As a previous special education teacher, I learned that offering student event he smallest of choices was beneficial. It gives some students a sense of control in their life. Often, that is why behaviors occur- it's the only thing they feel they can control. So a while back, I had this idea for a choices toolkit. The toolkit is meant to be a centrally-located basket or box that students may select items from as needed.
The choices toolkit is designed for students to choose items that will help them complete activities in learning. Some of these may be behavioral for focus. Others may be a visual representation of the work they want to accomplish. This toolkit is truly for students to take ownership of their learning by identifying their needs and problem-solving to accomplish their tasks.
To make this cost-effective, everything I used for this comes directly from a dollar store. Some items may not pertain to certain ages and others may be used in different areas or for different purposes in the classroom. This is a mix and match to your room and your students’ needs. I made a video fo the choices toolkit that you can view below.
So how do I make one of these toolkits?
Step 1: Buy all the stuff. Sounds pretty simple. I went into the store and walked the entire space. I went down every aisle and looked at everything they offered with the mindset of: “how could this help a student in the classroom?”
Step 2: Organize the items. I used ziploc bags and labeled them so
students know what they are for as well.
Step 3: Introduce the toolkit to the students. Go through the items and explain each item’s purpose. Model how this can help given a few scenarios.
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