An autistic student is not like the others. Maybe he is blessed with special capabilities but in exchange, some of the normal human abilities are taken from him.
It is really hard to take care of autistic students. But group activities might help you in this regard. That is why we have brought to you different facts and a huge list of group activities that may assist you in taking care of the special needs students.
Here is an article on my website that you must read, its about 25 Group Activities For Quiet Time In 2024.
What Are The Strategies Used To Work With A Child With Autism?
A child with autism has their own unique way and ability to do something. Unlike other normal kids, they can’t do everything properly but they hold a vast amount of skill in a single subject. For example, mathematics, painting, crafts, etc.
- Autistic children are sensitive to changes in situations. That is why it is better to maintain a routine whenever it is possible. This ensures that the child will know what is going to happen next and can prepare and anticipate himself.
- Autistic children are visual learners. They learn things better if they are presented or shown to them instead of a verbal description. That’s why it is better to use signs, images, paintings, keywords, etc. while working with them in order to make things easier for them.
- Autistic children have their own sensory needs and a professional therapist can assist and provide strategies to implement them. While working with children with autism it is important to be aware of these needs as they’re quite sensitive to these. So it is better to have proper knowledge of the child’s sensory needs.
30 Group Activities For Special Needs Students
It is really hard to find group activities for special needs students. But don’t worry, we got you covered. So let us dive into some group activities that will be beneficial for your special needs student group.
- Puzzles
Puzzles are a fun activity for these special children. Solving different types of puzzles together helps them utilize their brain and thinking abilities. It also teaches them teamwork.
- Building Blocks
Building with blocks is really fun for special needs students. Building different structures together with the help of a manual helps them develop their hand-eye coordination.
- Matching Cards
Matching cards is a fun game for a special child. This game helps to develop the memory of the children. They can play it together by taking turns. If after flipping 2 cards they are matched, they can take the card, or else they have to continue playing.
- Painting
For special needs students, painting is a must. Most of them have the ability to make fine art. Let them paint together and see who can paint the masterpiece.
- Dance Together to a Tune
Dancing is great for expression and also helps to keep children in shape. Special needs children may not do many physical activities, that’s why dancing together to a tune is also a good exercise for them.
- Roll a Dice
Board games can be a great way to strengthen the bond among children with special needs. Choose a game that the children like the most and guide them while they play it together. It will also help them learn social skills.
- Crafting
Crafting is another fun activity that lets children be creative. There are many crafting activities that these special needs students can do together. Such as jewelry, origami making castles with cardboard, etc.
- Playing Catch
Physical activity like this can increase a child’s awareness of his body and endurance. Let the students stand by forming a circle and give them a ball to play catch with it. They will really enjoy this game.
- Hide and Seek
Playing hide and seek really helps an autistic child to socialize and interact with other children. But if you are trying this activity with special needs students, don’t forget to play it in an enclosed area as much as possible. Make sure that nobody is hurt.
- Scavenger Hunt
Hide the student’s favorite item in a secret place. Give the students some clues and let them search for the item. Don’t forget to give the winner a nice winning prize or at least, some M&M’s.
- Sorting with Snack
Give the students a plate of colorful snacks. They can be of different shapes, structures, colors, etc. Tell them to arrange them according to their characteristics. You can also reward them with a snack or any other gift u want.
- Put on a Show
Puppets and soft toys help the special needs student to understand abstract concepts. Put on a puppet show in the class and let them laugh, enjoy and learn from it.
- Emotion Cards
Emotion cards are quite helpful for students with special needs. These cards help them to understand each other’s emotions and help them to express their emotions too. Provide your students with these cards and let them express themselves in a better way.
- Playing in a Playground
Playgrounds provide a variety of equipment that helps to stimulate students with special needs. The monkey bars, swings, and slides in the playground help them to stay active and joyful. Letting your group of students with special needs play in a playground for a while will not be a bad idea.
- Fidget Toys
Fidget toys are very well-known sensory tools for helping children with autism. Bring some fidget toys for your students and let them play with them together. This helps them with stress relief and also keeps them calm.
- Theaters
Autistic students who have a problem doing numerous stuff usually end up doing well in acting from the script. Letting them do a theater show in the class can be a great activity for them. You may even discover some real hidden talents as well.
- Cosplay and Fantasy Games
Cosplay is the short form of “Costume Play”. It is getting quite popular recently. Arrange a ‘cons’ and let the students come to it wearing the costumes of their favorite characters. A prize for the best cosplayer will motivate them even more.
- Special Interest Clubs
Most students with autism are fascinated with a particular subject or topic. Forming different clubs with such topics or subjects will help these students to grow their talents even more.
- Visual Arts
Creativity matters the most in visual arts. Organize a visual art show in the class where the special needs student will show things that they have made. The show may include drawing, painting, clay, photography, and even multi-media art.
- Sign language club.
Sign language clubs are quite beneficial for students with special needs. This club will increase the communication skill of the students and help them to express themselves more clearly.
- Recycling Groups
The activities they will perform in this club will help them to develop their social skills. They will also utilize some strengths which will help them in their physical growth. This club’s activities will strengthen their bonds too.
- Balloon Volleyball
It is a fun activity for special needs students. Move aside the tables and mark up a line in the middle with tape. Group the students in half on each side of the table. Use some balloons instead of a volleyball and let them play with them like the volleyball game. See how long they can keep it in the air. You can also join them for motivating them.
- Slime Experiment
Slimes are quite popular for sensory activity in a class of students with special needs. There are plenty of slime recipes that you can try making with the students. This activity will help to develop their sensory ability.
- Dig in
Letting the special needs students dig in the soil and explore is quite helpful for them. It helps to improve their motor skills and is also quite beneficial for their sensory ability.
- Simon Says
This game can be quite helpful for special needs students to improve their understanding ability. You can use simple gestures such as, touching your nose, clapping your hands, etc for the starters.
- Yoga
Yoga can be a helpful activity for special needs students too. Yoga can assist them physically and again it assists them with self-regulation and self-soothing. Doing yoga in groups will help them to create a stronger bond and again they will feel motivated as well.
- Musical Instruments
Playing musical instruments like drums, piano, and guitar can be a fun activity for students with special needs. Special needs students often have hidden talents in them. So some of them can turn out to be good instrumental artists as well.
- Going to the Zoo
A trip to the zoo will be quite fascinating for autistic students. They will get to know much about the outside world and nature. Again, the touch of nature will give them a relieving feeling.
- Tie-Dye Like The Old Days
Tie-dye can be a fun activity for all students with special needs. Provide them with colors and a white t-shirt and let them color it with their heart out. They will enjoy this activity very much and maybe you will get a masterpiece printed on the t-shirts as well.
- Pick Flowers For Friends or Family
Picking flowers can be seen as a boring or old activity but it can surely brighten up an autistic student’s day. Let the group go to a garden and pick up some flowers for their mates and families. It will surely turn out to be joyful work for them.
How Do You Teach Social Skills To Autistic Students?
A student with autism often lacks social skills. That’s why having the desire to interact with someone, they cannot end up doing it. That is why it is so important for educators to teach and assist autistic students in learning social skills.
Some strategies to support social skill development for autistic students are given below.
- Students with autism need to practice before m=normalizing anything. So don’t expect them to generalize anything. They need practice.
- Engage peers as they can be role models and encourage autistic students in almost every situation.
- Use visuals more than verbal directions. For a student with autism, a picture is more valuable than words.
- Remember that the more they grow older the more complex the social expectations will become. That’s why repetition and elaborations of the gestures are essential for them.
- Being a role model is quite essential to teach social skills to an autistic student. So, try to be slightly overdramatic so that the students can identify the points you’re trying to illustrate.
How Do You Entertain A Special Needs Child?
The best way to entertain a child with special needs is through play. Playing and spending time with them will eventually make you their favorite.
Entertaining an autistic child is not a hard job at all. But you need to be careful as they’re quite sensitive to various subjects. Some ways to entertain a special needs child are listed below.
- Playing with an autistic child will give them a joyful time. They enjoy playing with soft toys or plushies very much.
- Take the child outside. Playing in the playground with the other kids will give them a fun time and also help to improve their social skills.
- Watching different shows and cartoons with them will also be fun for them. Add some reaction to the funny scenes to spice it up.
- Many board games and indoor group games are made for children with special needs to help them enjoy and socialize. Perform these activities with them to assist them in their hard time.
Verdict
Group activities are really helpful for an autistic child to help him grow normally. It helps them to develop their social skills and also to be stable.
We have gathered all these group activities that are sure to be enjoyable and educative for an autistic student. So, if you are looking for some fun group activities to enjoy together with the special needs student, check out our list.
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