Video Transcript: Universal Design for Children and Youth Settings - Part 2

So, just want to talk now, we talked about being prepared and getting systems in place and intake processes, and all of that, getting buddies prepared. I think what I want to talk about now is in room support. How can we stock some things that might be helpful? So here's where I've got my table full of things and I'm going to put this clicker down so I can show them to you. 

I think one of my favorite tools is this idea of having a visual schedule. There are some individuals that really need to have a visual schedule. And this is just a pocket folder. The pieces have Velcro, but for some people, it is so good for them to know, hey, we're at church; we're going to do singing, we're going to play with toys, or Bible story, arts and crafts, then you might put a picture of going home. But what's really helpful for lots of kids is to say, Okay, well we're done with that. Now we're done with that, I put it away. 

If you would need to alter the schedule, it's so much easier if you have pieces to move around because there are some children and youth that just get really upset when you say the C word  - that change word - because they don't want that to happen. 

So you know, it could be that the person is singing a solo in church, and they're not getting down to the children's area until later so you're going to swap it out, maybe have that child help with that swap and say, Okay, remember now, what are we starting with today? Can you tell everybody? Yep, oh, Bible story first, then the toys, then the singing, then the arts and crafts. So again, having a visual schedule can be super helpful for lots of people. It's also helpful for adults; we'll talk about that later. It's usually called an order of worship. 

I will say the title of this is Pictures, Pictures, Pictures, because once you have pictures of things, the world opens up in amazing ways. So I'll put on my strange apron here a minute. This is material that's actually made from the underside of a vehicle roof. So Velcro sticks to it really well. So once you have that, maybe your schedule can fit right on here, so that you can talk about what's next, and you're wearing the schedule. It could be that once you have pictures and you're doing a prayer of thanksgiving, if you have pictures that go along with it, now you can have people who may not want to volunteer by words, but they're willing to choose a picture, they can do that as well. So again, having pictures, you can wear pictures from stories, you can wear flannel wrap pieces if you still have those somewhere in your church, but once you've got pictures, the world opens up.

I'm going to leave some of those other ideas for a responsive design section I'm going to use with persons with intellectual disabilities. We'll talk more about story stick, speech buttons, and curriculum, but just that idea that pictures can cue a whole bunch of things that are really exciting to have around. I'll also tell you there are some other handy items that I suggest and I'm going to literally show them to you. Hand Tools or fidgets. Again, there are fidget pencils; I showed those to you before. And I've had them on the screen several times. I guess I like these because so often fidgets are separated from what people actually, what the tools they actually need. But if you need pencils, it's so easy to just have these fidgets that are attached to a pencil, so I often think we need to get rid of those little short - are you a congregation that has the little short mini golf pencils in the pews? We just all would love to rather have one of these fidget pencils. 

But fidgets might also be your hand tools. Just a bin in the children's area. And so many are available in a variety of places. And my one suggestion is that you make sure they're quiet. Don't get fidget spinners because they make noise; don't get clicking things because they make noise. You know, you're after things that are relatively quiet. 

I love this one. I don't know. You won't be able to describe it. The fourth and fifth graders at this church made these for their congregation. It's a very soft fabric. And inside they have a maze that the kids sewed for marbles. So there are two marbles in here that you can literally work through the maze. They happen to be washable, which is also nice if there are a lot of hands on them. 

But again, it doesn't need to be expensive stuff. You don't need to clean out a store. You get pipe cleaners, and you can get pompoms, and you can get things that people can just touch and hold. Children especially; many times that allows them, if their hands are busy their minds are freed to learn. So why wait? Why wait? We know that there are kids that are going to need some of these things, to put them in place. 

One thing I will mention that if you do add these, whether it's to a whole sanctuary or to a child's classroom, you really are going to need to explain to kids, you're going to need to teach them how to use them. So again, it's a no fail system, but if these things help you grow and learn today, you may keep using them. And if not, well, we'll try it with somebody else because the minute this turns into, you know, flipping the kid next to him on the head, you need the right to take it away. Oh, well, that one wasn't working for you. That's okay. We'll give it to him upfront. But make sure you introduce it, teach it, maybe let the kids hold some of them, practice using them, before you unleash these to say well, here's a tool of things, a bowl of fidget toys or tools. 

And that's the other thing. I wouldn't call them toys. I usually suggest that they are called tools, hand tools, fidget tools, whatever, but they're not toys. That gives immediately the idea that these are things I can play with. No; these are these are learning tools, or these are Bible study tools. And that can be helpful. 

Varied seating can be really helpful and just using a different option, so, do you have just one kind of chair? Is it possible to get some chairs with arms to them, or a rocking chair, just to have a few different options within a room can sometimes help some kids really be part of the learning that's happening without having to try to take this in - just one kind of chair fits all? Lap buddies. These are amazing. These lap buddies are actually quite heavy and I don't know exactly what store this is by you. In the U.S., we have Kohl's, and Kohl's runs these great specials where you can get these $5 Clifford books and these $5 Clifford's, and if you pull all the stuffing out of Clifford and replace it with rice and sew it back up, you now have these very heavy, inexpensive lap buddies. But many times kids that can hold those and pet those may be during a Bible story time for younger kids can be helpful. For older kids, we've sometimes just pack some extra books into a backpack, and had a few backpacks in the room and say, Well, you know what, if you like to feel that way to down feeling, we've got two backpacks you can wear, and they just slip them on. Again, it adds weight.  I don't have the ability to tell you why all of this works but, let me tell you, these are good tools to have around.  

Wiggle cushions. These are commercially made for little ones. You actually can get beach balls, just blow them up part way, and those work pretty well too. And they're really inexpensive. But these wiggle seats, even people in offices are using these now for core strength. So it just gives a little movement. A child who was using this the other day said to me, Wow, it moves for me, so I don't have to. 

We had another church community that on the back row, they had wooden pews in the sanctuary. And they had different kinds of cushions that people could take. A lot of the people who were over the age of 70, or 56, was thinking those were pretty hard. So they could grab those cushions to sit on. They just decided to throw a couple of these on that bench to for people to borrow. And again, it doesn't work for everybody, but for those that need them, it’s pretty powerful. In fact, that's usually one of my comments – is, if you have a child and parent walk in to the area where you're meeting with the children and youth and you have some of these things setting around, you have instantly communicated to those people, guess what? We were expecting you. We've got you covered. See? We're prepared for you. And I love that - the thinking that sometimes equipment is hospitality as well. 

So again, I think that those are really nice things to have. And then also something called parking spots. I know a lot of us use things with within children's settings that are carpet squares. I love the size of these. I've had several individuals that I know, young ones especially, where once they sat down on the small carpet square, they had no idea where the square was because it disappeared. So it had no holding power for where they had to stay. This one's nice because once they're sitting down, they can still see the structure, the boundaries. And sometimes that is even more helpful for some kiddos. So just an idea of some items that might be helpful within your children and youth setting. 

So, again, we'll keep moving through some options. I think if you do a lot of things with fine motor, and that's what I mean cutting, coloring, whatever, it's nice to have some options around. So if you have scissors, that's great. There will be some children that will be much more helped by having this loop scissors, they don't have to jam their fingers into it, and it springs back, so the only motion they have to do is push it, and it jumps back by itself, and they can successfully do this cutting of paper or whatever you're doing for a craft by using that. You know, and just have some different pencils, and some different pencil grips and different sizes and shapes, and to just offer some variety, so that children can choose a tool that best fits their hand, and where they are developmentally.

Sometimes just for you to get an idea, I mean, they have pencil grips. What might be helpful is to do a survey of the parents that are sending children and say, Hey, here's some things we're thinking of purchasing to stock in our classrooms. Just wondering if your child would benefit from… and you know, some pencil grips, different shaped pencils, ideas, you know, put ideas on the line. So to gather some input, because if you're actually using the materials that the children have in other settings and stocking it, it can be really helpful. 

The other thing that I think is interesting is just what can happen with paper. They actually make paper that has raised lines to it. And actually, for older kids and youths, if they do a lot of writing, but they still need structure, this is one of my favorite homemade gizmos. You literally can draw lines on a piece of paper. And what that allows you to do is take whatever paper you're working on - do I even have one here? I don't - but you can slip it right into this little lip and the lines show through. So what was this unstructured paper for those that need more structure, they can just put it in this little paper holder here and now the lines appear through. So depending on what people need, what's helpful, for little ones, I'll often say, you hand out a color paper. To have some of those color papers where you just have a few objects highlighted, some children just visually will look at that and they're like, I have no idea. But to be able to highlight that robe with a red marker, just have a few. 

Again, not everybody needs to take one, but for those that might really, it helps them focus, they could choose that paper. So again, there's just a variety of tools. Changing color contrast can just be super helpful. So, my suggestion is don't get all the same size crayons when you're ordering. Have some larger ones, some smaller ones, and mix the supplies so that kids in different grade levels have access to a variety of tools. 

Another thing that I think we would always highlight is to be multi-sensory. So, one of the things, and I will certainly highlight this again, I think one of the best examples of a multi-sensory activity is one that God put together, and it's called the Lord's Supper. If you think about it, the Lord's Supper is something that we can see it, we can touch it, we can taste it, we can smell it paired with scripture, or even the ripping, tearing, pouring of the elements, it's something that we can hear. So again, this beautiful thing, do this and remember me and I'm going to make it totally possible for every kind of learner. So how can we apply that? How can we have multi-sensory options just planted into there? Is it a story?

I was in a group the other day. What a contrast. There was this teacher who had the story book to her and she read the Bible story book to the kids. They were messing around, they were moving around, they were not at all tuned in. There was no connection except for her words. And she wasn't even making eye contact. Imagine the difference to have a person who could read some of it, had some visuals, maybe had the basket that Moses was in to pass around so kids could touch what a basket feels like. There's a there's different engagement points. It's multi-sensory. What would that be like? And I think that that's often helpful for engaging a wide group of people. So even if the curriculum you're using says read this, think Oh, is there another sense that I could add to that? Is there something that they could see or hold while I'm reading this that would bring meaning to that. So, multi-sensory. 

And then choices. Wow, we all love choices, don't we? That's that Universal Design for learning option. Do we all have to do this the same way? Or can we plant in stations where people can discover Moses in the basket in a variety of different ways? So choices in children's settings are often put inside curriculum options, but it offers those choices to kids who may prefer to learn one way and then other child who may prefer to learn a different way. So multi-sensory and choices, I think, are big deals. 

The other things that I wanted to highlight in this section have to do with the time timers. Now, I love these, especially, as I mentioned earlier, I had a son who had no internal time clock. So this company actually figured out how to make time visual. It runs on just a double-A battery in the back. You can turn the dinger off or on for kids who are sensitive. Let's see, that's how loud it is. Or, you can totally take it off. So there is no sound when it runs out. Some kids get very anxious with timers, knowing that it's going to ring. So, when the red is gone, time is up.

This is such a helpful tool to have. First of all, most younger kids have an internalized time anyway. And some people just really need this. The other thing that's nice about timers and schedules, is you're not the bad guy. If they have to pick up stuff in 10 minutes, it's because the red ran out not because you said they had to. So again, you can stand beside the child and say, Oh, look, oh, it's getting close. What do you think? What do you want to do now? Because that reds almost gone. And together, you can move towards that transition of picking up as opposed to saying, Okay, boys and girls, everybody pick up now. It's like, Oh, wow. So it's a warning sign. It's great. These are wonderful.

I have time timers all through my life, at school, at home personally, they're just terrific. And I actually love them so much. I called the woman who makes them and she lives in the south here in the U.S. And I said, I can't thank you enough for inventing this thing. I just have to tell you, this has saved my life a million times over. And so, she too, said, Oh, wow, I sell the most of them to preschool and kindergarten settings because no preschooler and kindergartener really has a good understanding of time. She said, I sell a lot to Special Ed settings. And then, in a wonderful southern accent, she said, “But I gotta tell ya, I got one for my pastor to keep in the pulpit.” So I would imagine it's safe to say that even there are some adults that could benefit from a Time Timer in their life. So again, that's a tool and a great way to help and organize people with time. 

The other things that we're going to talk more about sensory differences when we're talking about autism. But there are some individuals that really need an exit strategy. Like the worship for kids is too loud, the commotion in the youth group is too much. And just providing some brake tickets for people to grab, and you've defined it, you don't want people like running away from wherever they're at. But if they know that, if they show you they've got a break ticket, they can just exit and they know what that means. Get a drink, go down, use the bathroom, walk with the hall monitor in the hallway, whatever, whatever the strategy is, but sometimes creating a ticket and a break area to get people out of there. 

Like I said, it's become more popular for congregations to find these sensory rooms. And that certainly is one of those things. I know Vacation Bible School, there are several congregations that have just set up a room, a break area with a rocking chair, soft lighting, soft music, books that are in there for kids to enjoy. It’s serene. And then out the door is this VBS chaos, you know, all these kids running around. But to really have some break areas for kids that are just getting so revved up, that that engine needs to settle down. So again, I think these are really valuable spaces in children and youth settings. 

I think another couple of things I wanted to highlight is just those real items that can go along with stories and lessons. Like I said, if you know your curriculum, or you read ahead, are there some toys, tools, items that you can grab that really allow people to access a story. If you're in charge of children's ministry, are there some kits that you can make that go along with stories so that leaders can check them out?

I was talking with one church leader couple days ago and she said I'm going to put together a lending library of some things like that. I don't have to purchase these for every single group. But leaders can come in and pull out of here what they need. And I thought that's a great idea to have some tools that they can put together that go along with some of the Bible stories or the lessons that people are teaching that day. 

The other thing, and I don't know if you're familiar with it, the You Version of the Bible, which I'm definitely going to brag about when we get to the adult section, the You Version of the Bible has a wonderful children's app as well. And inside this children's app, it's a very interactive way of dealing with the Bible story. So if the iPad, and having different applications available to you in a children's setting is helpful, this is a wonderful way to engage with story and another station or opportunity within the children's ministry. 

So there we go. Oh my goodness, we have made it through so many different items. Once again, I would challenge you to think what was the best idea you heard in this whole barrage of ideas, either from those churches that I gave examples from earlier or in these items very specific often to children and youth settings. What are you going to see if you can find a budget for?  

Also, just really encourage you to think creatively about that, depending on where you live. And I know there are certain organizations that will literally give you $1,000 grant to stock some of these items. I believe we have some of those things posted on our website. I'll make sure that we do at All Belong. So if those are organizations that you can tap into. Sometimes, for an innovative project, you can have some funding from within your denomination, or your area. Sometimes if you have like a local autism or Down Syndrome Society, if you connect with them and say, look, we really want to be a welcoming congregation. We need some tools. They may be willing to partner with you to help fund some of those tools. 

So again, whatever that might be. Some of them are very inexpensive. If you just want to get some sewing kits, marbles, and some volunteer help or those lap buddies with $5 - you know, animals with some rice, whatever that may be. Others are a little bit pricier, but probably very well worth the investment once you have them in place. So again, think about that. Think about what processes and what equipment might just be super helpful for your children in youth settings. 

Have a wonderful, wonderful day.