Try this activity with your afterschool group this week.
Purpose: The children will get an idea of what it is like when your brain knows what to do, and you know that you can do the activity, but you just can’t seem to get the answer out right.
Materials: Print the attached document that contains the words of colors that are written in different colors than what the word reads.
Activity: Break the class into groups of 2. Give each group a printout of the “color words”. Have one child in the group read it aloud. They must read the COLOR that the word is written in, and ignore what the word says. Next have the second child do the same.
Discussion Points:
• Discuss how your brain wants to read the actual word, and how hard it is to stop yourself from saying the actual word.
• Even when you can make yourself do it correctly, you have to read much slower than normal.
• This is an example of what it is like for some kids with special needs. Their brain understands what needs to be done, but they have to struggle to make it come out right.
• This is also an example of why it takes some kids much longer to do their work, answer questions, follow directions, etc. It just takes some kids longer to process things because there are a lot of obstacles in their way.
• It does not mean that you are not smart because you could not do this activity correctly or quickly. It just means that your brain wants to do something different.
