Following 1-Step Directions
Simple one-step action directions with pictures.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Say the direction once. Repeating it turns a listening task into a memory-supported one, and the point is what the child can do with a single hearing. Start with the body-action directions — touch your nose, stand up — and move to the object ones, which require identifying the item, the action and often a place. Eight minutes covers all twelve.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- RepeatRepeat the direction once, at the same speed, stressing the key words.Log as cued
- Chunk itBreak the direction into its steps and give them one at a time.Log as cued
- ModelShow the steps yourself, then the student does them.Log as cued
Adjust it
Give one step at a time, with a picture or a written list for each step.
Add a step, or a concept word such as 'before', 'after' or 'except'.
Matching IEP goal
Given spoken or written directions, Student will complete every step of the direction in order in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than one repetition.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve single-step directions: touch your nose, stand up, clap your hands, pick up the red block, put the pencil on the table, give me the blue crayon, open the book, point to the window, close your eyes. Some are pure actions and some involve an object and a location, which is a real difference in difficulty even though both are one step.
What to listen for
Watch where a direction breaks. Put the pencil on the table has three elements — object, action, location — and a child who picks up the pencil and stops has processed two of them. Notice whether the child watches your face for a cue, which is a good strategy and can mask a comprehension difficulty if you are gesturing without realising.
Carrying it home
Directions happen all day at home. Giving one at a time, saying it once, and waiting rather than repeating is a change that costs nothing and tells a family a lot about what their child understood.
What's in this activity
- Touch your nose.
- Stand up.
- Clap your hands.
- Pick up the red block.
- Put the pencil on the table.
- Give me the blue crayon.
- Open the book.
- Sit down.
- Point to the window.
- Close your eyes.
- Wave your hand.
- Put your hands on your head.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Kindergarten through second grade, and any student at the start of directions work.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve directions play with no account.
- Should I repeat the direction if the child doesn't respond?
- Wait first — processing time is often the whole issue. If you repeat, say exactly the same words rather than rephrasing, so you learn whether repetition or simplification is what helped.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.