In the series of classification flashcards, we reach the point where the child finds, among many objects, those who belong to a specific category.
How to teach the child to find an object that belongs to a specific category
The objective of this activity is to teach the child to differentiate the items that belong to a category from those that don’t. When we provide the child with a flashcard with many images, he should be able to identify all the items that belong to a certain category. As we have seen before, we always start with easy exercises, then move on to more complicated ones:
- The first set of flashcards contains only 3 objects that the child has to choose from,
- The second set of flashcards contains 5 objects,
- And in the last set of flashcards, the child has to choose two or more objects that all belong to the same category.
Each one of the sets contains 24 flashcards which sum up to 72 flashcards/questions on what items belong to a category.
Who can use these classification flashcards
This activity is suitable for children in preschool and kindergarten. It is also an excellent exercise for speech therapy provided to children with learning disabilities, children on the Autism Spectrum, or with Down Syndrome.
These flashcards can be used in the classroom in small-group learning or as an individual activity. They can also be used in one-to-one sessions with a speech therapist, an ABA specialist, or any educator or parents that deal with children with special needs.
It is important to know that the student can answer by either showing or naming the objects depending on the level of speech he is currently at:
- for a nonverbal child or one that does not have mastery of language, we expect that he points to the right answer.
- for a verbal child that has a good vocabulary and a good understanding of categories, we expect that he labels or names the items when we ask about a specific class.
How to teach children to answer classification questions
In order to introduce this exercise, you can follow these steps:
- Print and laminate the activity file (at the bottom of this page), then cut the different boards or task cards,
To get durable materials, use a laminating machine to laminate the pdf file and storage envelopes to store the flashcards.
- Ask the question on the task card and let the child answer by either naming or showing you the object, depending on his level. There are three types of task cards included in the activity :
- Choosing or naming an item with a specific category among 3 (see the file below)
- Choosing naming an item with a specific category among 5 (see the file below)
- Choosing naming 2 or 3 items with a specific category among 7 (see the file below)
- Reinforce or correct the answer, if necessary, using the ABA procedure.
Download the printable file
- Select or label an item by category (choose 1 from 3)
- Select or label an item by category (choose 1 from 5)
- Select or label an item by category (choose 2 or 3 from 7)
ABLLS-R Program Compliant Activities:
- C39 select by category (Score 1, 2, 3, and 4)
- G17 label by category (Score 1, 2,3, and 4)