Do you want to target and teach core words with your student and/or child with complex communication needs? These double-sided brightly colored flashcards can be used for a variety of communication, language, and literacy activities.

Here are some ideas to get started!
1. Work on print awareness and phonemic awareness by modeling the letter on the card and then sounding it out. Using the visual cue will help students connect the letter and word with the corresponding picture. For example, when choosing the card “jump,” emphasize the “J” and point to the letter at the same time.
2. Ask your student to think of another word that starts with the target letter. For example, if you are doing "L" for "like", ask your student to tell you another word that starts with L. For students with communication systems, have them find another word that begins with that letter on their talker.
3. Answer “wh” questions. For example, for the word "play", "What do you like to play?"
4. Start a discussion about one word. For example, the word "need". What are the things that you need? You can model "e.g., bathroom, shower, food, drink, etc."
5. Target decoding and reading fluency by reading the sentence on the back of the card.
6. Work on communication by practicing the word in a sentence on the child's talker. For example, for the word "swim", I can create the sentence..."I swim in a pool." A child may also want to practice creating the same sentence on the card with their talker and/or voice. Make this more challenging by using two cards to make one sentence.
7. Target the lower and upper case of each letter of the alphabet. All the cards have both the upper and lower case of each letter.
8. Use gestural cues with the cards. For example, for the word "swim", move your arms to show "swimming".
9. Model core vocabulary in conjunction with the cards and the child's talker and/or verbalizations.
10. Play a game by calling out a letter sound and your student/child must find the correct card with the same sound.

Finally, use the cards as a companion to my book, All About Core, An Alphabet Book for Emerging Readers.

Do you want to work on improving communication, literacy, and social emotional skills with your student and/or child with complex communication needs? These double-sided brightly colored flashcards can be used during a variety of activities to target receptive, expressive, and social communication skills.

Here are some ideas to get started:
1. Work on print awareness and phonemic awareness by modeling the letter on the card and then sounding it out. With the visual cue, it will help students connect the letter and word with the corresponding picture.
2. Ask your student to think of another word that starts with the target letter. For example, if you are doing "W" for "wet", ask your student to tell you another word that starts with W.
3. Answer “wh” questions. For example, for the word "tired", "Where do you sleep when you are tired?"
4. Work on synonyms and antonyms. What is the opposite of hungry?
5. Target decoding and reading fluency by reading the sentence on the back of the card.
6. Work on communication by modeling the word in a sentence on the child's talker. For example, for the word "quiet", I can create the sentence..."The library is quiet."
7. Target upper- and lower-case letters of the alphabet. On each card, there is the upper case and lower case of the target letter.
8. Improve vocabulary by defining the word. For example, what does the word "busy" mean? Use the target word during natural interactions so it can be easily understood.
9. Improving overall emotions. Talk about how your student/child feels. Model the vocabulary. For example, during snack time, model the word "hungry" on the card and the talker (if applicable). Implement this strategy for both positive and negative emotions.
10. Play a game by calling out a letter sound and your student/child must find the correct card with the same sound.

Finally, use the cards as a companion to my book, All About Feelings, an Alphabet Book for Emerging Readers.