Who needs easy to clean activities and task boxes? Pretty much any teacher working this side of 2020! For any teacher who has been in the game for more than a year, you know the feeling when a student sneezes in your eyes, coughs in your mouth or leaks on your new shirt.
It is part of the job, and most of us don’t have a problem with that.
BUT…
With the flu, common cold, and COVID all circulating in the classroom, we have to think about what activities and task boxes are easy to clean or sanitize so that everyone stays healthy (including us).
So, ditch the felt activities, the laminated printables and anything that is hard to clean in favor of these easy to clean alternatives for your special education classroom!
(This blog post contains affiliate links for your convenience. You don’t pay more by clicking on my link… (and I have taken the time to find the best value for you), but I make a small commission off of the sale. It helps me maintain this blog and continue to provide you with quality information about teaching special ed.)
Easy to Clean: Magnetic Tiles
Magnetic Tiles are a super easy to clean activity for your students! I love taking pictures of student creations and then using them as building task cards in a work box! The students are the creators and the rebuilders… and it makes a great logic building box as well as creative outlet.
Literally love it! Click to see details.
Simple to Sanitize: Marble Run
Marble Runs may look like just plain fun, but these activities really build upon problem solving, cause and effect, as well as force and motion. All of these things are perfect for older students with disabilities. Again, just as with the magnet tiles above, take pictures of what your students make to use as task cards for building later!
Easy Peasy!! Click to see details.
Cleaning Breeze: Squigz
Squigz are such a great sensory activity for students with disabilities. I’ve worked with a couple of students who love tactile stims and go gaga for this! I can get them to work on oodles of math in exchange for Squigz time!
Fun Little Suckers! Click to see details.
Cleans Easy: Plugo Letters
Plugo. Not everything has to be STEM in order to be easy to clean. There are plenty of literacy activities that make great task boxes or work stations that clean better than paper or laminated printables. Check out this word building box of goodness! So simple, engaging with the digital device, and also super functional.
SpEd Teacher Win! Click to see details. Oh… and if you don’t need the mat, click here.
Clean King: Lego Education
Lego… I don’t know anyone (young or old) who, when presented with a dump bin of Lego, isn’t compelled to put some bricks together. Seriously.
And the best part is they are super simple to clean! Check out the post on cleaning Lego here.
Lego is King! Click to see details.
P.S. Remember, Lego has a whole series geared towards teachers in classrooms dubbed Lego Education. Check out some of their super sets, like the Education Community Starter and the Education Vehicles Set.
I hope you found some easy to clean activities that will engage your students with disabilities and also keep you all from getting sick. What are your favorite easy to clean toys or games?
