D.E.N. Class

27^th March 2020

Dear Parents, 

Please find below a list of suggested activities for distance learning, with the children from the DEN class in mind. For some general advice on the importance of routine, and activities / lessons for children with additional educational needs see the following article https://www.muinteoirvalerie.com/at-home-activities-and-lessons-for-children-with-asd/. For more specific guidance, please consult your child’s IEP as provided during our meeting last month. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me on ciara.olwill@virginians.ie. 

Best wishes to you and your family at this difficult time. 

Kindest regards, 

Ms. Olwill

Language and Communication Skills

• Lámh sign of the week book: keep revising all signs covered so far and use as much as possible throughout the day. 
• For some ideas for games involving Lámh signs visit the Lámh website:

www.lamh.org/communication/l%C3%A1mh-schools

• The NCSE have excellent tips for developing language and communication skills. See: https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Helping-your-Child-Express-Themselves-An-Oral-and-Written-Storytelling-Resource-for-Parents.pdf 
• Oral motor exercises are important for developing speech sounds. Look at SPEECHercise Level1 for some practical examples: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LPaeflVkw3E&list=OLAK5uy_kd2QhOwLqsDJICSZrs-qbSHLtBLNIDqUY
• Also, Five Minute Speech Therapy activities you can do at home: 

• Take photos on your phone of your child completing a practical activity such as baking bread, planting bulbs etc. Identify the key vocabulary (e.g. pour, mix, bake etc.). Once the task is complete and using the visual photographs, talk to your child about the procedure, sequencing the main steps using first, next and last. 

Occupational Therapy / Physical Exercise

• The NCSE have ideas for developing Gross Motor Skills at home on https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gross-Motor-Skills-Parent-Booklet-Primary.pdf
• The NCSE have ideas for Occupational Therapy at home, developing Fine and Gross Motor Skills. See: https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Fine-and-gross-motor-info-sheets-for-the-home.pdf
• Dance routines are an excellent means of developing coordination, balance, and gross motor skills, as well as providing a nice movement break. See https://gonoodle.com
• Yoga also helps develop balance, coordination and gross motor skills, as well as developing mindfulness and relaxation:

Literacy

• If appropriate for your child, keep revising the Jolly Phonics sounds your child is currently working on using the materials in your child’s Homework Folder.  
• Revise sounds, form letters and CVC words and play games using a multi-sensory approach by clicking on the following link: https://www.starfall.com/h/abcs/
• Teach Your Monster to Read is a fun activity that helps infants work on everything from initial sounds, CVC words, blends and digraphs all the way to full words and sentences. The Web platform is free for teachers and students (the App costs, but is not necessary). Great fun game that children can engage with at home: https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/
• Keep reading to your child, and encouraging them to participate and use the repeated language of the text. See https://www.vooks.com/ for a wide selection of audio books for you to enjoy. 
• For before, during and after reading questions and activities see https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Book-Talk-Supporting-Interactive-Book-Reading.pdf

Numeracy

• Sing lots of Songs related to Number – e.g. “One, Two, Three, Four, Five. Once I caught a fish alive” / “Five Little Speckled Frogs”. Examples on https://www.starfall.com/h/mathsongs/
• Ask your child to sort random objects by colour, size, shape etc.

Using Numicon Number Frames 1 – 5 / Numicon Number Frames 1 – 10, ask your child to put them in order 1 – 5 / 1 – 10. Match the Numicon Number Frames to digit cards 1 – 5 / 1 – 10. Put the Number Frames in a Feely Bag, and ask your child to pick one and see can they recognise the number. See other suggested activities by typing “Numicon” into the YouTube search bar.