HOW CAN I CREATE
THE BEST ENVIRONMENT FOR MY CHILD TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS
Some children have problems following
directions even when they hear you talk and understand your words. To help your child learn how to follow
directions you can minimize distractions and it will help your child to focus on what
you are saying.
Here are some ways you can create an
environment that encourages your child to listen and learn:
1.
Get rid of
distractions. Noises, like the television, radio and other
people talking, make it hard for your child to listen and follow
directions. Before you give your child a
direction, turn off the noise or take the child somewhere quieter.
2.
Prepare your child to
listen. Let them know when it is time to listen.
Encourage your child to look at you.
Call their name and say. “Time to listen.” You can also give your child a signal
such as pointing to your ear.
3.
Pair actions with
words when you give your child a direction.
The action makes it easier for your child to understand and follow
directions. Natural gestures will give
your child added clues about what you want him to do. For example, say, “Give it to me,” while
reaching for the item with our hands.
4.
Speak clearly and
slowly. A slower than normal rate of speech and
pauses between ideas will help your child understand what you want him to
do. Emphasize important parts of the
direction by saying those words LOUDER and L O N G E R.
5.
Repeat instructions
to help your child remember. When you repeat- just repeat the key words or phrases. For example: teeth then book. If you use too many words over and over your child will tune you out and not follow any directions!
6.
Give one direction at
a time or group directions that are similar.
For example, say, “Wash your face and brush your teeth ; then get your book and we’ll read it together” .
7.
Use examples,
demonstrations or pictures. When possible,
use examples from your child’s background, interests or experiences. These cues will make directions more
meaningful to your child.
8.
Use words that your
child knows and understands. If
you must use new words or concepts, use these words in a variety of ways to
help your child understand their meaning. Use body and gestures to get your point across.
9.
Be positive. When your child follows all or part of a
direction, praise your child. Provide
positive feedback to help your child learn.
DOES
YOUR CHILD KNOW THE VOCABULARY
FOR
FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS?
Following directions can be tricky.
You need to know a lot of words! Children might have trouble following
directions because they don’t understand the words (vocabulary). To follow directions successfully, our child
must understand a lot of different concepts (concept vocabulary).
Does your child have the words and
concept vocabulary to follow directions?
Ask yourself these questions:
Does my child know
colors?
Examples: red, grey, orange, pink.
- Could
he follow this direction? “Everybody get
a red ball and stand in line”.
Does my child know
shapes?
Examples: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval,
diamond.
- Could
he follow this direction? “Draw a square
on your worksheet”.
Does my child know
size words?
Example: big, tall, large, medium.
-
Could
he follow this direction? “Circle the
dog with the short tail”.
Does my child know
common school directions?
Examples: cross out, underline, draw a circle around,
and put a line through.
- Could
he follow this direction? “Cross out all
of the works that start with b”.
Does my child know
quantity words?
Examples: most, least, few, some, less than.
-
Could
he follow this direction? “If you have
less than 5 mistakes on your worksheet, you can have free reading time.”
Does my child know
spatial concepts?
Examples: in, on, under, beside, behind, in front of,
above, below, left, right, east, west.
-
Could
he follow this direction? “Write your
name above the first question.”
Does my child know
time concepts?
Examples: today, yesterday, before, after, later.
- Could
he follow this direction? “Before you go
out for recess, hand in your math”.
Does my child know
sequence words?
Examples: first, second, last, next, beginning.
- Could
he follow this direction? “The second
person in each row can hand out the workbooks.”
Does my child know
opposites?
Examples: hot/cold, skinny/fat, rough/smooth,
wide/narrow, same/different.
-
Could
he follow this direction? “Be sure to
use different colors on your picture.”
Does my child know
emotion/feeling words?
Examples: happy, afraid, tired, disappointed.
-
Could
he follow this direction? “Which
character in the story was angry?”
The following
activities are some suggestions of games to play with children.
Please adapt them to meet the needs of your child/student. Listening and comprehension monitoring skills
can always be encouraged when reading poems and stories.
·
Barrier Games:
The listener and speaker have identical sets of objects (e.g. a girl
doll, a boy doll, a red chair, a blue chair).
A cardboard barrier is placed so that the listener cannot see the
speaker’s objects. The speaker arranges
his objects and then the partner has to match the items after being given a direction by the first player.
Barrier
games can be created using any two sets of materials that can be manipulated,
including:
Ø Mr. Potato Head
Ø Lego
Ø Sticker boards
· Crafts:
The speaker gives instructions (e.g. to make a paper snowflake). The listener is guided to evaluate whether
the instructions were adequate or request clarity.
·
Cooking:
A recipe is read out loud. The
child must request repetition or clarification, and ask the speaker to reduce
the rate of speech or the number of items presented. For example, the speaker may read the entire
recipe rapidly without pausing. The
student is prompted to say, “Tell me them one at a time.”
·
Role Playing:
Act out the communicative exchanges. Example:
Ø One person invites another to a party
giving the date, time, and address.
Ø Telephone messages.
Ø A waiter takes orders in a restaurant
and gives them to the chef.
Ø Classroom situations.
