{"id":31694,"date":"2021-08-04T21:24:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T01:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/orange-kids-curriculum-additions-for-supporting-children-with-special-needs\/"},"modified":"2024-02-21T10:18:20","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T15:18:20","slug":"orange-kids-curriculum-additions-for-supporting-children-with-special-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/blog\/orange-kids-curriculum-additions-for-supporting-children-with-special-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing Curriculum Adaptations to Support Kids With Special Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For many families, church is a safe space of encouragement, support, and connection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only do adults get opportunities to learn about God and connect with others, but children do, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like you, we don\u2019t take kids\u2019 ministry lightly around here. We know that the church should be a place where all families feel safe dropping their child off. They should leave feeling confident that their kid will be loved and supported. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That includes families of children with special needs. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They, too, are looking for a space of encouragement and inclusivity. What better way to include a family than to have a kids ministry curriculum<\/a> that is just right for their child?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Curriculum That\u2019s Flexible<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every child should be able to fully engage in the curriculum at church. To support families of kids with disabilities, we have included helpful resources in your 252 Kids curriculum<\/a>. We know that as you work to reach all families, there needs to be some special needs customization to your environments, messaging, and activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small Group Curriculum Adaptations to Support Kids with Special Needs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Each Sunday, kids meet with a small group to discuss the Bible story or bottom line. In this time, there are also fun games or activities kids might play that link back to the lesson for engagement. However, some lessons might have barriers for our kids with special needs. To make sure all kids can access the curriculum, we\u2019ve viewed the lessons through the lens of a child with a disability. From there, we made some adaptations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These adaptations are similar to what a teacher in an inclusion setting might do for his or her students. To support their students, inclusion teachers adapt the material for various abilities. Although these kids will have adapted curriculum<\/a> in small groups, they would still engage in the lesson at the same time with peers. The adaptations can be used independently or with the support of a volunteer buddy. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n