Every student has the same right to learn. Nonverbal students also have the right to learn the same knowledge just like everyone else. Though they communicate in a different way from others, they can gain the same achievement as others.
Group activities for nonverbal students can teach them better communication and social skills. In this article, we are talking about 20 group activities for nonverbal students.
Also, you have to check out my post on 25 Activities Ideas For Group Counseling That Are Proven To Be Effective!
How Do You Teach Non-Verbal Communication Skills?
Nonverbal communication skills are great skills to teach nonverbal students a better way to live their life. They can improve their communication through these skills.
There are some nonverbal communication skills. First, you can teach them to make eye contact with others so that they can build up confidence in themselves. Then you may teach them to read expressions on people’s faces that convey happiness or sadness or anger.
Another communication skill is touch which gives different types of messages for different types of touch. Voice also conveys a message through how your tone is or how you deliver your voice.
You can teach your students to understand body language so that they can read what that person wants to convey. Through these nonverbal communication skills, you can help them to develop their ability.
20 Group Activities For Nonverbal Students
There are many activities for nonverbal students. 20 group activities for nonverbal students are given below-
1. Sorting items
This group activity is a simple game where the students have to sort many items by their sizes or colors. This way they can understand how to sort different things.
2. Mime
You have to make some small groups of nonverbal students and tell one person in a group to take a paper from a box. That student has to act on whatever character is written on that paper.
3. Guess the behavior
This activity is simple where you have to act out a nonverbal behavior and others have to guess what behavior is this. Through this activity, they can learn many nonverbal behaviors to communicate with others.
4. Story writing through picture
In this activity, you have to put a picture on the board and tell them to write a story about it. Your students can use their creativity and imagination to build a story. This activity develops their brain and ability to create new ideas.
5. Red light, Green light
At first, you have to put your students in a row and then one of the students says ‘ green light’, and others start to move towards the finishing line. When that student says ‘red light’ you have to freeze, otherwise you will be eliminated. This game can teach them to follow directions within a given time.
6. Shape the paper
Shaping the paper is a great way to make different things. You give your students some paper and tell them to shape like a flower or other objects. Any group which makes more objects of paper than others is the winner.
7. Drawing pictures
This is a common activity every child can play. This activity really helps the nonverbal students to improve their drawing skills. You can tell them to draw any object and they can draw with their imagination.
8. Tower building
In this activity, you have to divide your students into two groups and tell them to build a tower with blocks. Whoever builds the highest tower first is the winner. This activity can help the students to develop sportsmanship.
9. Decorating ice cream
Your students will enjoy this activity. In this activity, they have to decorate an ice cream cone with ice cream and different toppings. They can use different flavors in it. After making ice cream, they can show their ice cream as a group and the teachers will be the judge.
10. Hiding and seeking
This game is very popular with all children. Nonverbal students also will enjoy this game. One student has to count numbers while the other students will be hiding in different places. After that, the student has to seek others.
11. Treasure Hunting
Treasure Hunting activity is a fun game where you have to divide your students into two groups. You can give one group some objects or chocolates and tell them to hide the objects. Then you tell the other group to find those objects. After finding the objects or chocolates, they can share them with each other.
12. Showing emotions
This activity can teach your students to know a lot about emotions. First, you tell your students to pick a card from a box. On that card, an emotion is written like anger or surprise. The students have to act according to their card and others have to guess it.
13. Role playing
Role-playing can teach nonverbal students a lot about household words. They can create a situation like a home or a store and role-play any character related to that setting. This activity can also help them to interact with others.
14. Solving puzzles
In this activity, the students can solve some puzzles related to emotions. You can tell them to take any puzzle they like and solve it. The students can take whatever emotions they like and they will solve it. You can also tell them to write something about that emotion.
15. Calling Name
This game can make the students familiar with their names and also the others. At first, you have to call out some random names with your student’s name. When you call out your student’s name, he has to stand up and write his name on the board. This way the student can also introduce himself in front of the class.
16. Don’t say it
This activity is about guessing nonverbal behaviors. Through this game, they can study their behavior. You can call out one student of the group and tell them to do a nonverbal behavior. The other students in the group have to write what nonverbal behavior it was.
17. Guessing movies
Guessing movies is a common and fun game. One student of a group writes a movie name on a piece of paper and gives it to the other student of another group. Then that student has to act and others have to say the movie’s name.
18. Find the leader
In this game, one student has to be sent out for some time. You select a leader and after some time call out that student. After that, every other student has to follow the leader and copy him. That student has to find who the leader is.
19. Playing with clay
Children love to play with clay. You can arrange some clay dough in the class for your students. They can make a fort or any scenery with this dough. You can reward the group which makes a better fort.
20. Spotting difference
This activity can improve the visual skills of a nonverbal child. It can give a child the to brainstorm and develop intelligence. You can print some online pictures to spot the difference. Then give these to your students to solve them.
What Are Some Nonverbal Teaching Techniques?
Nonverbal teaching requires more body language than words. The students will observe the movement of your body, facial expression, and the tone of your voice. Your body language can help your students to understand what you want to say.
There are some nonverbal teaching techniques. Such as-for nonverbal teaching, you have to exaggerate your body language and facial expression. You will deliver dramatic expressions to make it understandable for your students.
The second technique is anchoring where repetition happens all the time. Another technique is eye contact where you will make eye contact to communicate. Eye contact can convey the message you want to share.
You can also teach your students through the modulation of your voice. Your body language should give a positive vibe so that the students can relax and feel safe.
How Do You Entertain A Nonverbal Child?
It is a bit challenging to entertain a nonverbal child. There are lots of activities to make a nonverbal child engage and entertain. You can talk with him wherever you are with him so that he can increase his vocabulary.
You can show some pictures that can give him a visual representation of that word. He can really enjoy the visuals. You may play many games with them such as painting, blocks, reading books, etc.
A nonverbal child will really like to know the smell game. They can enjoy and learn at the same time.
How Do You Teach Social Skills To Nonverbal Students?
It is very important to learn social skills for nonverbal students. You have to make some groups and keep them in those groups. This way they can socialize with each other.
Whenever you see your students you will greet them warmly so that they can interact with you. You can also teach them to greet each other and offer to play with others. You may ask some common questions they can answer. You should encourage them to start conversations with other students.
The more you make them practice these social skills, the more they can communicate socially with others.
Verdict
For nonverbal students, activities can be a little tough to find. But those activities can help them to grow better skills to communicate and many more skills.
Group activities for nonverbal students can teach them to communicate with others, be social and build confidence in themselves.
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