Down Syndrome Education at Home

A FREE Book of Poems for Second Grade

Published on June 2, 2026June 2, 2026 by Mary Cooney2 Comments

Here’s a FREE book of poems I made for my son with Down Syndrome for second grade. If you and your kids enjoyed Poems for First Grade, you’ll enjoy this compilation of poems and illustrations.

Memorizing and reciting is becoming a lost art, but there is so much to be gained from it — for all children. Memorizing and reciting poetry develops the memory and the imagination and fills the mind with beautiful imagery and language. For children with speech delays, it also helps to develop articulation and pacing in speech.

But most of all, poetry should be studied for the enjoyment and beauty of it!

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Let’s Learn About Money: A FREE Unit on Counting Coins

Published on April 30, 2026April 30, 2026 by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

Here’s a set of worksheets I made for the kids in our Down Syndrome co-op to help them recognize and count coins of the same type.

Many of the money units I’ve seen are either only in black and white, or too busy. This makes it difficult for our kids to use. Our students need clean, uncluttered worksheets with clear large pictures and text. They also have better success when there is only ONE type of activity per page.

Here’s what I made for our first unit on money:

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Stop and Go! FREE Sight Word Cards and Readers

Published on April 16, 2026April 16, 2026 by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

Did you know that many children with Down Syndrome as young as 3 years old can learn to read sight words?

If you’re wondering whether or not your child is ready, here’s a free way to try.

I made this set of car-themed sight word cards and readers for a boy in our co-op who just wouldn’t sit at a desk.

So, we sat on the floor and played cars. And snuck in some sight-word learning. When I showed him the word “Go”, we’d yell “Go!”, and he would zoom a car across the floor. Then I’d show him the word “Stop” when the car stopped. Next I took out a car ramp, and I showed him the word “Car” or “Truck” before he could let a car or truck go down the ramp. Eventually, he had to read “car” or “truck” before zooming down a vehicle.

Some of the best learning happens when we incorporate play.

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FREE Skip Counting Puzzles

Published on March 25, 2026March 25, 2026 by Mary Cooney1 Comment

Skip counting is an important math skill, especially for counting money. Many children with special needs require extra practice with skip counting to master the correct sequence of numbers. Providing a variety of ways to practice keeps them interested. One of our favorite ways is practicing with puzzles. Here are FREE puzzles for counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. They are a fun, motivating way to practice skip counting.

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Simply Subtraction Level 2 Workbook: Math for Kids with (or without) Down Syndrome

Published on March 9, 2026March 9, 2026 by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

Here’s the Simply Subtraction Level 2 workbook for helping children with Down Syndrome and other special needs learn to subtract with the help of a rekenrek. It follows Simply Addition Level 1, Simply Subtraction Level 1, and Simply Addition Level 2. The Simply Subtraction Level 2 Workbook teaches children to subtract numbers within twenty.

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Free Picture Addition Cards for Kindergarten and Grade 1

Published on January 21, 2026January 21, 2026 by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

Here’s a set of Picture Addition Cards that help children understand the concept of commutativity (that is, 1+2 and 2+1 both equal 3). Kids with Down Syndrome and other special needs require a lot of practice with pictures to understand and master addition facts. So I made these for my son, and as always, sharing them with you.

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Around the Year Picture Books with Beautiful Illustrations

Published on January 6, 2026January 6, 2026 by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

Reading picture books with beautiful illustrations is a wonderful way to draw our kids into reading and help them appreciate that which is objectively good and beautiful. Illustrations play an important role in the development of our children’s imaginations, so we want to make sure we give our children lots of beautiful books.

Here are twelve of my favorite illustrators (some classic, some contemporary) for around-the-year picture books with beautiful pictures.

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Christmas Shopping Math Activities for Kids with Special Needs

Published on December 10, 2025December 10, 2025 by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

As Christmas draws near, it’s fun to take a break from our regular curriculum and dive into Christmas-themed unit studies. My son really enjoys pretending to shop with play money, so here is a set of Christmas shopping cards and activities I made for him.

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Simply Addition Level 2 Flashcards and Worksheets

Published on November 24, 2025November 26, 2025 by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

Using addition flash cards are a quick and easy way to help our kids practice the addition facts. I searched high and low for rekenrek addition flash cards with large numbers and finally ended up making them myself. For children with Down Syndrome and other visual learners, including a visual aid on the flash cards makes addition more concrete. So that’s what I did:

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FREE Number Sequence Puzzles in Art

Published on November 10, 2025November 10, 2025 by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

Does your child need extra practice sequencing numbers from 11-20? Here are four FREE sequence puzzles featuring the artwork of Homer Winslow. (I like exposing my kids to beautiful artwork in any way I can!)

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