Life Skills Activities for Special Children

Life skills activities teach children with special needs how to care for themselves. Basic abilities, such as to brush teeth, dress and undress, wash hands and face, and use the toilet, are all accomplishments for kids with special needs. Success in teaching these children the activities of daily living relies heavily on repetition and the breakdown of each task into its simplest stages.

Simple Steps

• What may seem like second nature to most people is actually quite difficult for children with special needs. The most basic activities have to be broken down into very easy-to-understand tasks that are simple and straightforward. By eliminating the assumption that the child can understand more than one stage at a time, it becomes much easier to teach the child how to care for himself.

  At the beginning of a process, think of the very first stage to be completed and start there. For example, for brushing teeth, reaching for the toothbrush and removing it from its holder is the first stage that needs mastering. When the child goes for his toothbrush without prompting from an adult, it is time to move on to the next step, which may be taking the top off the toothbrush. For undressing, the first stage may be removing the shoes. After the child removes his shoes with a simple verbal command, it is time to add the next step, which may be taking off the socks.

  Verbal praise helps to encourage and motivate. When a child with special needs senses how difficult a task is, he may attempt to resist and have the adult do it for him. By asking him to complete just a small portion of the activity, you reduce the likelihood of resistance and increase chances for success.

Repetition

• Positive experiences in teaching life skills to special needs children increase if the skills repeat throughout the day. The child gets used to the idea of having this new activity to learn and comes to expect it. Multiple tries at the same activity help her to gain mastery more quickly.

  It is okay to work on more than one life skill at a time. As each skill comes up, guide the child in attempting to learn a just a portion of it at a time. Dressing, toileting and teeth brushing all need attention in the morning. If necessary, wake the child up a little earlier to allow her the opportunity to work on these skills.

  Until the child fully grasps the concept, she must work each stage of the life skill repeatedly. Moving on too soon can ruin the progress. Only when the child initiates the activity without more than a verbal request is it time to move forward.

  Additionally, it is important to repeat the task until you see a positive response. If you ask the child to brush her teeth and she does not reach for the brush, show her what is being requested and then ask again. Depending on the severity of the child's issues, it may take several minutes before she gets it. If the issues are extreme, it may be necessary to provide hand-over-hand assistance before asking her to do the task on her own.