Due to the establishment of quarantine, caused by the global coronavirus pandemic. It is important to talk about the various games that we can play with our little one at home to prevent the child from becoming bored during quarantine days. Not being able to go outside, should not be an impediment to our child's enjoyment.We bring you some recommendations and activities that you can do with your child at home.
First things first, you must take your child's tastes into account when carrying out any activity. Get to know them and adapt the activities to your own taste.. This way you will keep their attention and they won't get bored. All the games that we are going to tell you about can easily be played in the following way adapt to the characteristics of the child. Here I share with you some games with which you can encourage your child with autism in areas such as communication, social relations and also encourage their imagination.
- Imitation games
These are games where the emphasis will be on the movements (blows, slapping), with vocal sounds or with objects... Imitation games are a great tool for get to grips with your child's interests and keep him entertained, almost all children love this kind of games.
- Cause-effect games
A play of cause and effect could be seen in toys where pressing a button produces a sound or a light appears. However, games such as puzzles can also be used. This last type of games help to work on our son with autismThis is very important, as is frustration tolerance.
- Exchange games for children with autism
During these days of quarantine, we can adapt the house a little bit so that our children can play within it more easily. We must think carefully about this as they will be at home every day during this time. So it is advisable to transforming the house into an environment in which they can move around more easily. We can play games such as ball games, hoops, etc. If your child is not interested in this type of game, you can look for alternatives. Play at hiding the ball in a certain place in the home, teach him or her or mould him or her so that he or she can pass the ball to you. At the beginning, this kind of games will not be easy for your child, but little by little as they become routineYou'll be playing for hours.
- Sensory games
These types of games are those that involve the use of materials that your child may find pleasant to the touch. This includes materials such as play dough, crayons, finger paints, watercolours and many others. We are sure that they will love the games that include these materials and that they will have a great time with them.
- Music activities
Music will always be a great ally for children with autism. Your little one will be able to dance, jump, move and gesticulate to the rhythm of the music.. In addition, although games involving music are usually individual, we can also make them something shared. It is worth remembering that music therapy is widely used for the treatment of autism. around the world. Some tips for running music-related games.
Dancing or jumping to music around the house is a great activity.We recommend that you hold your child's hand and help guide their respective movements.
Learn songs and sing them together. In this way we can help our child to to make it easier to understand the respective lyrics of each song..
Listening to relaxing music is an excellent exercise which helps to soothe and is always necessary. Lie down next to your child while you both listen to soothing music.(I recommend any instrumental music.
The little ones at home can also benefit from the use of the VICON Method which is a structured and intensive learning programme for children with a visual and musical profile that starts from the essential levels of early development to the later and more complex stages of communication. This therapeutic tool is supported by videoThe programme is always understood as a complementary resource to all therapeutic work involving children with special educational needs.
- Computer activities:
The computer can also be of great use in keeping our child with autism busy. Drawing programs such as Paint or Notebook are recommended.. There are plenty of educational games on the internet that can keep your child busy and educate them at the same time. You can also read electronic stories or encourage them to write down what they have done during the day.
We recommend that you make a plan to carry out these games and activities with your child. We must establish a duration time for the activity and always try to vary it.. People with autism must learn to make their choices and not to choose always the same thing, in this way we avoid them to fall into obsessions. Use a paper, a blackboard, photos, pictures, drawings, pictograms, written words... this way you can visually show your child the possibilities and let them choose for themselves.
We hope that our tips have been useful and that you will be able to have a good time with your child. Remember that recreation is of utmost importance for children with autism and that we must keep them busy at this time, where they will spend the whole day at home and we must try not to keep them in a state of idleness.