Vocational Training with Gift Cards
Vocational Training with gift cards is engaging for students with disabilities, this differentiated & fun activity is perfect in a workstation! They’ll love it!
How to Use Gift Cards for Vocational Training in SpEd!
As a teacher in Special Education, we are always in need of real-life vocational training activities that are flexible enough to fit student needs and fun to keep our kiddos interest. That, my fellow teachers, is no easy task. When I finally started using this printable resource, it was amazing to see how many ways I could reformat the same task box and how much fun my students had doing it. Here is more on how you can do vocational training in your SpEd class with Gift Cards!
Real World Job Training
I used to have so many work task boxes in my classroom and they all ended up giving me the same headache…
Once a student had mastered the box, there was nothing else I could do with it. It seemed each box only met the needs of a specific kind of student. The put in tasks didn’t work for my upper level kiddos. My assembly tasks didn’t fit with my non-readers. You get the picture.
That is part of why an activity like this is so great… you can provide real world job training at all levels.
Lots of our students end up in work settings that require job stamina and an ability to discriminate between items quickly and easily. Just think of all the goals you can design with a work task like this…
Goals Addressed
When it comes to options on vocational goals with this gift card training printable, there are tons of options…
- Placing items in a target location
- Discriminating between items
- Classifying items by attribute
- Matching items by color, value, or vendor
- Assembling products for multi-item order
PLUS all the soft skills you can work on like:
- Staying in an assigned location
- Keeping a good work pace
- Following directions
- Indicating when finished
Personally, I love it when one activity meets the needs of all the students in my classroom… it is so much easier than trying to problem solve the curriculum and materials for each and every student! I like being able to keep my students challenged and working throughout a vocational training class AND go home everyday while the sun is still out.
Am I right fellow teachers?
This is the kind of activity that works for you… not against you.
Ways to Differentiate
Differentiation is the key when it comes to finding and implementing meaningful work centers in your SpEd or Autism classroom. This gfit card vocational activity can be used a few different ways.
Materials Needed
Before you get started, you will need a few items.
Hopefully you already have access to a Color Printer ( I love this one), Paper Cutter, and Plastic Shoe box Container (can also find these at the Dollar Store) as you get started…
Putting It All Together
Once you have all the items gathered, you’ll print the activity and then laminate and cut the individual cards out. I like to store them all in a plastic basket or shoe box container so they stay stackable and make a great bin to use as the students work.
If you are lucky, you may have access to a peg-board. My guess is that you will have to wave your magic wand to make your gift card station look real. Lucky magic looks just like Command Hooks! You can attach these to a wall, the side of a file cabinet, or on a bulletin board. Great thing with these hooks is they will not destroy the spot you put them (insert me thinking of the days when I hot glued things on my wall… oops).
From here, you should have the activity all set to go, the work space functionally arranged, and now it is time to think of all the possibilities this activity provides your students!
Easy Ways to Differentiate this Activity
Simple Put In
Grab a basket and have a student put the printed and laminated gift cards into the container. This level of task really addresses gross motor skills and task compliance. It is great as a pre-vocational skill!
Errorless File Folder
There is a page in this printable that is an empty “shelf” where students can place velcro tabbed gift cards. There is no “right” place to put them- this is about the fine motor skill of placing the card on a spot. Completely errorless, this is just working on building a work stamina with your pre-vocational students.
File Folder Matching
Three pages in this printable can be used as a file folder matching activity. They are formatted 9-per page, so a student can target one set of 9 or, if you are up to it, place two pages on both sides of the file folder for an 18-piece matching activity. This can meet the needs of a couple of different types of students.
Sorting
With several different headers (like amount, vendor, and alpha headers), you can have students sort the gift cards in a flexible way. And when you change things up, it actually means a student has to activate a different skill set in their brains to look at the items in a multidimensional way. Get those synapses poppin’!
Stocking
Now, with the command hooks all set to go on the side of your file cabinet, have a student stock the station! You can place the first one on the board so they are looking for a match or you can leave them all empty and have the students stock them by a targeted attribute (amount, vendor, alphabetically, etc).
Order Fulfillment
For students who are past more simple vocational training with gift cards, try order fulfillment like a student may do at grocery stores or a logistics hub… fill order requests!
You have access to 24 printable order cards PLUS access to an editable version in Google Drive to make new ones if those get stale.
Inventory
Last, but not least, students can perform an inventory on a set of gift cards to determine if a card is present or how many are available. Numeracy skills, multi-step task completion, and comprehension are all challenged with a task like this.
WOW- all these options from one printable?!? That is why I love it so much
READ MORE: Autism Classroom Setup Essentials, Autism Classroom Setup Checklist and Implementing Rules in Autism Classrooms
CHECK OUT this ACTIVITY Up CLOSE
If you want to see this printable gift card vocational training activity up close, then click here. You will love being able to see more about this activity and then get yours for your classroom.
Believe me when I tell you, it is perfect for vocational training in SpEd and as a work task in Autism Units. I love it as a job station and I’m guessing you will too. Once you have it up and running in your classroom, be sure to tag me on IG @thenoodlenook so I can see you in action!
Comments & Ratings
Want to know what others think about vocational training with gift cards? Read more:
“I absolutely love when I can find a resource that is already put together, and I can just print it. It certainly makes my life easier. When you are working with a functional curriculum, you sometimes run out of your own ideas. Thank you!”
-Heather S.
“This is able to be used in a classroom with multiple abilities! You can vary how you use it! It’s amazing and an applicable life skill!” -Theresa D.
“This has been a huge success with kids with autism in our vocational room! Allows for different levels of discrimination – some kids work on sorting 3 sets that look very different, some can do the varying dollar amounts. Love it.” -Jennifer L.
” Huge resource for such a small price! Love this resource as it uses real life pictures for students to associate. Easy to laminate and set up, offers many different options for use. Love it!”
-Chelsea G.
Would
Love to orde more of these for my classroom. We have a young adult special needs program.
I love having these activities in my classroom! I have the sets of soda, candy bars, chips, gift cards, and stock the register!! I am on the search for canned goods and other foods next!
I love having these activities in my classroom! I have the sets of soda, candy bars, chips, gift cards, and stock the register!! I am on the search for canned goods and other foods next!
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