Keep Learning Hands-On for Special Needs Students

Teachers have long relied on manipulatives to introduce new math and literacy concepts and enhance learning. Manipulatives are useful at all grade levels, from kindergarten (think Unifix Cubes) through high school (think algebra tiles), with students of all abilities, including and especially those with special needs and learning differences.

Jumbo Unifix® Cubes, sandpaper letters and numerals, and Omnifix cubes are just a few of the go-to resources used in many SpEd classrooms throughout the country.

Jumbo Unifix Cubes for Counting and More

Kauri Sue Hamilton School in the Jordan School District, Utah, is a center-based school serving students with significant disabilities ages 5 to 21. With help from Didax, Kauri Sue Hamilton is developing a solid, manipulatives-based curriculum that can carry over from year to year. Jumbo Unifix® Cubes have become a mainstay in classrooms since their introduction in 2017. Students use the jumbo cubes to develop visual and spatial awareness while working on the same tasks that make traditional Unifix so popular: counting, one-to-one correspondence, comparing quantities, early measurement activities, and more.

Sandpaper Letters and Numerals to Visualize Writing

Texas Region 6 has triads of special education campuses among the 57 schools and 11 charter schools under its education service center umbrella. In Region 6 classrooms and resource rooms, students with dyslexia and low vision use sandpaper letters and numerals to form their letters and numbers.

Special needs students have issues with retention, and manipulatives help children hold onto concepts by first experiencing them with their hands, notes Susan Brown, Special Education Curriculum Specialist for Region 6. Running a finger over sandpaper letters or numerals provides the tactile stimulation needed to connect physical sensation with a visual representation of letters and numerals in the brain.

Omnifix Cubes for Creativity

Omnifix Cubes are another widely popular manipulative used by both the Kauri Sue Hamilton school and Region 6. They are large enough for students with vision problems to use, and their tactile appeal, bright colors, and versatility stimulate creativity.

For a recent STEM project, special needs students in Region 6 used Omnifix Cubes to build bridges and to test how much weight the bridges would hold. In shop classes at Kauri Sue Hamilton, special needs students build with Omnifix Cubes by following the blueprints included with the product. These activities help older students learn to follow directions and complete tasks, says Assistant Principal Sheldon Russell, two valuable skills for future employability.

Bringing Learning to the Concrete Level

Brown, whose background is in math, instructs the teachers she trains to always bring learning to the concrete level. This approach builds on the whole brain theory, which emphasizes active learning and strategies that utilize both hemispheres of the brain (right and left) to make connections. Movement connects the brain to learning, as do tactile experiences.

Brown also counsels teachers in inclusive classrooms to make sure manipulatives are always out and available for students to use rather than stored away to keep the classroom organized. Children won’t ask their teacher to bring out a particular manipulative if it makes them feel different from the other children in the class.

Sample Activities

One thing seems certain in special education classrooms: manipulatives are here to stay. Here are some simple number, pattern, and measurement activities that children with disabilities can do with Jumbo Unifix Cubes:

Jumbo Unifix Activity