Grades K–5
Choice Board: Free Time
A free-time choice board with nine activities to point to, and an “I want ___” sentence strip.
Special education printable · Communication boards and choice cards
“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.
- 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
“Cut out the cards. Give a card to your teacher to show what you need.”
Teacher tip
Put the cards on a ring or stick them to the desk with Velcro. When a card is handed over, answer it right away, even if the answer is “in two minutes”.
How to use it
- Model it: point to the pictures yourself while you talk, without asking the student to copy you.
- Accept any attempt, like a point, a look or a sound, and answer it right away.
- Give help quietly and fade it fast: point before you speak, and speak before you move a hand.
Watch for
Testing instead of talking. Use the board in real moments, not as a quiz.
Talk about it
- Tell me more.
- Show me what you want.
Take it further
Add photos of the student’s own favorite things.
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: 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.
Grades K–5
Core Word Board
A 24-word core vocabulary board with pictures, colored by kind of word, to point to and build short phrases.
Free for teachers
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