Home made activities
Charades
This is a brilliant way to help your child to behave a little more flexibly and engage some creativity! Introduce some rules to encourage behaviours that will be expected in a classroom (e.g. hands up).
​
What to do:
-Write down some charades ideas on paper or print pictures and put into a bowl/hat
-Take it in turns to act out that example!
Song lyrics
If your child likes a particular song or genre of music, this would be perfect. It's a great way to learn a few spellings and learn the order of words- which many autistic children struggle with, but in a more engaging format.
​
What to do:
-Print off the lyrics to your child's favourite song, with a few words missing
-Go through the song with your child and fill in the gaps with the correct spellings!
​
​
Pictionary
Helps to improve cognitive skills such as imagination, vocabulary skills and social skills (interacting with others during play).
​
What to do:
-Write down some examples of things to draw and put them into a bowl/hat
-Take it in turns to draw that thing and get the other person to guess
-You could also use clay/paints but be mindful of what your child may find frustrating
Memory Game
A typical party game but also helps with rule following and coping with winning/losing. The great thing about this game is it presents graduated loss e.g. the child doesn't lose everything if they don't guess all of the objects, they may just forget a few, which may be easier for them to process.
​
What to do:
-Place a variety of objects on a table/tray and cover
-Show them to your child for a minute and then take them away
-See if together you can remember all of the objects
-Place emphasis on how it doesn't matter that you don't remember all of them, and try again
Guess Who
The traditional game of Guess Who, but use your child's interests.
​
What to do:
-Google lots of pictures of your child's favourite thing e.g. a grid of different dog breeds
-Each of you gets a copy and chooses one dog to describe using yes/no questions and answers
-First person to guess the dog breed wins!
Maze
Navigation
Many children with Autism like memorising routes but also often need help with performing simple everyday tasks. This game engages these skills (the example above is a map of Longleat; my client's favourite place).
​
What to do:
-Print off a map or draw a route
-Draw a picture of your child/a bike at the start of the route
-Set your child different tasks/routes e.g. how would I get to the swimming pool from here?
-Ask them to explain the route and draw it out on the map
-You can then add in elements like "can you get me some milk from the shop and then go to the station"
Emotion
Thermometer
This is a really common tool used in schools to help children with communication difficulties to express their feelings.
​
What to do:
-Print out or draw a thermometer on some paper ranging from dark red at the top, to a neutral blue or green at the base
-Label each section of the thermometer with an emotion: red= very angry down to very happy
-Use it as often as you feel necessary, to allow your child to express their emotions
Easy, at-home slime
This is a great activity for all members of the family. Please bear in mind this is a very messy activity and it won't be easy to get clean afterwards.
​
What to do:
-Pour some cornflour into a big bowl
-Slowly add water and some food colouring (optional) into the bowl and mix it with your hands
-If the slime is too powdery, add more water and food colouring
-If it is too runny add more flour
​
​
SENSORY WARNING:
This can get really messy
Make sure everyone is wearing scruffy clothes and you have a space that can get messy (ideally garden)
Finger
breathing
This is a really common mindfulness technique to help children to slow their breathing during a panic attack or anxiety. Deep and structured breathing has been shown to help manage panic attacks in children and this a really simple way of visualising.
​
See the picture above
​
What to do:
-Either draw out a hand/print one off or draw around your/your child's hand
-When your child feels anxious, remind them to follow their fingers up and down, breathing in, pausing and then breathing out
-Work out how your child uses the tool best; either carrying round the picture with them or using their own hand