PrAACtically Father’s Day: AAC-friendly Ideas

Holidays and special occasions are a great time to put communication into AACtion. Since it’s prAACtically Father’s Day, we’re sharing some ideas and materials that may be of interest.

• Set the stage for success by reading a social narrative about Father’s Day in the week leading up to the holiday. This example from Emily’s World will get you started.  
• Use Talking to Dad Visual Supports/Worksheets by Joel Shaul at Autism Teaching Strategies to create meaningful conversations.
• Read some books that feature special things about fathers. Here are some suggestions to get you started.
  • My Dad is Amazing 
  • I Love Dad with the Very Hungry Caterpillar 
  • The Night Before Father’s Day 
  • Because I’m Your Dad 
  • What Do Dads Do? Verbs, Verbs, Verbs 
• Celebrate with a special book that you write together using these resources.
  • My Super Dad by Miss Hellen’s Hippos.
  • Father’s Day Flip Book by Kaitlynn Albani.
• Write a special poem for Dad on your own or use a template like this one from A Sunny Day or this one from Adventures in Kindergarten. 
• Create a special card, such as this one from Crayon Box Classroom. 
• Don’t forget Grandpa! This fun book, How to Babysit a Grandpa, is great for shared reading.  
• Use a visual recipe to prepare a sweet treat for dad. Consider chocolate-covered pretzels.

Do you have favorite ways of celebrating Father’s Day and using AAC in the process? We’d love to hear about them.