Work Tasks for Special Education

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Work Task Series Part 1

There are so many things I love about my job, but work tasks for special education? That’s my absolute favorite! I’m a total work-task junkie. I spend hours browsing other teachers’ blogs to see what creative ideas they’ve come up with. I thrive on thinking outside the box and discovering unique items to use, ones that no one else might have considered. I’ve gathered tons of fantastic ideas from other blogs and teachers. I’ve even taken products from Teachers Pay Teachers and turned them into work boxes. What I’m most proud of are the ones I have made on my own and used with my students. Today, I’m sharing with you some of the ideas I have created that have helped my students! 

Benefits of Having Work Tasks for Special Education Students

Let me tell you, there are so many benefits to having work tasks for special education students! These tasks are a game-changer for keeping students engaged with meaningful activities. We’re talking about real skills here, not just busy work. Each task is designed to reinforce crucial skills that our students need to succeed, whether it’s sorting, matching, counting, or reading.

What I absolutely love about these tasks is their ability to be done independently. This independence is key for teaching our students about schedules and routines. When students can work on their own, they gain confidence and a sense of accomplishment. Plus, it helps them understand the importance of following a schedule and sticking to routines, which is such an essential life skill.

I’ve seen students blossom as they work through a series of tasks that gradually increase in difficulty. They start with simple sorting tasks and eventually move on to more complex activities like sequencing and categorizing. It’s amazing to watch their progress and see how these tasks help them build a solid foundation for learning.

These work tasks can be customized to fit each student’s unique needs. Whether using visual aids, hands-on materials, or technology, there’s always a way to make the tasks engaging and accessible for everyone. It’s all about finding what works best for each student and running with it!

Ideas for Work Tasks

I’m excited to share a few of the work tasks currently rocking in my middle school classroom! These tasks are a mix of my own creations and clever ideas I’ve adapted from other fantastic teachers and blogs.

My students have a range of abilities, so some tasks might be a bit more challenging or easier than what’s perfect for your class. Throughout the year, I can see the progress my students are making with these work tasks. At the beginning of the year, my students are working on simpler tasks. When we reach the middle and end, typically I’m focusing on introducing more multi-step work tasks to keep things interesting and challenging.

Matching Bottle Tops to Bottle Bottoms

I stumbled upon these travel-size bottles at the Dollar Store and immediately saw their potential for a fun learning activity. I jazzed them up by adding stickers to both the lids and bottoms. This simple addition turned them into a versatile educational tool. Now, my students’ task is to carefully match the stickers and assemble the bottles by pairing the correct lid with the matching bottom.

To add an extra layer of challenge, I made sure the stickers included both letters and colors. This means that not only do they have to find the right match visually, but they also need to pay attention to the specific letter and color combination. It’s a fantastic way to reinforce letter recognition and color identification skills in a hands-on, interactive way.

Paint Chip Matching

I’m a huge fan of Lowe’s! I picked up two sets of their free sample cards and laminated them. One set, I cut into individual pieces and put soft Velcro on the back of each piece. For the other set, I left it whole and added hard Velcro to each section. The idea is for my students to match the pieces to the correct spots on the whole cards.

On the other hand, for my higher-level students, the challenge is to match the pieces based on the names of the colors. This helps them with reading and color recognition. For my lower-level students, the focus is on matching the pieces by color alone, which is a great way to reinforce color identification skills. It’s a versatile task that I can adjust based on each student’s abilities, making it perfect for my classroom!

Safety Word Bracelets

During the summer, I found these awesome bracelet kits at Dollar General. They come with individual letter beads that you can string onto pieces of yarn. I turned them into a fun and educational word-building activity for my students.

At the beginning of the year, we started with something familiar: student names. Each student would string the beads to spell their name, which helped them with letter recognition and spelling. As the year progressed and their skills improved, we moved on to more challenging words. Now, we’re focusing on functional safety words like “STOP,” “EXIT,” and “HELP.” This not only enhances their vocabulary but also teaches them important safety terms.

The activity is great for developing fine motor skills, as they have to string each bead carefully. It also reinforces their ability to follow instructions and complete tasks independently. 

Word Writing

During one of my Target Dollar section hauls over the summer, I stumbled upon this adorable little Magna Doodle and just had to grab it, even though I wasn’t quite sure how I’d use it at the time. Fast forward to now, and it’s become a staple in my classroom for a fantastic work task practicing and reinforcing high-frequency words!

I have a set of word cards with high-frequency words that my students need to practice. They take these cards and use the Magna Doodle to spell and write each word. This activity not only helps them solidify their spelling skills but also reinforces handwriting practice in a fun and engaging way.

The Magna Doodle adds an extra layer of excitement to the task. Its magnetic surface and stylus make it a hit with my students, who love the tactile experience of writing on it. Plus, since it’s erasable, they can easily correct mistakes and keep practicing until they get it just right.

Geography Puzzles

Geography is a big part of our middle school curriculum. To keep things fresh and reinforce what we learned earlier in the year, I came up with a creative work task activity. I started by printing out two sets of maps showing only the states. Then, I laminated both sets. The catch is that I cut out one set of maps and left the other intact. You can cut out each state individually, or cut them in groups like I did.

Next, I added velcro to the back of the pieces I can and also to the intact map. You can do the same with a world map too. Just cut one map so that it focuses on the geography that students are reviewing (continents, countries, etc.) It’s a fun, hands-on activity that helps students review geography skills. Plus, it’s a great example of how we can adapt classroom materials to suit the specific needs and interests of our students.

Get Started with Work Tasks in Your Classroom

I hope these ideas spark some inspiration for filling every spare moment of your day with engaging activities for your students. In my classroom, my students are constantly busy. They’re either working with an adult or tackling work tasks at their desks. That constant engagement is so important for keeping them focused and motivated.

Variety is key! Offering a mix of activities, some of which don’t even feel like work to the students, keeps things interesting and prevents them from feeling overwhelmed. I’ve noticed that some tasks have become favorites among my students. They look forward to them every day! In fact, they even ask about them if I swap them out for something new.

To help you get started with work tasks in your classroom, make sure to check out my Independent Work Task Starter Kit! It has everything you need to create visuals, schedules, reinforcement boards, and much more! 

I’d love to hear about what works well in your classroom, too! Let’s keep the conversation going and continue to share ideas. Here’s to happy work tasking and creating a vibrant, engaging learning environment for our students!

Looking for more ways to incorporate independent learning in your special education classroom? Check out these blog posts:

• Easy and Simple Independent Work Binder Setup
• Launching Independent Work Stations during the First Weeks of School

Save these Work Task Tips and Ideas!

Remember to save this post to your favorite teacher Pinterest board for ideas for using work tasks to use in your classroom!