If you’re working with special education students in high school, you know how important it is to have the right age appropriate, engaging resources to support their IEP goals. Life skills task boxes are a go-to tool for helping students work on essential skills like problem-solving, math, and employability. They’re simple to set up, easy to use, and can make a real difference in preparing students for life after school.
What Are Life Skills Task Boxes?
Life skills task boxes are small, structured activities that focus on practical skills students need for functional living skills and employment. These activities are often organised in plastic boxes or folders, making them portable and easy to store. Each task is designed to target a specific skill, so you can customise them to meet the needs of individual students.
You can cover a wide range of life skills like sorting, counting money, comparing prices for grocery shopping items, reading community signs, or practising work-related tasks. The hands-on nature of these activities helps students stay engaged while also making progress on their IEP goals.
Here's some Halloween themed task cards I use to focus on problem solving skills with older students:
Halloween task cards are perfect for IEP reading goals and problem solving skills
How to Use Task Boxes for IEP Goals
Task boxes are fantastic for breaking down IEP goals into manageable steps. You can align each task with the specific objectives your students need to work on, whether it’s social skills, academic skills, or vocational training. The beauty of these boxes is that they can be adapted for individual students or used with small groups.
For instance, if a student has a goal of improving their problem-solving skills, you can create a task box with puzzles or logic-based activities. If employability skills are the focus, you might include tasks like sorting items, filling out basic forms, talking about workplace scenarios or following a simple work routine.
Storing Task Boxes: Plastic Boxes or Folders
Keeping task boxes organised is key to making sure you can grab what you need quickly. Many teachers prefer to use plastic boxes with clear lids, as they’re durable and easy to label. You can store multiple boxes on a shelf or in a cart for easy access.
Folders are another option, especially if space is tight. You can slip task cards into plastic sleeves and store them in a binder or folder. This also makes it easy to shuffle activities around, depending on the day or the student's needs.
A small plastic file box is perfect for storing life skills task cards
Task Cards for Individual or Small Group Work
Task cards are a great way to assign specific skills to individual students or small groups. Whether you're working on math, problem-solving, or employability skills, you can create task cards tailored to each student’s level. You might have students match coins to prices, solve simple math equations, or practise following multi-step instructions.
For small group work, you can rotate task cards between students, encouraging teamwork and communication. This setup works particularly well when you're building work skills, as it mirrors real-world scenarios where students will need to collaborate and problem-solve with others. Task cards about community problem solving, job interview questions or real world math skills work well for high school life skills and special needs students.
Life skills task boxes are a great option for some job interview practice - assign a set of cards to
a small group and have them practice asking and answering interview questions
Success in life skills
Life skills task boxes are a versatile, easy-to-use resource that can make a big impact in your high school classroom. By targeting individual needs, and aligning tasks with IEP goals, you’re setting them up for success both in school and beyond. Store them well and you’ll have a system that’s easy to manage and lasts the whole year.
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