⭐️   50 Sequencing short stories

• Unique sequencing stories
• 3 wh- questions per story
• Color-coded questions, to match teaching slide

⭐️   Teaching slide

• 6 unique teaching  slides with visuals
• Color-coded information to match questions in trials
• Drag & drop activity
• Synonyms for key words
• Example of a story sequence

CLICK HERE for Boom Cards Preview

Flexible Thinking & Reframing

This set of 40 flexible thinking and reframing thoughts cards   teaches your students how to improve flexible thinking   in difficult situations.

Each unique scenario includes   multiple questions as well as a labeling exercise   to encourage flexible thinking and increasing creative problem solving.

⭐️   Each Flexible Thinking trial includes:

• Why question
• How question

⭐️   Teaching slides include:

• Flexible v. rigid thinking comparison
• Flexible thinking examples
• Strategies for use of flexible thinking in difficult moments

INCLUDES: Both a PDF version and a Boom Cards version!

BUNDLE for Wh- Questions also available in Shine Speech Activities shop , which includes short stories and sentences!

CLICK HERE for Boom Cards Preview .

*This product contains the same activities as the PDF version. If you would like the PDF version, view   Wh- Questions & Short Stories, Auditory Comprehension .

Inferencing & Context Clues

70 inferencing and context clues trials to improve critical thinking skills! Each trial comes with 4 unique clues to help your students make an inference. They can then provide their answer, and drag the cover away to see the correct answer and a picture.

⭐️   As featured on Boom Cards Top Premium Decks   ⭐️

⭐ 70 Inferencing & Context Clues Slides:

• 4 clues for every word
• Space to type an answer
• Drag to uncover the correct answer
• Pictures of the correct answer

⭐ Skills targeted:

• Improve inferencing
• Enhance ability to understand clues
• Increase critical thinking and executive function abilities
• Boost deductive reasoning skills
• Improve ability to draw conclusions

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Speech Blubs

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100+ fun activities for kids that will keep them entertained for hours! Target speech development through play and games. They won’t even know they are learning!

Learn about your baby and toddler developmental milestones! Check if you are on track, when to worry, and how to work on skills like language, potty training, and feeding!

Every child is different! Here are speech and language tips and tools for kids with learning differences, alongside information for parents provided by speech therapists.

Parenting starts with your well-being! Here is some advice on how to teach life skills, work from home, distance learning, along with tips for developing parenting coping skills.

We help kids speak no matter their speech challenges! Speech therapists advise parents about late talkers, speech delay, stuttering, apraxia, articulation, and other speech impediments.

From your first worry to your first appointment, and your last speech therapy session – find the information you need to help your child thrive and gain necessary speech skills.

Parent's Academy › Speech Therapy › Speech Therapy for Kids › Your Non-verbal Child: How to Set Communication Goals

Your Non-verbal Child: How to Set Communication Goals

Natalie barnes.

Speech Therapist and Audiologist , Cape Town , South Africa

Jan 17, 2022 There are many reasons why your child may be non-verbal. The key is for you to identify and understand the range of their communication difficulty and possibly the underlying cause. In this blog you will find out about stages of communication, setting your speech goals for a non-verbal child, and how to actively encourage your child's communication.

Having a non-verbal child isn’t easy. Even knowing what a child’s communication development stages are is a lot of work. Not to mention learning to understand nonverbal communication, speech therapy goals, or even what it means to have effective communication with your child, your non-verbal child.

The best place to start is to take the first step and learn about setting goals and objectives that are realistic. First, let’s look at what ‘non-verbal’ means.

In This Article

How does your non-verbal child communicate and why, your child’s stage of communication.

• Set Communication Goals for Non-verbal Child

Encourage Communication with Non-verbal Child

Help your child make requests.

• Encourage Your Child Refuse or Tell You “No”

Help Your Child Learn to Greet and Say “Bye”

Encourage your child to interact or make comments, help your child make choices.

• How Speech Blubs Can Help your Child

For example, your child may be non-verbal due to a language disorder or speech delay ; they may even have a physical speech impediment that prevents them from being able to speak at all.

The most common cause of children being non-verbal is that they have difficulty understanding social interactions and responding within them – something that is largely seen in autistic children and other developmental disorders such as Down syndrome.

What is Communication?

Before you can help your nonverbal child to verbalize, you need to understand why you want them to verbalize, and what skills they require to do so.

Children and adults verbalize in order to communicate. Communication happens when one person sends a message to another person. You can send this message in a variety of ways and for different reasons.

The core aspects of communication involve:

• How you communicate, and
• Why you communicate.

Communication is a process. Effective communication is built through interaction and connection, which is the basis of two-way communication . Oftentimes, non-verbal children have difficulty verbalizing because they have some degree of difficulty interacting with others. This makes developing communication skills even harder.

In order to have successful interactions your child needs to:

• Respond to others’ communication attempts, and
• Initiate communication attempts with others

If you’d like to learn more about communication and how complex it can be, watch this video .

Your Child’s Likes and Dislikes

The most important tool to use when working on communication with non-verbal children is targeting their likes and dislikes. You can use these to encourage communication by focusing on their likes so that you know what motivates them to communicate. Use structured activities that will incorporate your child’s likes and dislikes!

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Just because your child isn’t speaking, doesn’t mean that they aren’t communicating . Children communicate through actions, sounds, body language, and words. If you discover how your child communicates, you can develop their strengths and teach them other forms of communication through those modalities.

Your child may be communicating non-verbally:

• Crying or screaming
• Moving their body next to people and things they are interested in
• Turning their body away from people and things they aren’t interested in
• Using gestures and facial expressions
• Reaching with an open hand for things they want
• Taking your hand to get you to do things for them
• Looking at things they want
• Pointing to things they want and then at you for assistance
• Using pictures
• Making sounds and speech sounds

It’s not enough to simply look at how your child communicates, you also need to look at why they communicate. Once you know the purpose of their communication you can help your child find more ways and more reasons to communicate .

In her book “ More Than Words : A Guide to Helping Parents Promote Communication and Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder ,” author Fern Sussman describes non-verbal children as being on a four-stage continuum.

By identifying your child’s stage of communication, you will know what they can and cannot do, as well as what you can expect them to do next. This will help you set communication goals for them.

These are the four stages of speech and language development by Fern Sussman:

1) Own Agenda Stage

A child at this stage wants to play alone and appears uninterested in people and activities around them. They don’t understand that they can affect people by sending a message directly to them, so they display no intentional communication. You can expect your child to:

• Understand almost no words
• Almost never interact with other children
• Cry or scream to protest
• Interact with you briefly
• Want to do things alone
• Reach for what they want
• Look at what they want
• Play in unusual ways

2) Requester Stage

A child at this stage is beginning to realize that their actions can have an effect on you . They ask you for things they want or need by pulling or leading you to it, and they enjoy playing physical “People Games.” You can expect your child to:

• Echo/copy a few words that you say in an attempt to communicate
• Understand the steps in familiar routines
• Request that you continue a physical “People Game” with eye contact, smiles, body movements, and sounds when you pause or stop playing
• Occasionally follow directions if they can see what they need to do

3) Early Communicator Stage

A child at this stage is using specific gestures, sounds, pictures or words consistently to ask for things in very motivating situations. Their social interactions last longer and their communication is more intentional , though they still mainly communicate to ask you to do things for them. You can expect your child to:

• Interact with you and familiar people in familiar situations
• Take more turns in “People Games”
• Begin to protest or refuse using the same forms of communication
• Occasionally use the same forms of communication to get your attention or to show you something
• Understand simple, familiar sentences with visual cues
• Understand the names of familiar objects and people without visual cues
• Say “hi” and “bye”
• Answer yes/no questions
• Answer “what’s that?” questions

4) Partner Stage

A child at this stage is a more effective communicator with a certain set of language skills. They should be able to talk and carry on a simple conversation . They sometimes can’t come up with their own words and rely on memorized words or phrases.

This usually happens in unfamiliar situations when they don’t understand what is being said and struggle to grasp the rules of conversation. You can expect your child to:

• Participate in longer interactions with you
• Play with other children successfully in familiar play routines
• Draw your attention to something
• Ask and answer questions
• Talk about the past and the future
• Express feelings
• Make up their own sentences
• Sometimes repair or fix what they say when someone doesn’t understand them

Setting Communication Goals

Now that you have read about the stages of communication, and know your child’s level of communication, you can set goals for them to challenge and actively encourage their communication.

You can do this by following Fern Sussman’s communication continuum as described in her book “More Than Words,” as well as this post. 

Just because your child isn’t speaking, doesn’t mean that they aren’t communicating.

The key to helping your child communicate lies in setting realistic expectations for them . Ultimately, you want your child to achieve the following primary goals:

• Interaction with you and other people
• Communicating in new ways
• Communicating for new reasons

The best way to achieve these goals is to use your child’s likes and dislikes, as well as their stage of communication .

Once you know your child’s stage, continue reading this article.

1) Goals for the Own Agenda Stage

• Encourage your child to have joyful interactions with you in physical “People Games” 
• Set up situations for your child to communicate intentionally, starting with requests
• Teach your child to take turns using forms of communication (body movement, eye contact, smiling, sounds, etc.) during physical and sensory play
• Increase your child’s understanding of activities so that they can begin to respond to what you say

For more information, guidance, and techniques on how to work with your non-verbal child at the Own Agenda stage watch this video:

2) Goals for the Requester Stage

• Help your child use an action or sound to get you to continue a physical “People Game”
• Help your child replace pulling and leading you with forms of communication
• Increase the things for which your child makes requests
• Help your child understand several familiar words
• Encourage your child to play “People Games” with other familiar people – like siblings or grandparents

This video will tell you how to work with a child at the Requester Stage:

3) Goals for the Early Communicator Stage

• Teach your child to take turns with you and other people in physical “People Games”
• Encourage your child to initiate physical “People Games” rather than just waiting for you to do so
• Help your child increase their use of communication forms to make requests in new situations
• “Echoes/copying” into spontaneous speech
• Gestures into signs, speech, or picture communication
• Picture communication into verbal communication
• Single-word communication into short phrases
• Refuse and protest
• Answer questions
• Say “hello” and “bye”
• Shift their gaze between you and something they’re interested in
• Draw your attention to someone or something
• Comment on unusual or favorite things
• Help your child understand familiar words and phrases and follow simple directions

4) Goals for the Partner Stage

• Replacing “echolalia/copying” with their own words
• Using correct words and sentences in conversation
• Answering closed- and open-ended question
• Talking about the past and future
• Talking about feelings
• Playing “Pretend”
• Showing them how to start and end a conversation
• Showing them how to stay on topic
• Explaining that others don’t always understand what they mean so they have to change what they say
• Explaining that they should ask for clarification if they don’t understand
• Identify and describe feelings
• Make comparisons
• Problem-solve
• That other people have different points of view
• Help your child play and communicate successfully with other children

How to work with kids at the Early Communicator or Partner stage :

The best way to get your non-verbal child communicating is by giving them a reason to communicate . It is very tempting to ensure that your child has everything they need and that it is well within reach. However, if your child doesn’t have any difficulty getting what they want, then they don’t have any reason to communicate with you. Thus, you need to create situations that encourage communication.

Here are some suggestions to encourage children of all ages to communicate for a variety of reasons. Remember that not all of these communications need to be verbal . If your child communicates using sounds, gestures, facial expressions, or even pictures, then it counts as a communicative attempt. 

Place their favorite things out of reach

If you place your child’s favorite food or toy on a high shelf or countertop that they can see but cannot reach, then they are more likely to ask you for help so that they can get it. You can also place these items in a clear plastic container that is hard to open. Your child will be able to see what they want, but they will have to ask you for help to get it

Use people toys

These toys are hard to operate and encourage interaction because your child needs your help to make them work. Give your child time to look at the toy and step in when you see them becoming frustrated or when they ask for your help.

Wind-up and squeeze toys

Once you have wound up a toy or squeezed it to make it jump it will stop moving. Hand it to your child and wait for them to request that you make it move again 

Blow a few bubbles and then pause. Wait for your child to ask you to blow them again

Blow up a balloon and let the air out, then put the balloon to your mouth and wait for your child to ask you to blow it up again

Music boxes

Wind up the music box and let the music play, then wait for your child to ask you to do it again once the music has stopped

Jack-in-the-box

Wind up the jack-in-the-box and let him pop out. Wait for your child to ask you to do it again

Mirrors are fantastic for playing peek-a-boo games and copycat games. You can play any game or sing any song in front of the mirror. Wait for your child to ask you to do any of the activities again, and encourage them to play copycat games with you

Offer things bit-by-bit

If you give your child everything they want all at once, then they won’t need to ask you for anything. By giving your non-verbal child things in small amounts, you are providing them with more opportunities to communicate their needs to you. Some toys, like Lego ’s, are easy to give out bit-by-bit, as are snacks like raisins and potato chips.

Give all but one

Give your child all but one of the things they need for an activity. Hold it out of their reach, but in their view, and wait for them to ask you for it .

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Help Your Child Refuse or Tell You “No”

Offer their least favorite things

Offer your child food, drink, or a toy that you know they do not like so that you give them the opportunity to say “no”

Let your child end the activity

Wait until your child gets bored with an activity and then let them tell you, through whatever mode of communication they prefer, that they have had enough

Use puppets, stuffed animals , or Legos

A puppet or a Lego Minifigur e can demonstrate greeting and saying “bye” by repeating the action several times as you make the puppet appear and disappear behind your back, encouraging your child to say it with you and then on their own

Ut ilize your window

Stand at your window when you are expecting guests and wave at them and say “hi” as they walk up to your door. Encourage your child to do the same and then eventually to do it on their own. You can do this when the guest leaves as well

Create predictable routines, then present a surprise

Adding a surprise to your daily routines encourages your child to react and to hopefully want to communicate about it

Look through a book whilst pointing and naming pictures, then turn a page and point to a picture but don’t say anything, let your child name the picture. Let your child help you unpack the groceries and show great interest in the items, naming them as you take them out of the bag. When you come to your child’s favorite food, wait for them to get excited and name it

Offer something different

Play with toys that use multiple pieces, like puzzles, and pass your child each piece. Then give them something completely different (like a marble) and wait for them to react

Make mistakes “accidentally”

Children love it when their parents make mistakes and do something silly. You could put their shoes on their feet the wrong way or try and put their trousers over their heads whilst getting dressed. You can wait for your child to react and then laugh about it

When all is going smoothly, make something go wrong

A good idea is when you are eating dinner or breakfast, you can “accidentally” drop your fork on the floor and wait for your child to react or let you know

Pretend you don’t know where things are

You and your child can search for things together if you act like you don’t know where they are. Exaggerate your distress and wait for your child to react 

Pretend that you’re “broken”

Set situations up so that it looks like you are experiencing difficulty doing things. You could pretend that you don’t hear the doorbell ringing which gives your child an opportunity to get your attention and tell you what is going on

Start with easy choices

The easiest choice for your child to make is between two things that they can see. One must be something they really like and the other something that they dislike. Hold the choices up in front of them and at first, offer the favorite choice last.

This is because children who are first learning to make choices often choose the last object presented. Once your child is experienced in making choices, you can offer the favorite choice first.

Give visual cues

Your child will need visual cues to help them make choices at first. You can hold real objects, point to real objects, or point to pictures of real objects. Present these in the same way that you did for their easy choices and then increase the level of difficulty

Yes/No choices

This is the same method that you used for helping your child make easy choices, however, you now want to encourage them to verbalize. Hold up what they don’t want and encourage them to say “no.” If your child cannot answer, respond to them to show them what they should do and then try again. Do this with the item that they want as well

Speech Blubs was built for non-verbal children

Our app has plenty of vocabulary activities for your child to choose from, which encourages them to communicate intentionally by selecting what they would like to do and by working through the different situations in each of our “games.” By doing this, your child will learn and understand several familiar words and use them to initiate communication in new situations. 

The kids on our app prompt your child when to speak, and because of the fun nature of our “games,” you’re likely to find your child requesting to play and responding to you in no time at all!

The app supports non-verbal children by allowing them to learn initially whilst observing the kids in the app. They can then begin to imitate the kids when they’re ready.

Remember, if you are unsure about why your child may be non-verbal or if they are having difficulty communicating, you can use our free screener by downloading our app. The screener will highlight your child’s strengths and weaknesses and we’ll even give you a personalized report and actionable advice with the results. You can download the app from the App Store or Google Play . 

You have an ally in Speech Blubs and our biggest success is seeing your child achieve their greatest potential.

Have a question for our Speech Therapists?

The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Blub Blub Inc. All content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgement, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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Speech Tube: Nonverbal Social Skills

11/07/2014 by Jenna 2 Comments

One of my most unique speech therapy activities for middle schoolers is Speech Tube. This fall I added another set: Speech Tube Social: Nonverbal Cues.

The Speech Tube is back! I’m starting a Social set of activities. The first highlighted skill is identifying body language and nonverbal communication.  My student’s were not happy to be coming to the speech office. One week I pulled out my iPhone and let them watch a popular You Tube clip. After 3 minutes of laughing and watching clips, I was able to get them to work for the next 30 minutes on our speech and language goals. Since then, I’ve been finding ways to spark their interest with clips!

**********Updated 10/1/14. Replaced the Sue Heck video with a new one. The old link broke and was no longer viewable. Replaced the Sheldon Smile video to one that is now viewable on mobile devices. Please re-download.

Have you used videos to engage middle schoolers? Leave a comment and let me know how!

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11/07/2014 at 9:15 am

I just bought both of your Speech Tube sets! I am super excited to start using them. 🙂

11/07/2014 at 10:40 pm

FYI- safeshare.tv is a website that converts YouTube links into advertisement free videos. It’s pretty great!

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Adapting for Autism | Work Tasks for your Special Education Classroom

Autism Resources & Ideas

The Best Classroom Activities for Nonverbal (Nonspeaking) Autistic Students

Share for your fellow special educators!

Are you looking for activities to help teach nonverbal or nonspeaking autistic students in your classroom? If so, you are in the right place!

Let me tell you a little secret:

As a special educator I ALWAYS presumed competence in my students and I hope you do the same.

Want to know something interesting?

If you as the teacher think that a student cannot do something, then they most likely will not be able to.

However, when I approached all learning opportunities as just that-an opportunity for growth and learning, then that is what typically happened. It was pretty cool and eye opening.

Basically what I’m trying to say is don’t treat students who can’t verbally speak any differently than your other students. You may have to use some different types of resources to communicate but that is okay.

Understanding Nonverbal vs. Nonspeaking Autism

According to Autism Speaks , About 30% of the autism population is born not being able to use oral language to speak.

The term “nonverbal” can mean something different for each and every person. We actually used to use this term a lot when I was still teaching.

According to Merriam Webster , Nonverbal actually means “not involving or using words and lacking or appearing to lack the ability to engage in speech.

Nonspeaking is defined as not involving spoken lines and not speaking or being able to speak.

You must remember that students who we refer to as nonverbal can still understand and respond to language . This is why the term nonspeaking can be somewhat preferred because these children can still understand language and communicate in different ways.

Just because someone does not communicate language through speech doesn’t mean they cannot understand or cannot communicate ideas through words.

Many people still use these words interchangeably, I am simply just giving some facts that I have learned recently.

The Best Classroom Activities for Nonverbal or Nonspeaking Autistic Students:

As a former autism classroom teacher who had many nonverbal students, I absolutely get the struggle of figuring out what to teach. I had no district curriculum available for any part of my classroom, so I had to search or create it myself.

Want to know a little trick that I learned as an autism classroom teacher?

Make things the same for students Every. Single. Time.

Once I realized that when I created resources that followed the same pattern while teaching different skills, my students always knew what to do. This way, it didn’t matter if my student was completing an ELA or math work task, they knew EXACTLY what to do every time I put it in front of them because the directions did not change.

This was a HUGE game changer for my students in learning how to work independently on tasks.

Below, I want to leave you with some of my favorite resources that I used in my autism classroom that worked really well with students who were not able to speak but could communicate in other ways.

It’s all about creating an inclusive space where every kid can shine, right? So, let’s dive into some awesome classroom activities that I’ve found super effective.

The Power of Visual Supports

If you work with students with autism, you know the huge power of using visual supports.

For students that cannot communicate through oral language, visual supports are absolutely necessary.

Here are some of my favorite visual supports to use with nonverbal or nonspeaking learners:

Visual Schedules

Visual supports for art class, visual supports for music class, visual supports for pe.

“Visuals are the bridge that connects imagination to understanding, making complex ideas simple and turning dreams into reality.”

Reading Activities for Nonverbal or Nonspeaking Students:

⭐️ picture exchange system (pecs) :.

PECS is a fantastic tool that uses picture cards to help students communicate their desires and feelings. It’s also one of the best professional trainings I ever took.

But guess what?

It’s also incredible for teaching reading!

You can create PECS cards with simple words like “cat” or “dog” and gradually introduce more complex words to build the student’s vocabulary/ reading skills.

⭐️ Interactive Storytelling:

Pick a storybook and make it interactive! Use props, gestures and visual cues to help students engage with the story. Encourage them to point to pictures in the book or use AAC devices to express their thoughts about the story.

You can also use adapted books when reading. I liked to use CORE words to help teach about important subjects. These adapted books for teaching students about the community are some of my favorites.

⭐️ Sensory Reading :

Make reading a multisensory experience. Provide textured books or incorporate sensory elements into storytelling. Sensory reading can enhance comprehension by providing additional sensory input.

For instance, if you’re reading a story about the beach, bring in some sand to touch or seashells to explore while you read to help students better understand the story.

⭐️ Picture to Word Matching Activities:

Like I said above, using visuals is HUGE for working with students with autism, especially nonspeaking students. To access reading skills, I found that using lots of visuals and matching activities were extremely helpful to see if students were able to decode words. For this activity, they would have to decode the word and find the corresponding picture that matches the word at the bottom of the file folder.

Math Activities for Nonverbal or Nonspeaking Students:

⭐️ counting with visuals:.

Numbers can be tricky, but visuals make math friendlier.

Use colorful counters, number lines, or even their favorite toys to help them understand counting and basic math concepts.

Use colorful building blocks or LEGO bricks. Ask the students to build towers or structures with a specific number of blocks, like “Build a tower with 5 blocks” or “Make a bridge using 3 blocks.”

This hands-on activity reinforces counting and basic math concepts such as addition and subtraction.

⭐️ Matching File Folders :

If you have students who can’t orally tell you the answer and maybe struggle with fine motor skills, completing some matching file folder activities like these counting file folders can be a great idea. I would use these an assessment tool to see where students were with their counting at the beginning of the year and throughout the year to collect data.

The only downfall to matching activities is that students can guess the answer and still get it correct. The big positive to using file folder activities like this is their ability to complete the work independently.

Writing Activities for Nonverbal or Nonspeaking Students:

⭐️ aac writing apps:.

There are some fantastic apps designed to support AAC users in developing writing skills. They can type or select words and sentences to create stories or communicate their thoughts in writing. AAC stands for augmentative and alternative communication. Basically it just means another form of communicating besides verbally speaking.

When choosing an AAC app for writing, it’s essential to consider the individual needs and preferences of the user, as well as the level of support required. Many of these apps offer free trials or lite versions, allowing you to explore their features and determine which one best meets the specific needs of your students.

Here are some AAC Writing Apps you could try:

➡️ Proloquo2Go :

This comprehensive AAC app offers a text-based communication system with a wide range of customizable features. It allows users to construct sentences and paragraphs using symbols or text. Proloquo2Go also includes a robust vocabulary and grammar support.

➡️ TouchChat :

TouchChat is a versatile AAC app that includes both symbol-based and text-based communication options. It provides word prediction and abbreviation-expansion features, making it easier for users to write sentences and messages efficiently.

➡️ Snap + Core First:

Created by Tobii Dynavox, this AAC app offers a versatile platform for communication, including text-based messages and writing support. It has a user-friendly interface and a wide range of vocabulary and symbol options.

➡️ LAMP Words for Life:

LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning) is an AAC app that emphasizes motor planning and language development. It can be adapted for writing by creating custom grids or using the built-in text-based communication feature.

➡️ SpeakBook:

While primarily designed for storytelling and social interaction, SpeakBook can also be used for writing activities. It enables users to create stories, captions, and sentences using text and symbols.

⭐️ Cut and Paste Writing Activities :

Cut and paste worksheets are particularly helpful for teaching the sequencing part of writing. I like to use these cut and sequence worksheets . Then, if students are able to-they can use the sequencing steps to create a short sentence or paragraph using the picture prompts, depending on their writing goals.

Social Skills Activities for Nonverbal or Nonspeaking Students:

⭐️ visual social stories:.

Use visual social stories that depict various social situations and appropriate responses. These stories can serve as a valuable resource for teaching social cues and expected behaviors.

A social story is usually written in first person (as if it’s from the student’s perspective). It is a simple narrative that answers questions about a problem that the student may encounter and how to deal with them. It helps autistic students understand social norms and learn how to communicate with others effectively.

For example, if a student hates loud noises and a fire drill is coming up that week-you may read them a social story about what will happen during the fire drill and what to do when the alarm goes off to ease their mind a bit.

Adapted 4 Special Ed has some great choices for social stories that you can find HERE.

⭐️ Group Games:

Engage students in group games or activities that require cooperation and interaction. Games like “Simon Says,” or board games such as Candy Land can be incredibly effective in promoting social skills and engagement such as following directions or turn-taking for students who are nonverbal.

⭐️ I Feel I Need Visual Choice Board :

While this visual was designed for students with autism, it can be beneficial for any struggling students. Even verbal students can have trouble retrieving the words or articulating what they need can benefit from using this.

Providing students with this simple file folder visual support can allow them to express their needs in a simple way by using pictures to help show what they need or how they are feeling in certain situations.

Best Activities for Nonverbal or Nonspeaking Autism

Remember, every nonverbal or nonspeaking student is unique, so it’s essential to tailor these activities to their specific needs and preferences. Stay flexible, be patient and celebrate every small step of progress along the way! I hope you found some of these ideas helpful! Please let me know below which ones you will try!

• ← 3 Things To Do the First Week of School: Autism Classroom
• 7 File Folder Hacks for your Autism Classroom →

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20 Super Fun Games for a Nonverbal Autistic Child

Using games with a nonverbal autistic child is a great way to support them to thrive. Pairing fun and interest with learning is an effective teaching strategy. Additionally, non-speaking children benefit when parents and support people encourage connection and emotional safety over compliance. One way to do this is through games and other fun activities. So, today, let’s dive into different activities and games for the nonverbal autistic child in your life.

Table of Contents

20 activities and games for a nonverbal autistic child, 3. build puzzles, 4. build with blocks, 6. hide and seek, 7. physical play and motor skills, 10. trampoline time, 11. painting, 13. pretend play, 14. play house, 15. sorting games, 16. board games for nonverbal autistic child, 18. educational apps, 19. minecraft, 20. drawing, recap: games for nonverbal autistic child, nonspeaking not nonverbal.

While many people say “nonverbal children” when referring to kids who don’t speak, this is not accurate.

The term nonverbal indicates a child is without language. However, most young children who don’t speak do understand and can use language. (This is why we must give them the tools to do so such as AAC Alternative and Augmentative Communication.)

By understanding that communication skills are multi-faceted, we can better support and connect with young children who don’t speak, have communication disorders, or live with selective mutism . Let’s presume competence.

The following list contains 20 fun activities and games for nonverbal children.

A game of Spot It is easy to play with a child who doesn’t speak aloud. Simply take turns pointing to the matching picture on the Spot It cards.

Encourage receptive language by repeating a carrier phrase for each play of the cards. For example, pointing to a red bird on a Spot-It card.

There is a red bird.

Expand language while creating connection and safety in your relationship. Creating these emotionally calm moments with your autistic child helps you both develop stronger pathways of regulation between the two of you. Your autistic child must feel safe with you if they’re ever going to be able to take direction from you.

Why Safety is Essential for the Brain

For more on the brain and its impact on emotional regulation, learning, and behavior, watch this quick video tutorial.

2. Matching Games

Using card games, especially those designed as matching games are a fun way to increase any number of different skills.

For example, you can work on Math Skills (Using Shapes as an Example).

• Use flashcards of a number of different shapes.
• Lay them face down on the table.
• Take turns turning over a card and finding its matching shape.

Again, use a carrier phrase to reinforce receptive language skills.

• “I turned over a _____. Now I turn over a _______. I got a match/I didn’t get a match.”

Use any area of your child’s interest to encourage learning in any area. For example, if your student likes Peppa Pig, use a Peppa Pig memory game.

Losing is Hard for Neurodivergent Kids for a Reason

Autistic and other neurodivergent children live in a world designed in opposition to who they are.

This means that they’re constantly set up for failure which can make “losing” even harder for them.

Provide them with an internal narrative that tells them that losing is okay and to be expected. Do this by modeling an emotionally affirming internal dialogue.

For example, if you don’t turn over a matching pair, say something like,

• “Oh well. I didn’t get a match this time. I’ll try again next time.”

And then repeat, repeat, repeat.

Autistic kids, like neurotypical children, often love putting together puzzles . In fact, in our homeschool, we use puzzles for just about all of my son’s special interests.

Using puzzles is a great way to reinforce any areas of learning while working on visual-spatial skills, problem-solving skills, team-building, and turn-taking. (Hint… do the puzzle with your child if they’d like your company.)

Gestalt Language Processing: Natural Language Acquisition in Autism

Building with blocks is a great way to increase hand-eye coordination in kids who struggle with coordination. Use blocks to model verbal language specific to:

• prepositions (in, on, above, below, etc.)
• colors, and more.

For example, “I put a block on top of the tower.” These solar-system-themed blocks are stunning and great for visual learners.

30+ Best Gifts for Kids Who Love Space & Astronomy (2023)

Any activity that involves building and creating is a winner for so many reasons. Legos are a perfect side-by-side activity for non-speaking and neurotypical children. Build up fine motor and problem-solving skills, visual-spatial awareness, and more.

Hide and seek is such a fun way to have fun without the need to speak using oral language. From the first time we play peek-a-boo with a child, we engage in this silly game of hide and seek.

One of the best things about the hide-and-seek game is the laughter and relationship building through connection. There’s nothing more important than to be sought after and found. Just like neurotypical children, nonspeaking children enjoy the social interaction of hide-and-seek.

Speech Delay and Autism: What’s the Connection?

Physical play is essential to any child’s development . From infancy, movement matters. Tummy time alone supports core and neck strength that are foundational to all later motor skill development .

Surprisingly, tummy time doesn’t just set the stage for sitting, crawling, and walking. It is critical to later develop fine motor skills such as speaking and handwriting. Additionally, it’s well-known that to get an autism diagnosis, a child will struggle with some areas of difficulty with motor skill development .

Some autistic kids may appear clumsy, have a heavy gait, or have challenges throwing a ball, for example.

Fortunately, a private occupational therapist can support your non-speaking autistic child in all things motor skills. However, you don’t have to rely on one hour a week of occupational therapy. There are so many fun activities that can help autistic kids develop their motor skills through play.

Motor Skills in Autism: Why Your Child’s Cerebellum Matters

8. Obstacle Courses

Set up an obstacle course in your living room. Here are some ideas for an obstacle course.

• Cushions to jump over,
• Chairs to climb over,
• Aline of painter’s tape to balance across as a “tight rope”,
• Lay a hula hoop on the ground and have your child jump inside 10 times
• Have them return by crawling under the kitchen table
• Slide across the room using a tummy scooter
• Then spin them in the opposite direction 5 times ( Vestibular Input )
• Jump into a crash pad at the end

Whether your child or student has higher support needs or not, this type of activity is so much fun. As always, be sure to modify it to meet your child’s needs.

Model and Make It Fun

Model using the obstacle course, offer visual cues with large hand gestures, and narrate what you’re doing.

Remember, nonverbal autistic people very often understand ( receptive language) well. Give your child every opportunity to hear spoken language while they’re happily engaged.

When you use language in a playful and fun activity, kids are better able to make sense of new concepts and directions. Be sure to engage your child in the process and participate with them. Make it fun and low-pressure. Read your child’s nonverbal cues and follow their lead.

9. Sensory Play

Most young kids (and many adults) love to make Play-Doh creations. Play-Doh, clay , and kinetic sand are excellent sensory tools to support your child’s fine motor skills .

At the same time, it provides needed sensory information to the brain. Specifically, sensory activities like these provide proprioceptive input to the small joints and muscles of the fingers, wrists, and arms.

Further, nonverbal kids (nonspeaking) can use play-doh to learn:

• (For example, check out this ocean playdough )

Proprioception is Calming

Proprioceptive sensory input is calming to the brain and body by releasing calming neurotransmitters like serotonin. Allowing your child to play freely with Play-Doh or clay (without directing them) is a great activity to support emotional regulation skills for later use.

A wonderful benefit of sensory experiences such as this is that most children enjoy sensory play. That means sensory play is a great way to teach non-autistic children to learn Autistic social skills and how to be inclusive in social situations.

Try the best no-cook playdough recipe you can make with (or without!) a stand mixer!

31 Sensory Toys for Autism and Why They Work (2024)

Trampolines are versatile tools to provide autistic children of all ages with physical exercise opportunities that support sensory integration. Jumping on a trampoline provides both proprioceptive and vestibular sensory input to help calm the brain and body while at the same time increasing attention span .

The more autistic children jump, the more they develop greater spatial awareness of where their body is in space. Further, the benefits of jumping on a trampoline are numerous.

Benefits of Jumping on a Trampoline

• cardiovascular health,
• increased overall muscle tone,
• core strength
• elevated mood,
• increased attention span

Learning to Read While on a Trampoline

If you’re homeschooling your non-verbal autistic child, try this:

• This supports your child in learning to read.
• While your child is jumping, sing nursery rhymes
• Or read them their favorite rhyming storybooks

Nonverbal autism does not mean nonliterate. As long as teachers and parents allow kids to learn based on who they are, autistic kids can thrive as readers.

Autism Trampoline Therapy: Is It a Real Thing?

Painting is a great way to allow any child to express themselves without the spoken word. Non-verbal children, like many minority groups of people, have a unique perspective to share with the world.

Spread the buffet of different types of creativity tools for your child and them an opportunity to express themselves through art.

When working with nonverbal individuals who are older, consider more sophisticated tools such as acrylic paints. For younger children, be sure to choose some form of washable paint.

Kick up the sensory profile of the art by allowing your sensory-seeking student to dip their hands in finger paint and use those handprints to create how they see fit. Be sure to have smocks, baby wipes, and a large trashcan nearby for easy clean-up.

12. Make a Sensory Bottle

Autistic children, like non-autistic children, all have different sensory needs. Again, living in a world designed in opposition to how you’ve been designed is incredibly stressful for autistic and other neurodivergent children.

They’re often pressured to act like non-autistic people when they are wired to think and process the world differently. As such, autistic children, teens, and adults often suffer from severe mental health distress.

One of the greatest gifts we can give our non-speaking autistic children is as many emotional regulation tools as possible from as young an age as possible. If your autistic child enjoys calming visual input, try creating a sensory jar or bottle with them.

Directions for Basic Sensory Jar

Here’s a simple sensory bottle to get you and your nonverbal autistic student started.

• Clear empty plastic water bottle
• Vegetable oil
• Food Coloring
• Sensory beads

Instructions:

• Pour water into the bottle to the halfway point
• Then fill the rest of the bottle with vegetable oil
• Add a few drops of your child’s favorite color
• Have them put the top on and flip it over
• Add more colors to their preference
• Shake and watch it settle

For more emotional regulation activities for kids , check out 47 ideas here.

47 Emotional Regulation Activities for Kids Every Mom Needs!

Use pretend for everything, but especially for language development. Despite rumors to the contrary, autistic kids, whether non-speaking or not, are just as capable of pretend play as neurotypical kids.

In fact, some of the most imaginative people out there are autistic (think Hollywood, the theater, writers, etc). Participate in activities led by your nonverbal students.

Don’t try to control everything. Instead, let your kids take the lead and allow them to tell you who they are.

Parents, speech therapists, and teachers (even those with special education degrees) often make learning hard on students when we try to control everything. Discovery-based play is powerful.

Related Post:

Homeschooling ADHD: 29 Tips to Save Your Sanity!

Use small toys and dolls (that your student chooses) in imaginative play. Use a kind and gentle voice modeling compassion and acceptance among the dolls.

Because people without autism struggle to understand autistic social rules, as a parent or educator it’s important to learn autistic social skills. For example, autistic social skills do not rely on eye contact.

Follow the child’s cues and do not try to control the situation. You’ll learn much about your nonspeaking autistic student when you slow down and “listen” to their forms of communication.

Sorting games are a great way to support nonverbal autistic children in developing organizational skills. When I say organization skills, I’m not referring to organizing Marie Kondo style.

Specifically, sorting and organizing toys by shapes, colors, and functions supports growing executive function skills . Additionally, it lays the foundation for later problem-solving skills that will be necessary for life.

As an added bonus, positional play is related to visual-spatial development. Further, autistic kids, are often subjected to stressful situations creating lots of anxiety. Sorting games can be a calming and regulating activity for many neurodivergent children (and adults).

Anger Management for Autistic Children (Not ABA)

Every speech therapist knows the value of incorporating board games into their speech therapy time. Using a child’s favorite board game is a great option to support fun, play, relationship, language, and cognitive skills.

Of course, every child will have their own needs, but here are a few board game ideas.

• fine motor skills
• color identification
• turn-taking
• “I picked up the blue acorn.”
• “You chose the green acorn.”
• Gross motor skill development
• Following directions
• Auditory processing
• Adding animal noises in a fun way can lead to vocalization (if they so choose)
• Problem-solving
• Overall brain-building skills
• Depending on your child’s age and ability, you can choose challenges based on difficulty level.

Check out this list of 59 Best Educational Board Games for Kids. (I discovered many of these through Speech Therapist friends and colleagues.)

59 Best Fun & Educational Board Games for Kids 2024

17. Sign Language Games

American Sign Language is a wonderful language for anyone, but especially non-speaking autistic students. In fact, where many parents and educators mistakenly believe teaching a child sign language will slow their language development, the opposite is true.

Learn some basic signs with your child and if they enjoy it, make learning sign language a fun game. Additionally, tools that use signs and picture cards can further support the acquisition of language.

As always, follow your student’s lead and make signing fun and engaging. Alternative ways to teach this amazing communication skill are by using music and movement to reinforce learning.

Sign Language Video Through Music & Movement

Fortunately, there are many interactive educational apps available for kids of all different needs. Some of the best apps for my 9-year-old son have been those recommended by his past speech-language pathologist. Some recommended apps include:

• CodeSpark Academy Ki d s
• FlipAClip for animation

Another recommended AAC app for those with unique communication styles including selective mutism is Type . (I can see this being an excellent tool to support teaching reading .)

Is Lining Up Toys Autism Related?  Does it Matter?

Minecraft is a great video game to support your child’s problem-solving, visual-spatial awareness, as well as language, and reading skills .

Drawing is an excellent activity for autistic children for so many reasons. The benefits include:

• Fine motor skill development
• Emotional and self-regulation support
• Inexpensive

If your child needs extra drawing ideas, check out these guided winter drawing prompts .

The term nonverbal indicates a child is without language. However, most young children who don’t speak do understand and can use language. (This is why we must give them the tools to do so such as AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication.)

Language Skills are Multi-faceted

By understanding that communication skills are multi-faceted, we can better support and connect with young children who don’t speak, have communication disorders, or live with selective mutism . Fortunately, there are many different ways to communicate.

• body language
• facial expressions
• hand gestures

Nonverbal communication is a valid form of communication. As such, it’s important to encourage nonspeaking young children to grow their communication skills in a safe, encouraging environment. When you support a child’s ability to communicate, you provide them with one of the most empowering life skills.

In the end, autistic children, whether speaking or nonspeaking, enjoy many of the same games and activities as non-autistic kids. I hope this list of games for a nonverbal autistic child has inspired you to follow your child’s lead and have fun together.

So, Friend. Am I missing any of your autistic child’s favorite games and activities? I’m always looking for recommendations to share with other neurodivergent families.

About the Author:

Lindsay is a trauma-informed educator with a Master’s Degree in Teaching. Her mission is to support moms to equip neurodivergent kids (ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Anxiety) to thrive as exactly who they’ve been created to be. Wait until you hear the story that led to it all…

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Hi there I am working with non verbal autistic children I’m not a special needs teacher but I need some ideas of what activities I can do to engage them in doing so how do I get their interest I need your help thanks

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Teaching Nonverbal Students to Read – Keys to Success

Nonverbal learners are students who may not be able to use language to communicate. These students often have support needs and face many challenges in school. You may get the best tips for Teaching Nonverbal Students to Read in detail.

You need to understand these students and how they learn best. We have all the tips for you if you are a nonverbal student’s teacher.

One way to help nonverbal children with autism develop nonverbal  communication skills  is to provide them with opportunities to practice nonverbal communication. This can be as simple as providing nonverbal children with opportunities to play in a comfortable. Another effective way to help nonverbal children with autism develop nonverbal communication skills is to use.

Table of Contents

Understanding the Teaching Nonverbal Students to Read

Research has shown that children with autism can learn and develop nonverbal communication skills with a positive attitude.

A popular form of non-verbal communication for individuals with autism, PECS is a tactile and verbal communication tool used by people who have difficulty speaking. It has been found that individuals using PECS have improved language abilities and joint attention. One method used to teach PECS is direct instruction in reading passages.

This method utilizes a reading passage to teach an individual how to use various communicative gestures in a particular situation.

Another effective way to help nonverbal children with autism develop nonverbal communication skills is by teaching sign language.

Keys to Successful Reading Instruction

To successfully teach nonverbal students to read, it is vital to develop a reliable means of response. For example, teaching students to read aloud with a consistent and audible tone of voice can help build the connection between reading and speaking.

Explicitly teaching decoding skills is also important. By providing students with practice in reading words and phrases, they can learn the mechanics of reading. This allows them to understand the content of the text better.

Scaffolding relationships with others in the class is another essential factor for success. Teachers can provide encouragement and guidance as they progress toward reading literacy skills. Involving families in the process can also help ensure success. Students are provided opportunities to practice reading and become proficient readers.

Communication activities for nonverbal students

Communication activities for nonverbal students can include providing emotional controls (through positive reinforcement, verbal encouragement, and praise), Listening skills (through practice with apron discussions, discussing interests, and answering questions),

Reading body language (through pointing, showing interest in another person’s body language, and reading facial expressions),

10 Tips for Teaching Nonverbal Students to Read

• Nonverbal children with autism can also benefit from picture exchange communication system (PECS) activities.
• These activities help develop language abilities and joint attention skills. Some easy-to-implement video tutorials for fluency training programs for nonverbal students may also be helpful.
• Visual phonics is a pre-program designed to facilitate communication for nonverbal learners. It can be used as a bridge to literacy and speech development. The Autism Helper curriculum offers a variety of activities to support speech development for nonverbal students.
• Know that ALL children progress through the following stages in terms of literacy skill development. Early emerging, later emergent, transitional, beginning conventional, and later conventional. The Snapshot Assessment.
• Students, who are non-verbal, should understand that literacy abilities are equally important. Further education, vocational possibilities, and greater individuality in daily life.
• Students who benefit from an augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) system should be taught how to use it. Literacy skills may help further sophisticated communication when used in conjunction with AAC.
• Special education teachers  and therapists should be aware of nonverbal students’ special needs. It is important to have a plan that addresses individualized instruction and support services.
• Save time waiting for skills! When speech, language, motor, or other abilities develop, literacy activities and experiences should not be withheld.
• You can use a reading program.

Adapting a literacy curriculum for the general education curriculum.

• Adapting a literacy program for youngsters with disabilities
• Join the VSB’s VSB’s entire Cohort group and participate in a literacy program created with non-verbal students in mind, such as Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL).
• Learning to read is a fundamental step in learning to write. Literacy instruction for nonverbal students focuses on phonemic awareness, word decoding skills, and comprehension strategies.

Read to know also related topics:

Can Teacher Accept gifts from Teacher

How to Annoy Your Teacher Without Getting In Trouble ?

Why I Love my Teacher for Kindergarten ?

What happens if a Teacher hits a student ?

Social skills activities for nonverbal students

There are a variety of social skills activities you can use to help teach nonverbal children social skills, such as understanding body language and listening. One effective way to do this is using the game ‘Charades’ to help them understand how to read body language and respond appropriately.

This game involves two teams of players who each have a list of words or phrases. The players on one team take turns drawing cards of a particular item, such as ‘animal,’ and the other players try to guess the word/phrase on their cards.

• If a player draws a word that is not on their list, they must shout out the word/phrase they think was drawn. This game teaches players how to read body language and respond appropriately.
• Another social skill activity that can use with nonverbal children is TAG teaches, a teaching and communication method based on  Applied Behavior Analysis  ( ABA ) principles. This method provides immediate and accurate feedback to the child while developing their communication skills.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is another effective therapy for nonverbal children with autism.

• Speech therapy If your child has difficulty speaking, it may be a good option. Speech therapy can help children with autism disorders gain better communication skills.
• Some common techniques used in speech therapy include phonemic awareness, vocabulary development, grammar instruction, dialect coaching, and fluency training.
• The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is a play-based therapy that has shown encouraging results for improving language and behavioral skills in nonverbal children with autism.

Social studies activities

It can be used to help teach social skills. One example is the ‘The War Game,’ a nonviolent civics education game that helps students understand how government.

• Other activities that could be used to help teach social skills include history lessons, roleplaying games, and cooperative learning exercises.
• English language arts (ELA)
• When it comes to ELA, one option is to use these activities as tools to help your child improve reading comprehension. pronunciation and grammar.
• Foreign language learning
• It can also be used to help teach foreign language skills. One option is using picture books with accompanying texts in a particular language. Your child will have visual cues to help them understand the information being conveyed.

By using these social skill activities, it’s possible to improve nonverbal children’s  communication skills  and a more positive experience in social settings.

Best Reading activities for nonverbal students

Nonverbal students often have trouble reading comprehension, as they lack the literacy skills required to understand and process verbal information. To help nonverbal students gain literacy skills, there are several reading activities we can implement.

• Reading comprehension exercises such as answering WH questions and reading short passages can help nonverbal students learn how to read and improve their literacy skills.
• Teaching nonverbal communication skills such as emotional control, listening skills, reading body language, and verbal communication can help bridge the gap between nonverbal and verbal students.
• Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL) software is a reading program that can help nonverbal students learn how to read. You can use this software to teach nonverbal students the skills required for reading. You can use drawing pictures and symbols to teach these students the basics of reading.
• Computer games can also help engage nonverbal students and make reading fun by incorporating these various activities into your curriculum. You can increase the literacy  level of your nonverbal students .
• Autistic children and other nonverbal children often have a hard time reading facial expressions and body language.

You can help them improve their comprehension skills while having a fun moment.

• Expressive language therapy can be a beneficial way to help nonverbal students read. This therapy helps children with difficulties reading facial language, body language, and other nonverbal cues.
• Single-letter or big-letter spelling programs help nonverbal students to read.
• You can find a variety of phonics materials on the internet that will help your nonverbal student learn how to read.
• The Great American Reading Festival offers a wide variety of reading resources for children, including books, comics, and more.

This festival is designed for kids who are learning to read and helps foster a love for reading in young people from all walks of life.

How to teach a nonverbal child to read?

Cracking the Code: Unlocking Literacy for Nonverbal Learners

Teaching a nonverbal child to read isn’t a linear path, it’s a treasure hunt for hidden skills and a joyful dance with creativity. Ditch the drill-and-fill, embrace the unconventional, and unlock the magic of reading with these tips:

1. Playful Phonemes: Turn sound waves into a vibrant orchestra. Use singing, puppet shows, and playful rhymes to make phonics a musical adventure. Let letters move, wiggle, and become characters!

2. Interactive Tales: Stories become stepping stones. Act out scenes, use props, and let your child “write” the ending with gestures or AAC tools. Make reading a living, breathing experience.

3. Sensory Symphony: Tap into the power of touch, sight, and sound. Build textured alphabet books, paint letters in different colors, and sing letter names to different tunes. Engage all senses in the learning fiesta.

4. Picture Perfect: Visuals become bridges. Use picture cards to match words, create social stories for routines, and link familiar objects to their written names. Build a bridge of understanding with colorful images.

5. Choice is the Compass: Empower your child’s interests. Choose books about favorite animals, hobbies, or characters. Let their passions guide the reading journey.

Patience is the map, love is the lantern, and every step, even a wobble, is a triumphant march towards literacy. Celebrate the victories, big and small, and watch your child bloom into a confident reader.

Teaching sight words to non-verbal students

When teaching students with autism, it’s important to consider various factors. For starters, using visual components to activities for non-verbal students with autism can make understanding that much easier.

Leveraging their amazing memory by teaching them academic sight words is vital. It will help students better recognize words on exams and in other reading environments. Lastly, teaching phonics and sight words together is important to cover all bases.

The best way to teach sight words is by using preferred words by sight. You can help your non-verbal students improve their reading skills even more.

Methods for teaching a nonverbal student with autism

There are a variety of methods for teaching a nonverbal student with autism. The most effective methods include the Picture Exchange Communication System ( PECS ), a therapy that involves pictures, symbols, and words to help nonverbal children with autism learn to verbalize and develop skills to communicate. as well as a variety of other therapies that focus on encouraging language development and teaching gestures, joint attention.

Other options include the Responsive Education and Paralinguistic Milieu Teaching (REPMT) method, which involves parents playing with their children in ways that encourage language development and teaching children gestures, and speech through play. Another option is the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), a play-based therapy that improves language through reciprocal imitation training.

Unlocking communication through creative keys:

1. Visual Symphony: Build a vibrant world of picture cards, schedules, and social stories to guide daily routines and navigate emotions.

2. Playful Pathways: Turn learning into a delightful discovery zone. Use sensory activities, manipulatives, and interactive games to ignite engagement . Make learning a joyful dance!

3. AAC Allies: Assistive Augmentative Communication tools, like speech-generating devices or picture boards, become powerful voices. Empower communication, one symbol at a time.

4. Routines as Rhythms: Predictability is a calming melody. Establish clear routines and transitions to provide a safe and familiar framework for exploration. Make structure a soothing song.

5. Celebrating Strengths: Every child has a unique symphony within. Identify and celebrate individual strengths, be it art, music, or movement. Let their talents shine!

Patience is the conductor, love is the orchestra, and every interaction is a beautiful composition in progress.

Lesson plans for nonverbal students

This is a  lesson plan for teaching  nonverbal students to read.

– Start with a discussion regarding the importance of reading and developing a reliable means to respond to your nonverbal student.

– Teach decoding skills with visual and tactile strategies. Use pictures, letters, words, and sentences to help your nonverbal student understand the reading.

– Involve families to ensure success. Develop a family literacy strategy that includes reading aloud and discussing books together. This will help your nonverbal student develop a love for reading and reading-related activities.

– Utilize WH questions for reading comprehension. Use questions such as Who, What, How, and Where to help your nonverbal student access information from a text. It will help instill a sense of comprehension in your nonverbal student.

Read also: What Happens If a Teacher Hits a Student ?

Someone also wants to know.

What common obstacles do nonverbal students face when trying to learn to read.

According to a study, nonverbal students struggle to focus and coordinate their bodies to point at letters [${102}], often due to a low-distraction environment [${102}].

It can make it difficult for them to learn to read or spell using traditional methods. Additionally, nonverbal students may need help remembering strings of words or multi-step instructions, making it hard for them to learn to read or spell.

How do you teach a non-verbal student to read?

There are a few different ways to teach a nonverbal student to read.

Nonverbal students  can learn to read using phonics, which involves “sounding out” words in their heads. This method is usually used for students who have difficulty hearing or pronouncing words. Hands-on, nonverbal methods can use to prove mastery of phonics for nonverbal students.

For example, by having the student trace the letters on a literacy board or model the letters of a word on a vowel tray. Direct Instruction reading passages can provide fictional stories and academic content knowledge for nonverbal students.

Nonverbal students may learn to read with a fluency rate of 110 words per minute and no more than 0-2 errors.

They may also gain knowledge of natural science, animal behavior, and more through reading comprehension.

Can you teach a non-verbal child to read?

Yes, you can teach a non-verbal child to read! A recent study conducted two years ago showed that minimally verbal five- and 6-year-olds taught specialized reading techniques displayed increased story comprehension and engagement. Breaking reading skills into smaller steps and motivating students to read can yield successful results.

Moreover, non-verbal children with severe autism can learn to read third-grade texts fluently through direct instruction reading programs. It means that your child will be able to understand and decode stories much earlier than if they were not taught to read.

How do you teach children non-verbal communication?

Show your youngster that you’re trying to comprehend their sentiments using body language. Smile back if your kid smiles at you, for example. Nod your head and look sad yourself if your kid is sad. Make eye contact and speak calmly and reassuringly if your kid looks frustrated.

Try incorporating activities such as reading with nonverbal students and helping them practice their reading skills with materials they can use. 

When it comes to teaching nonverbal students to read, there are several keys to success. Remember that nonverbal students may have various social skills, and adjusting your teaching methods will help them feel more comfortable. Communicating with nonverbal students using facial expressions and body language can also be effective.

In addition, visuals such as pictures and diagrams to show how to read can help nonverbal students understand more easily.

Finally, try using various reading materials such as cards, computer screens, and paper printouts to allow nonverbal students to adapt to any learning style or preference.

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190 episodes

In the Autism Outreach Podcast, Speech Therapist and BCBA, Rose Griffin from ABA SPEECH, provides her best, ready to use autism interventions and speech therapy techniques to inspire professionals and parents working with students with autism. With 20 years of experience in the field, Rose understands one of the biggest challenges parents, therapists and educators face on a daily basis is helping students strengthen their communication skills. Listeners will regain a sense of calm as Rose breaks down trusted therapy techniques to try at home or school to provide support to students. Rose will address a variety of topics on autism spectrum disorder: how autism symptoms present in babies and toddlers, recognizing the differences between autism and a speech delay, early intervention therapies, autism evaluation, autism diagnosis, how to help a child with autism start communicating if they are nonverbal, helping students who engage in problem behavior, functional communication skills, increasing student engagement and improving social skills. An excellent listen for parents and professionals alike, with a mix of interviews and solo shows designed to inspire, empower, and provide you with confidence to help your students. Hit subscribe and learn more at www.abaspeech.org 

Autism Outreach - Easy Strategies For Parents and Professionals Rose Griffin

• Kids & Family
• 4.8 • 80 Ratings
• JUL 30, 2024

#187: An Autism Journey with Susanna Peace Lovell

I always love the opportunity to talk with a parent and hear their story. I feel it really provides an opportunity for learning and growth as a provider. Susanna Peace Lovell, a professional life coach and advocate, joins me to discuss her journey as a parent of a child with autism and her book on the topic, Your True Self is Enough: Lessons Learned on My Journey Parenting a Child with Autism.In her book Your True Self is Enough, Susanna shares her story of being of support and service to par...

• JUL 23, 2024

#186: Supervision and Mentorship with Lynn Dudek

“Well, I guess you better figure it out”. Those are words you do NOT want to hear from your CFY supervisor. Supervision in your Clinical Fellowship Year is so important for setting the tone for the rest of your career. Lynn Dudek shares her experience on both sides of the spectrum, from not meeting any of her expectations to exceeding them all. What makes a positive mentor and supervisor? It all comes down to communication and these qualities Lynn lists for us are: being a good communicator, ...

• JUL 16, 2024

#185: Replay: The Power of Joint Attention

Enjoy this replay from episode 62.Joint attention is closely linked to receptive and expressive language skills, highlighting the power of communication. To build connection before communication, use shared activities like playing with toys, singing songs, and reading books. Even if students aren't fully engaged initially, tracking their baseline data and progressing with goals can lead to impressive transformations and excitement.Toys: Playing with toys in therapy is all about creating inter...

• JUL 9, 2024

#184: 5 Tips For Dealing With Contentious IEP Meetings

Conflict is part of what we do as a provider in this field. When it comes to helping the most difficult learners, it's no surprise we might find ourselves contentious at IEP meetings, I’ve definitely had my fair share in my 20+ year career. But you CAN get through them with the best interest of the learner at hand. Here are my top 5 tips for navigating contentious IEP meetings:Know the guest list. Who's gonna be there? Lawyers, advocates, etc., you need to know so you can properly prepar...

• JUL 2, 2024

#183: My First Year With AAC

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. These are communication devices, systems, strategies and tools that replace or support spoken language. We have talked about this many times on the podcast but I am sharing some top tips for AAC that I have learned along the way during my 20+ years! It’s okay to not have all the answers!! Let this be your mantra. Students will be using different devices and software. You can’t know everything, but you can learn.What access do you...

• JUN 25, 2024

#182: My First Year Working in an ABA Setting

Even though I started as a school-based SLP, when I found my way to an ABA setting, I also found my true passion to help all autistic learners find communication. Navigating a non-public program can have challenges and is certainly different than working in a school, so I want to share a few of my own gems of wisdom with you!What I wish I knew: 5 tips for working in an ABA setting:It's a different, challenging, and sometimes intense setting. You are working with children who are traditionally...

• © 2024 Autism Outreach - Easy Strategies For Parents and Professionals

Customer Reviews

Great information.

I love how Rose bridges the gap between Behavior Analysts and SLPs. There is a lot that we can learn from each other!

There are many things, like certain diseases, that are rare but that does not make them “unicorns.” Perhaps the reason SLP/BCBAs are rare is because so few would compromise themselves in such a way.

Informative, valuable, and thoughtful

Rose does an excellent job with this podcast. As a mom of a toddler who struggles slightly with communication, I found this podcast so helpful! There are so many tips on how to engage effectively with those on the spectrum and both my husband and I have found these useful! We also enjoy listening to her other podcasts even if they don’t specifically apply to our son! Rose covers so many topics, and it’s been so much fun learning new things about autism from her and her guests. Highly recommend listening!!

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