Free Color Word Scramble Printable for Kids

This free printable color word scramble game is perfect for kids of all ages.

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As I've mentioned here, many hyperlexic and autistic learners have a passion for colors, especially as toddlers and preschoolers. Hyperlexic kids also love words and spelling.

So, this free printable color word scramble game is the perfect blend of those three things: colors, words, and spelling.

Simply rearrange the words to find the color name. And, if you want, you could connect the word to the correctly colored paint blob that decorate the sides of this printable.

By the way, since I live in Canada where we use colour versus color (although I tend to use the American spelling on this blog for simplicity), you will find two versions of this game included below, one with the American English spelling of color and gray and one with the British English spelling of colour and grey. That way you can print the one that best suits your needs and spelling variant.

Why Word Scramble Games are Good for Kids

Word scramble games are a great way for kids to work on vocabulary, spelling, language skills, working memory, problem-solving skills, writing, and so much more! There's a wide range of skills you could target here. Just get creative.

You can use free printable word scramble games like this one at home, in the classroom, or even on the road. Or you could use them in Zoom meetings for online learning (tips on how to do so here). They'd even make a great rainy day activity too!

Also, if you've been looking for other ideas on how to use your hyperlexic child's interests in letters, then word scramble games are a great fit. They definitely build off of a hyperlexic child's interest in letters. I mean the game is literally just a bunch of letters. Besides, using your hyperlexic child's interest to teach new skills is definitely something you should be doing - and something you'll hear me say a lot around here!

So anyway, if you're looking for a quick math themed activity for kids, then give this color word scramble worksheet a try. It would be great to pair with this colors I spy game.

Download the Color Word Scramble Printable

This printable is six pages total. Two versions of the word scramble game are included (one with a word bank and one without the word list) in two spelling variations (colors/colours and gray/grey). Each game contains 11 different color words. An answer key is also included.

To get your copy of the color word scramble, click the link below:

>> Click here to download the free printable

 

How to Start Using Visual Supports

Want to start using visual supports with your child, but unsure of where to start? Here are some tips for how to start using visual supports.

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One of my top tips for anyone supporting hyperlexic learners is to write things down and make things as visual as possible. That's where their strengths lie, after all.

But, where do you start? How do you know what types of visuals to use and when? How many is too many? What should you look for in a visual support? The questions go on and on...

So, if you're new to using visual supports, then these tips are for you. You'll learn all about how to start using visual supports, including what things to consider, how to adapt them to fit your needs, and so much more.

Tips for How to Start Using Visual Supports

Whether you're using a premade visual support (like any found here) or making your own from scratch (tips here!), there are a few things you need to consider first before implementing a new visual support.

1. Consider Your Child's Needs & Preferences

Before you start using visual supports, it's important to consider a few questions:

• What does your child need support with?

• What are some current challenges or struggles?

• How does your child learn best?

• What are their sensory preferences?

• What are their current interests?

• What's their current level of understanding?

Asking these types of questions can help you identify areas where visual supports might be helpful and give you an idea of what type of support to create or use.

For example, let's say your child needs help identifying emotions and how they're feeling. You know that they learn best when things are written down (because they're hyperlexic, for instance) and are paired with a simple image. You also know that they get easily overstimulated when things are visually busy and that their current interest is LEGO. They're just learning basic emotion terms. So you might want to use something like this LEGO feelings chart.

Taking the time to assess your child's needs and consider their preferences in this way is a great first step to ensuring that the visuals you plan to use will be helpful and effective. After all, visuals will be more engaging and useful when they're tailored to your individual child's needs, preferences, and interests.

2. Start Small & Build Gradually

There are lots of possible visual supports that you can use, but it's best to introduce only one or two supports at a time. That way you don't overwhelm your child. Once your child is comfortable using visual supports, then you can gradually start to introduce more.

You also want to focus on what would be high-priority and have the most immediate benefit. A perfect example was when my son first got glasses. Since he didn't need to wear them all the time, we would often find ourselves forgetting them on our way out the door to school. So, I made a little poster that showed a pair of glasses paired with text that asked, "Do you have your glasses?" I taped it to our back door that we go through when leaving for school and it worked great.

3. Use Simple & Clear Visuals

It's important to make sure that the visuals are easy to interpret. For instance, that means making sure the design isn't too busy, that there's only one image per step or concept, and that the images make sense.

You also want to make sure that the visuals are tailored to your child's level of understanding. That means carefully consider things like the text. You want to make sure that the text is clear and understandable based on your child's abilities.

4. Involve Your Child in the Process

We've already touched on how it's important to tailor the visual supports to your child's needs, preferences, and interests. And one of the best ways to do that is to involve your child in the process.

For instance, let them help you create or choose the visuals. You might even want to consider taking photos of your child and their favorite items and incorporating them into your visuals, if possible. Let them pick the colors, fonts, or images if you're creating your own.

You can even work together to figure out where to put the visual supports so that they will be accessible and visible. Then hang them up together.

And, finally, work together when using the visual support. For example, when we started using this visual schedule at our house, we started off each morning planning our day out by putting the cards into the slots of the pocket chart. We would discuss together the order of events and whatnot too.

5. Model How to Use Them

When you start to use a new visual support, it's important to show your child how to use it. That way they know when to use them, what their purpose is, etc. Showing them how they work is also a great way to practice modeling gestalts too!

For example, let's say you are using a little visual routine chart that shows the different steps for brushing your teeth. You can point to the first step and model something like "Let's grab the toothbrush!" Then, once you do that, you can ask, "What's next?" or "Let's check what's next" and point to the next step.

Or let's say you have a checklist for bedtime. Something like this. Show your child how to do a step and then check that step off on the list. You can also model gestalts like "What's next?" or "All done!" while checking items off of the list.

6. Adapt as Needed

Once you start using a visual support, it's important to monitor how well it's working for your child. Consider asking the following questions:

• Are there any tweaks that you might need to make to the design? (e.g., wording/phrasing, types of images used)

• Does it need to be more interactive? (e.g., dry erase checklist, adding velcro elements)

• Do you need to change the format? (e.g., needs to be a checklist versus a story, needs to be more portable)

• Is it working in its current location or does it need to move elsewhere? (e.g., try it in a different room)

• Has your child's interests changed? (e.g., they've moved from Pokemon to Minecraft)

• Has your child's needs changed? (e.g., need to expand emotions chart to include more advanced emotions)

• Has your child shared any feedback about the visual? (e.g., they don't like the pictures)

Based on the responses to questions like these, you should adapt and tweak the visual support so that it will better suit your needs.

Recap of Getting Started with Visual Supports

Okay, let's do a quick summary of those tips again.

• Consider your child's needs and preferences to make sure the visuals are tailored to your individual child

• Start small and build gradually to avoid overwhelming your child

• Use simple and clear visuals that are easy to interpret and are tailored to your child's level of understanding

• Involve your child in the process, everything from picking the visuals to placement of the visuals

• Model how to use them so your child knows what their purpose is and how to make the most of them

• Adapt as needed so that they better suit your needs

Now that you know how to start using visual supports, you might want to consider these different examples of visual supports for different needs.

What are Visual Supports?

What are visual supports? A look at what they are, who benefits from them, how they work, and why they're important.

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Whether you are new to supporting neurodivergent learners or not, you've likely come across the term visual supports before.

But, what does that mean exactly? What are visual supports?

Well, below you'll learn what they are, who benefits from them, how they work, and why they're important. So, let's dig in.

What are Visual Supports?

Visual supports are tools, images, items, or aids that are used to support understanding, communication, and learning by providing clear and concrete representations of tasks, concepts, or expectations.

Keep in mind that visual supports can take many forms. They can be simple or complex. They can be photos, videos, objects, drawings, or checklists. They can be posters, visual schedules, or communication cards. The possibilities are endless really. If want to see more examples, then I highly recommend checking out this list of different types of visuals.

Who Benefits from Visual Supports?

In short, everyone! That means that all kids can benefit from using visual supports, regardless of age, ability, or neurotype. After all, visual supports can cater to a wide range of learning styles and abilities. In other words, they support all learners.

Consider this: When you travel to a foreign country, you might not be able to read or speak their language. However, you know that that little airplane icon on a sign is pointing you towards the airport, right? That's because visuals can communicate so much and improve our understanding of things.

Now, obviously, our focus around here is on neurodivergent learners, particularly hyperlexic and autistic learners. For these types of learners in particular, visual supports are effective because they align with their strengths in reading and visual processing, while also supporting their weaker areas of comprehension, auditory processing, and verbal communication.

Remember, visual supports can benefit all kids though, not just hyperlexic or autistic learners.

How Do Visual Supports Work?

Visual supports can transform abstract concepts into something more tangible, accessible, and easier to process. For example, what's easier to understand: someone saying "five more minutes" or a visual timer that physically shows five minutes?

Also, visuals can simplify complex or abstract concepts into individual parts, making the information more concrete and digestible. Take this deodorant visual schedule, for instance, that transforms "put on deodorant" into its individual steps like removing the lid and then putting it back on when you're done.

Additionally, unlike spoken language that quickly disappears, visuals are static and permanent. That means that kids can refer back to them as much as they need and as often as they want.

Visuals can also help reduce ambiguity because they're clear and predictable. For instance, you don't have to rely on remembering what was said because you can reference the written instructions or the classroom's visual schedule for what's next.

Why are Visual Supports Important?

There are lots of benefits to using visuals. Yet, the short answer here is that visual supports are important because they enhance understanding, communication, and learning for ALL learners.

A Recap of The Basics of Visual Supports

Here's what was covered above regarding the basics of visual supports:

• Visual supports are tools that provide clear and concrete representations of tasks, concepts, or expectations

• They come in many forms from visual schedules and checklists to photos and posters

• They benefit all learners, regardless of age, ability, or neurotype, but are particularly helpful for our neurodivergent learners

• Visual supports are accessible, static, and clear, transforming abstract concepts into something easier to process

• They support understanding, communication, and learning for all learners

So, hopefully that helps answer the question what are visual supports?

Examples of Visual Supports for Hyperlexic Learners

A look at examples of visual supports that are great for hyperlexic learners, whether that's at home or in the classroom.

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It's no secret that hyperlexic learners have a preference for written language and are drawn to anything with the written word. Additionally, they have strong visual processing skills, easily recognizing patterns, letters, and symbols.

On the other hand, auditory processing difficulties are quite common (more on that here). By relying solely on spoken language or verbal instructions, you'll be doing a major disservice to our hyperlexic learners.

So, that's why we want to lean into those strengths of decoding and visual processing by using visual supports with hyperlexic learners.

Below, we'll take a closer look at some different examples of visual supports that are great to use with hyperlexic learners. And also give you some inspiration for things to try. (Hint: you'll find lots of pre-made printables as examples!)

Examples of Visual Supports that are Great for Hyperlexic Learners

As you will see shortly, you can use visual supports with hyperlexic learners to help with schoolwork, boost comprehension skills, support communication, and so much more. I've broken down each category with some possible examples with links to lots of printable resources that you can use to support those areas. Hopefully it will give you some great ideas and tools for incorporating more visuals into your daily routine.

1. Visuals for Helping with School or Homework

School can be sensory overwhelming for many and homework can also be a struggle, especially related to areas such as expressive writing or comprehension. However, as you will see, there are lots of different visual support examples that you can use to help hyperlexic learners in the classroom or at home with their homework. You might want to consider trying:

• Graphic organizers

• Mind maps - You can even quickly create these on a whiteboard or Boogie Board.

• Checklists - Here's an editable backpack checklist as an example.

• Written instructions to supplement verbal instructions

• Rubrics

• Examples of completed work - Can be especially helpful for open-ended art projects!

• Anchor charts

• Word walls

• Flashcards

• Posters with classroom rules or expectations - Here's an example of one for remembering to use complete sentences when writing.

• Visual schedules, timetables, or calendars

• List of signal words - Grab a free printable list of them here or try these math signal words.

2. Visuals for Boosting Comprehension Skills

Obviously, comprehension issues are a common challenge for hyperlexic learners so prioritizing this area is extremely important. Thankfully, there are lots of great visual supports and aids that we can use to support development in this area, including:

• Illustrated dictionary

• Closed captioning or subtitles - Learn more about the benefits of closed captioning for hyperlexic learners.

• Graphic organizers

• Videos & photographs - Here are some helpful reading comprehension videos to try.

• Tables, graphs, charts, & diagrams

• Copy of the book for read alouds - That way they can follow along!

• List of signal words or text features  - Grab a free printable list of them here or try these math signal words.

• Posters & anchor charts

• Flashcards

3. Visuals for Supporting Effective Communication

As you may or may not know, hyperlexic learners are gestalt language processors and learn language differently. They often find WH questions difficult, use a lot of echolalia to communicate, and have receptive and expressive language issues, just to name a few of these differences. So, to support communication and language development, consider trying the following ideas:

• Written scripts - Try these apologizing social scripts, for example.

• Emotion cards

• Communication boards or cards - For example, try these I need help cards or this bedtime communication board.

• Augmentative & alternative communication (AAC)

• Texting or messaging apps

• Choice boards

• Picture cards

• Whiteboards, chalkboards, notebooks, or sticky notes

• Social stories - Check out this asking for help social story, for example.

• Letter toys - It's actually how a lot of hyperlexic toddlers and preschoolers communicate when they're younger so please don't discourage or take away their letters. More on that here.

4. Visuals for Promoting Self-Regulation Strategies

Hyperlexic learners can also benefit from using visuals to support their sensory needs, emotional development, and regulation. Here are some visual tools to try:

• Emotion cards & charts

• Calm down cards

• Written scripts - For example, here are some scripts for when you're frustrated or angry.

• Social stories - Here's one that helps with deep breathing, for instance.

• Choice boards

• Deep breathing posters - Here's one inspired by the hyperlexic child's love for the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

• Sensory diet/break cards

• Posters of coping strategies or mindfulness techniques - Try this ABC grounding technique poster, for instance.

• List of calm down strategies

• Movement cards (e.g., yoga poses, animal walks, etc.) - Here's a Google Slides deck with animal walks.

5. Visuals for Strengthening Executive Functioning Abilities

Hyperlexic learners may also need some support with their executive functioning, including planning and organization. So, if you're looking for ways to strengthen these executive functioning abilities, consider trying the following.

• Visual schedules or timetables

• Visual timers - Something like this, for example.

• Checklists - Here's an editable backpack checklist as an example.

• Calendars or planners

• First-then schedules

• Labels

• Maps

• Color coding

• Apps (e.g., reminders, notes, calendar, etc.)

• Written instructions

6. Visuals for Supporting Social Skills

Social skills is another area where hyperlexic learners can benefit from some extra support and guidance. You can use the following types of visual supports to build confidence in this area.

• Social stories - Here's one that helps kids learn how to play the game of hide and seek.

• Written scripts - Try these losing a game scripts.

• Books

• Videos (e.g., songs that teach social rules, video modeling, virtual tours, video social stories)

• Posters

• Checklists

• Communication boards & cards

• Visual schedules & routine charts

• List of expectations, rules, or steps involved

• Cue cards - Grab these turn taking cue cards for example.

7. Visuals for Teaching Self-Advocacy Skills

Perhaps one of the most important skills you can teach a hyperlexic learner is how to advocate for themselves! Here are some examples and ideas of how you can incorporate different types of visual supports to build self-advocacy skills.

• Social stories - Be sure to check out this social story about self-advocacy.

• Written scripts - Try these self-advocacy scripts.

• Communication boards & cards - Something like these I need help cards, for example.

• Augmentative & alternative communication (AAC)

• Texting or messaging apps

• Sensory checklist - That way you know what your sensory triggers are!

• List of accommodations & calm down strategies

• Cue cards

Some Final Thoughts on the Different Types of Visual Supports

As you can see, visual supports are helpful for supporting a wide range of support needs, from teaching self-advocacy and social skills to supporting regulation and comprehension. You can use things like social stories and scripts, videos, posters, cue cards, graphic organizers, checklists, visual schedules, books, labels...the list goes on and on.

Each type will, of course, have their own advantages and disadvantages. However, it's important to remember that when it comes to supporting hyperlexic learners, we want to include the written word as much as possible. So visuals that incorporate the written word - as well as their interests! - will go a long way.

So feel free to try out some of the above examples of visual supports and see what works best for your hyperlexic learner.