Try this simple, at-home contest to get your whole family talking. Have a searching for the green family contest.
Parents of kids with special needs are tuned in to promoting conversation. Many kids with autism have difficulty telling what happened at school that day. Lots of children with developmental delays cannot answer with a basic yes or no.
How to Have a Searching for the Green Contest
- Split into teams, giving each side one adult.
- Define the time of the contest (perhaps one hour – or possibly an entire afternoon).
- Explain the rules: Find things that are green and list them on a paper. Older kids may be required to write the phrases green plant, green shirt, etc. Younger kids may tell a parent or other teammate what to write.
- Set up the prize. Will the winning team be served ice cream by the others? Perhaps the winning team will not have kitchen clean up that evening.
- Repeat the phrases that you hear and build on the language. (For example, the child says green, and parent replies Yes! That block is green.)
- Take pictures so you can talk about it later (another great way to encourage conversation).
- Laugh.
- Have fun.
With parent involvement and the right prize, soon you will find your child planning the next searching contest . . . and the next. . .
Are you looking for other family activities to boost communication with a child with special needs? Read Snow Day Fun and Autistic Kids or Disabled Kids and Spring Play for more ideas.
