Words Where You Are

A child's communication board usually lives in one place: a classroom wall, a calm corner, a folder. But children live their whole day in places the board never goes. This set puts a board in those places instead: the playground, the cafeteria, specials, the nurse, assembly, and the bus. One board per place, mounted where the day actually happens, so the words are there even when the folder is not.

Every board starts with the same three shapes as the I Feel, I Need, I Want kit: a circle for I feel, a soft rectangle for I need, an oval for I want. The start never changes. Underneath it, each board carries the words that place needs, so a child who learns the sentence in the classroom already knows it on the bus. Point, show, or say. Every way counts.

What's inside (7 pages)

- Cover and how-to page: the idea, the shape system, and how to mount and teach the boards

- Words for the Playground: play, my turn, your turn, help, stop, a break, the ball, the swing, the slide, line up, all done, a friend

- Words for the Cafeteria

- Words for Specials

- Words for the Nurse

- Words for Assembly

- Words for the Bus

- On every board: the same core strip (I feel, I need, I want), 12 words for that place, and blank "my word" chips for the words only your child would know to ask for

How it works

Print the board for each place, laminate it, and mount it at child height where it will actually be used: by the cafeteria door, on the gym wall, inside the nurse's office, on the bus. Point the boards out when things are calm, because a board nobody has been shown is just a poster. If a word a child needs is missing, write it in that day. These boards are meant to grow.

Formats

US Letter (8.5 x 11 in). One full-page board per place, made to be mounted as printed.

One honest note

This set is a companion to the I Feel, I Need, I Want kit and uses its shape system, so the two work together. It also stands on its own: the strip at the top of every board teaches the whole sentence by itself. Pointing, showing, eye gaze, a device, a voice: all of it is communication, and all of it gets answered the same way.