I have a student in PPCD (The Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities) who is nonverbal. Developing routines has been difficult. A speech therapy assistant created this engaging way to make activities of daily living or hygiene time more fun.
We have printed words on the bag, but separate cards could also be made for each line with print, braille, pictures, and objects. Each card or line is sung as follows:
This is the way we…
- wash cloth…”wash our face”
- lotion…”rub lotion”
- comb…”comb our hair”
- toothbrush…”brush our teeth”
- spoon…”eat our breakfast”
So early in the morning
And each item has it’s own line in the song…
“This is the way we _______, wash our face, _________. This is the was we _______ so early in the morning.” I put quotes around the words listed to remind me that this is the words for the song. This is working beautifully! It is aiding in the prediction of what’s next and the purpose of the item in his hand. Having the item list and the words behind the song helps all of the team members know what to sing. The consistency helps the student and everyone involved. Parents have also been trained on using this.
Variations
- Students can take turns taking an object or card out of the hygiene bag to select the next item.
- Bags can be selected according to the child’s preference or type of visual impairment. For example, a plain solid colored bag may be better for some children, or a red bag may draw the child’s attention to the bag.
