Grades K–5
“I Need” Cards
Eight big cut-apart cards to ask for the bathroom, water, help, a break, the nurse, a pencil, quiet and a snack.
Special education printable · Communication boards and choice cards
Core Word Board
A 24-word core vocabulary board with pictures, colored by kind of word, to point to and build short phrases.
- Grade level
- Grades K–5
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- Answer key
- Not needed: answers vary
- Kids practice
- Requesting, Making choices, Core vocabulary, Answering yes and no
What kids do
“Point to a word, or two words together, to say what you mean.”
Printed on the sheet:
- Colors: yellow = people, green = actions, blue = little words and questions, peach = describing words, pink = stop and no.
Words on this sheet
youwantmorestopgohelplikenoteatdrinkplaylooklistenopenall donefeelhappysadwhatwherenext
Teacher tip
Pick one or two words a week to model all day, like “more” at snack and “go” at recess. Point to the word as you say it in a real sentence.
How to use it
- Keep the board in the same place so the student always knows where to find it.
- Offer real choices many times a day, starting with two.
- Model the page yourself first, then do it together, then let the student try with less and less help.
Watch for
Replacing the student’s own device or system. These pages are a backup, not the main voice.
Talk about it
- Do you want this one or that one?
- What helped you do that by yourself?
Take it further
Ask the speech-language pathologist which words to add next.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More communication boards and choice cards
Grades K–5
Choice Board: Free Time
A free-time choice board with nine activities to point to, and an “I want ___” sentence strip.
Grades K–5
Choice Board: Snack Time
A snack-time choice board with six snacks and three drinks to point to, plus “I want ___, please.”
Grades K–5
Desk Strip: Yes, No, Help, Break
Three cut-apart desk strips with six big buttons each: yes, no, help, break, all done and wait.
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