B is for Barrier games, Book buddies, Back & Blanket Stitch

This year my A to Z Challenge has a double theme.  The first focuses on the resources and teaching that may help children with special educational needs learn more effectively and the second is to do with my crafting likes and ideas.

Barrier games are a fun way to help children build on their speech and language skills.  One child gives instructions on how to build a 2D picture or 3D model to another child or children whilst hiding the picture or model behind a barrier so that the others cannot see it.  These type of games also provide a real need for talking for some children rather than simple yes or no.  They need to explain clearly what they want the other child to do - the use of directional language, colour and shape are also fully utilised.  As all the children take turns to be the director and tell the others it also helps those rather shy children be in charge.

This picture is not from my school but shows children describing foodstuffs that need to be put in a range of bowls.

Book Buddies have been very successful with a whole range of children in classes I have taught from the gifted and talented to those with very special needs.  Sharing a book with another person is a very special thing and having an older child listen to a younger child read brings a whole host of other valuable learning opportunities.  The older children are supportive, they have time to listen and discuss the stories, they laugh in all the right places and they keep the younger ones fully focused.  The younger ones love "performing" to their older buddy and get the chance to maybe ask those questions they wouldn't to an adult and sometimes they also share worries about a whole host of playground issues that the older child can help with too.  It never ceases to amaze me how grown up children of ten and eleven can be when given this responsibility and how understanding they can be to those who are struggling with their reading.

Who did you enjoy reading to at school or who did you enjoy listening to?

Back Stitch & Blanket Stitch are two very useful stitches for joining material together.  I use blanket stitch a lot when I make little items to have stuffing inserted such as Christmas hanging ornaments, pin cushions or as my example shows one year I made felt cats with cat nip inside for a school handicraft stall.

As you can also see on this piece, back stitch can be used as a simple embroidery stitch to add detail such as whiskers and the tail.

Just to let you all know, unfortunately I seem to have picked up a computer virus that is disrupting my replying to comments so I will reply as soon as I have sussed out how to get around the problem.

My freebie today is B is for Beanstalk.  Download to help children learn their number sequences in a fun and creative way :)