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| image from juniorblind.org |
I want to share some of my presentation to help our teams and families create meaningful play time. Our kids need to play but it can be a challenge to have fun, effective play time.
Here are some of my favorite tips and resources for getting
playtime off the ground!
playtime off the ground!
- Allow time for pre-teaching. Our students should be allowed to come to group early and check out the centers/stations, toys, schedule, etc. to help them anticipate the activities
- Incorporate familiar transitions for our students where possible. You may need to do this 1:1 for students in case there is a group. Make sure you make that transition connection for our kids so that they can anticipate.
- Incorporate vision modifications to make activities more accessible. For example: contrast, preferential seating, placement of activities, clear pathways, peer buddy helper, etc.
- Select activities or groups with predictable routines that are familiar. For example, using the clean up song to clean up or jingle bells for transitioning.
- Select sites that aren’t over stimulating. Look for visual and/or auditory clutter at stations, carpet and background
- Encourage parents to get their child involved in lifelong sports:
- Examples: Swimming, track and field, wrestling, martial arts, crew, skiing, yoga. Music and theater are great alternatives to sports.
- Possible disadvantages of popular team sports:
- Difficulty with keeping up visually
- Social loss & Anxiety
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| image from nfb.org |
For those mommy & me groups or just for when the family is hittin' up a playdate at the park:
Moms, dads, caregivers, create a playdate go bag! A playdate go bag is a portable travel kit that has vision modifications that you can use in a pinch to help your little one out at play dates. I suggest you keep this in your trunk. I used to keep spare clothes, diapers and a blanket for my toddlers in case they needed a quick change due to a diaper explosion in my trunk. This is the same thought process. Sometimes you go to a playdate and it is totally not accessible for our kiddos. This can be a stressful and frustrating feeling. We can eliminate some of that if parents come prepared!
Use a small bag for your playdate go bag. Don't overwhelm yourself! You still need to bring diapers, wipes, toys, etc. so don't get in over your head. Pack items such as:
-a big black blanket or heavy fabric. Black fabric will help by acting as a place your child can sit on and play. You can also use it to cover up items that may be visually over stimulating.
-a big black blanket or heavy fabric. Black fabric will help by acting as a place your child can sit on and play. You can also use it to cover up items that may be visually over stimulating.
-a finished box (or all done box). You know how I feel about finished boxes (they work--use them!!). Remember a 'finished box' doesn't have to be a box. It has to be a place that is meaningful and useful as finished. Can be bag or fold up box.
-yellow or red painters tape. Sometimes you can use this to quickly highlight something and then remove it when you are done.
-transition bells or a timer. Use something you can use to help with time management.
-Braille or LP book. Keep 1 or 2 books handy just in case all the kids are sitting down for stories. This way your little one can read too!
-Preferred toy(s). Keep some favorite type of toys handy. Preferably ones that promote turn taking or exchange so your little one can have some social interaction.
| image from extension.unh.edu |
Resources that ROCK:
- Creating Educational Toys And Activities For Children Who Are Blind Or Visually Impaired, online article at www.tsbvi.edu
- Suggestions for Recreation and Leisure Activities for Blind and Visually Impaired Children, online article at www.tsbvi.edu
I hope this helps with creating more meaningful playtime for our birth to three population. Hopefully you can hear my full presentation and I can share more ideas on playtime!!
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