Have you used any adapted binders in your classroom this year?
They are such a valuable and underused tool in special education. I promise if you are struggling with finding elementary social skills activities or preschool social skills activities for your class or if you do not enough time for planning, once you discover these and set out that initial time to make them, you will thank yourself for years to come.
10 of the Best Reasons to Use an Interactive Binder
- Establish Routines: Use the binders for certain activities throughout the day. Many students with autism thrive on predictability, and a regular activity with the binder can provide a comforting structure.
- Interactive and Hands-On Learning: Binders encourage students to actively participate by using the tactile elements of the binder. The act of moving pieces, opening flaps, or attaching items with adhesive dots or squares can be engaging and have the added element of enhancing motor skills.
- Incorporate into Group Activities Easily: While great for individual learning, these binders can also be used in small groups to encourage social interaction and turn-taking. Add a turn-taking board or timer and you have created a ready to use turn taking activity!
- Customized to Their Individual Needs: Adapted binders be made to fit to the diverse needs of students with autism and special needs, offering personalized learning experiences that are repeatable and ready for daily practice.
- Sensory Engagement: Having sensory-friendly elements like textures or interactive components, just makes the task more interesting for students who benefit from sensory input. Not just paper and pencil anymore.
- Enhanced Engagement: The putting on and pulling off and using a dry erase marker, etc, holds the student’s attention better than traditional teaching methods.
- Skill Development: You can set them up to cover any skill you want in order to develop a range of abilities, from fine motor and cognitive skills. Get it right and you can have yourself some language skills or social skills activities preschool students and elementary students alike will enjoy.
- Visual Learning: Many students with autism are visual learners, and many of these binders use bright colors, clear images, and visual cues that most of us educators hope will aid in understanding and attention to task. Many educators are looking for social skills games for preschool and primary grades. Although binders are not games, students might like the visual images and the interaction so much, it may feel like a game to them.
- They Can Be Moved Easily: Binders are easy to carry and can be used in various settings – classroom, home, or during therapy sessions. Just be sure all the pieces are secure and travel with you as well.
- Safe Learning Environment is Provided: Sometimes repetitive activities help students feel grounded and secure. But they can also help students to start to retain what they are learning. They provide a safe and controlled environment for students to explore and learn, reducing the anxiety associated with new or challenging tasks.
What We Have in Store for You…
Listen, amazing educators and caregivers! I'm smiling, opening my eyes real wide and doing a little dance inside getting ready to re-introduce you to our “always make me smile” creation - an Interactive Social Skills Binder specifically designed for students with autism. This binder isn't just a teaching tool; it's a surprisingly needed, hands-on experience that turns social skills learning into a hands-on activity.
Re-Introducing (since we have many new people who have joined us) the Social Skills Interactive Binder, is pretty exciting because it is a dynamic educational tool specifically crafted for students with significant needs. I want you to know what’s out there and if it could be helpful to your learning environment. This could be one of those things. The innovative binder focuses on vital social skills topics such as Self-Management, Self-Advocacy, and Learning Emotions, making it an essential and practical resource for educators, therapists, and parents.
Designed for interactive learning, it features tactile elements like removable pieces, adhesive dots, and adhesive strips that not only engage students but also can enhance their fine motor skills and sensory processing.
Once you print it out and construct it, this binder is both user-friendly and resilient, ensuring longevity and ease of use.
Assembling the Adventure
First things first: putting this binder together. Yes, it requires a bit of initial assembly, but trust me, it's totally worth it. You get to download the pages and then print them out, laminate them and add adhesive dots. Imagine a world where your prep time dramatically drops because this binder is a one-time setup wonder! Once assembled, it's all systems go, no more prep needed. And guess what? Once fully laminated, and completed with adhesive dots and strips, you do not have to do it again. Making it super easy to assign to students over and over again. They can pull off and reattach answers with ease. And...very little writing is needed. This is especially great for our kiddos who find writing challenging.
The Journey of Engagement
The binder covers the essentials: emotions, communication, self-awareness, and self-management. Each section has engaging activities designed to resonate with students on the autism spectrum. It’s like our worksheets Social Skills Printables came to life with color. Here are the topics:
Self-Management
Emotions
Communication
Self-Awareness
Reaching the Destination
The beauty of this binder is its versatility. There are multiple uses for the binder. Whether you’re introducing social skills in a group setting or looking for an effective independent work task for morning routines or quiet time, this binder should be able to work for you.
It’s an easy, interactive way to learn and practice social skills topics, making it a hit for both teachers and students with significant special needs.
Perfect for classroom settings or home schooling, this binder can be your go-to resource (along with our Social Skills Printables) for teaching social skills to students with autism. Some pages themselves can also be used singularly as an independent task or placed in a file folder for a file folder task.
This binder, once set up, is designed to be something to keep their hands moving, featuring tactile elements like removable pieces, Velcro dots, and adhesive strips. As stated before, these features not only make learning more engaging but also enhance fine motor skills and sensory processing. The clear and attractive layout can be particularly effective to encourage preschool social skills activities. Additionally, this binder is a helpful tool for elementary students as well. The teaching and reinforcing of social skills in various settings - be it in classrooms, therapy sessions, or at home, is always a plus!
Ideal For:
- Special Education Teachers
- Therapists and Counselors
- Parents and Caregivers of Children with Special Needs
You can find the Social Skills Interactive Binder here. Get ready to watch your students engage, learn, and grow with every page turn!
