Tag: T21 kindergarten

Stop and Go! FREE Sight Word Cards and Readers

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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 Picture Addition Cards for Kindergarten and Grade 1

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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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My Favorite Handwriting Tools for Kids with Down Syndrome

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Today I want to talk about my favorite handwriting tools for kids with Down Syndrome. These include markers, crayons, pencils, pens, and pencil grips. What my son with Down Syndrome uses for writing makes a difference not only with the legibility of his writing but also with how long he’s willing to work. So I’m sharing with you the tools that have been most beneficial for his handwriting.

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Teaching Children with Down Syndrome to Read: Phonics or Sight Words?

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Parents and teachers of children with Down Syndrome may wonder how to start teaching their students with Down Syndrome. Should they start with sight words or phonics?

Currently, the educational trend is strongly in favor of explicit phonics for children at large. However, many experts, such as Sue Buckley, Natalie Hale, and Terry Brown, and many reading experts in Europe who have extensive experience teaching children with T21 recommend starting with sight words first. This is true even in countries such as Spain, where the rules of phonics and pronunciation of Spanish are much more straight forward than English.

Here are five reasons why you should start with sight words, especially if your child is just starting kindergarten:

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First Steps with Phonics: Blending Cards

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Here’s a set of extra large picture and word cards to help children with (or without) Down Syndrome learn to sound out words. Children with DS have poor visual acuity, which means they see everything in soft focus, even when wearing eyeglasses. This can impact their ability to read, especially if the font is too small. I made these for a student in our Down Syndrome Co-op who really started to make progress once he could see the letters.

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How to Teach a Child with Down Syndrome to Sound Out Words

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For all of you trying or wanting to teach your child with Down Syndrome to read, I have:

exciting news!

Scroll to the bottom of this post for that.

But first, this post….

Recently, one of the boys in our co-op was really struggling with reading. He was having a hard time matching and memorizing sight words. Furthermore, practicing letters and their sounds did not interest him at all. In fact, during our reading lessons, he was becoming increasingly inattentive. So I wondered, “What if he just can’t see the letters? And what if he knows his letters but is bored with them?” After all, he had been learning the letters and their sounds since kindergarten, and he was now in second grade.

So I made extra-large word and picture cards to go with First Steps with Phonics, Book 1. We began decoding words that only have TWO sounds as opposed to CVC words (ie. cat and dog) which require blending three sounds. And, by golly, he’s learning to decode!

Here’s what we did:

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Simply Subtraction Level 1 Games

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Here are the Games for Simply Subtraction Level 1, which covers the subtraction facts within ten. These FREE games can help bring some fun into your math lessons! Our kids need a lot of review to build confidence and fluency. Games a great for sparking interest and motivating our kids to practice those facts.

There are eight games that align with most of the lessons in Simply Subtraction Level 1.

Here are some sample pages:

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Simply Subtraction Level 1 – a Math Workbook for Children with (or without) Down Syndrome

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Does your child need extra help with the addition and subtraction facts within 10? Here is a subtraction workbook I made for my son with T21 to help him master the subtraction facts within ten.

Similar to Simply Addition Level 1, this workbook uses a rekenrek (meaning “counting rack”) to make the process of subtraction visual and kinesthetic. After searching high and low for the ideal math manipulative for children with Down Syndrome, I think the rekenrek hits the mark. It’s an effective tool for developing number sense and making math concrete and meaningful. It is with this simple and inexpensive tool that my son has been making slow and steady progress in math.

Unfortunately, there are no Down Syndrome – friendly math workbooks that goes with a rekenrek… so guess who had to go and make one. Yours truly.

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Ten Essential Math Skills that Prepare Children with Down Syndrome for Addition

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Is your child with Down Syndrome struggling with addition and subtraction? If so, try focusing on the essential math skills needed before beginning addition. Here are ten hands-on ways to develop number sense and prepare your child for addition and subtraction.

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A Year of Picture Books with Sequencing

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Sequencing is such an important skill for little people and especially for those with delayed language skills. It helps build comprehension and memory, and it helps children to narrate, which in turn supports the development of speech.

Reading a picture book and re-ordering or retelling the sequence of events is a very simple yet effective way to build language skills. When I can, I use visuals to support the sequencing of events. But often we just practice telling what happened next, or who did what next. So, I’m always on the hunt for picture books with clear sequence of events.

Here are some of our favorite picture books for sequencing:

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