Do you have any older students who are participating in a vocational skills program? Speech time is a great opportunity to work on some vocational skills activities! Here are some time-saving tips for working on speech and vocational skills simultaneously!
Cooking
Cooking involves more than just putting ingredients together to make a meal! Students also need to learn to shop, meal plan, and follow directions to make a recipe. Here are a few fun activities that students can do during speech time.
- Look for recipes that they would like to make using cookbooks or the Internet.
- Use sales circulars or online shopping apps to pick out the ingredients they will need.
- Put the cut-out steps to the recipe in the proper order by sequencing them.
Reading Medication Information
When students are working toward living independently, they need to learn to take medication correctly. Here are some activities they can do to plan out how much medication to take and when.
- Read the directions on the medication packaging. These can be printed out so that the student can highlight the time and dosage on them.
- Matching dosage amounts. Students can fill medicine cups with water to match the amount of medication listed on the packaging.
- Using a clock to figure out what time to take the medication. For example, if the packaging says “every 12 hours”, then the student can figure out what time to take the medication again if they took it at 8:00 am.
Reading and Ordering From a Menu
This task is especially important if the student has any food allergies! Menus can be printed off restaurant websites for the activities below.
- Have the student complete a menu scavenger hunt! Most menus have categories in similar locations. Students can locate where the drinks are listed, where the appetizers are located, etc.
- Work on using pictures to find items. For example, soft drink logos will often be found on a menu where the drinks are listed. These can help the student find things that they want.
- Work on locating headings on menus.
- Practice conversation with a server. Have your student identify what they want from the menu, and practice ordering while you role-play a server.
Taking Public Transportation
Another part of vocational training is accessing public transportation. However, bus and rail schedules can be confusing! Here’s how to work on them with students.
- Use a map to identify what route the student needs to take. Most routes are color-coded, which makes it easier for students.
- Identify the stop that the student needs to catch their transportation at. This is a good opportunity to review the student’s address with them.
- Using a highlighter, work with the student to highlight the timetable that the student will need to look at.
- Practice with the student, and then take away some of the scaffolding by giving the student other routes to plan out.
Interviewing
Interviewing is a big part of vocational training! Here are some interview skills to work on during speech time.
- Nonverbal communication such as posture, eye contact, and tone.
- Identifying the student’s skills and abilities.
- Asking questions about work times, salary, and work responsibilities.
- Asking questions to clarify information.
- Memorizing personal information, such as the student’s address and phone number (for the company’s paperwork).
If you’d like to get your hands on even more vocational skills activities to do during speech time, you’re in luck! Check out my Life Skills bundle for low-prep, fun activities for your students!
