Guess What? is an activity that encourages critical thinking and reflecting. First, make a large cloth bag with a big hole in the top (see Reference 1). Put many different objects into the bag, such as a marble, a golf ball, a tennis ball, sandpaper, a cotton ball and so on. Each child takes a turn putting his hand in the bag and feeling only one object. Ask questions such as "What do you think it is?", "What does it feel like?" and "What do you think you can use it for?" It is important for teachers to design activities that are straightforward and not too complex for children with autism. This activity encourages the child to think and engage with their environment by stimulating their senses.
It is important for all young children to develop their fine motor skills. Children with autism tend to have more difficulty developing their fine motor skills than other children do. The Bubble Activity is designed to increase the strength in the writing grasp between the thumb and the forefinger (see Reference 2). The Do2Learn website provides dotted sticker bubble pages specially designed for this activity. First, give students the exact number of stickers needed to complete one bubble page and show them how to peel off a sticker. Next, have students fill in the bubbles with the stickers, so they can see the shape their stickers have made. Ask children, "What shape do you see?" At the bottom of the page, children can trace the word of the shape, such as "circle." Children with autism enjoy this activity because it is physically engaging, and this activity aids in the development of their writing skills.
Measuring the height of preschool students is very exciting for the entire class and promotes math skills. Children with autism are very motivated to learn about their personal environment, often avoiding social situations and games. Measuring the height of a child with autism is an activity that can be done every month, motivating him to observe his height changes. You need string, measuring tape, masking tape and scissors for this activity (see Reference 3). First, the student holds a piece of string against her body from her head to the floor. Snip the string at her head and wrap a piece of masking tape around the top, leaving a tag to write the child's name. Next, lay the string on the floor and measure the length with a measuring tape, explaining that the number is the student's height. Write the height next to her name. The children can compare their strings to each other or to other objects in the class to discover what objects are shorter than their heights. You can make a height chart and put the strings for each child under his name to record his height over a term. This activity engages a child with autism by creating a student-focused lesson, allowing her to be involved in the measurements and investigation of objects of different heights. The freedom of investigating with the length of string provides her with the ability to take control while not feeling forced to conform to an uncomfortable social situation.