Games for Developmental Delays in Children

Teaching does not just have to be a job, it can also be fun.

Working around developmental delays in children can be frustrating for educators and students. Students lagging behind in school work often feel confused, frustrated, and helpless. However, as an educator, there are several activities you can do to help you relate to, and aid, children working to overcome developmental delays.

Language Games

Games that test and retest the language skills of the students are the best, especially if the student has a hard time with communication. Language delays are one of the more common developmental delays in children, so improving those particular skills is important. Play games that increase the child's ability to communicate. For instance, have a conversation with the child talking to him about what he did over the weekend. Ask simple Who-What-Why questions and help the child formulate responses.

Skill-Building Games

Developmentally delayed children often exhibit problems with basic skills of following instructions or keeping focus. If this is the case, play games to increase these particular skills. Treasure hunts are perfect for this kind of situation because it offers a clear prize to following directions and helps children remain focused. If the child has something he is working toward, he will be much more likely to continue striving toward that goal. Make the first treasure hunt easy so the child is able to grasp the concept and reward. Then, slowly make them more and more challenging.

Motor Games

Another common developmental delay in children is the delay of motor skills. Children with low muscle tone have trouble walking, moving, running, skipping or doing any other activity most children will do regularly. For this kind of delay, play a simple game of catch with the child. Tell her to hold the ball for three seconds before throwing it back to you. This will aid her in aiming and concentrating which will increase their ability to control their motor senses. Another good activity for this kind of delay is a pen-and-paper maze. This helps children try to stay in the lines of a maze while using their mind to solve it.

Sensory Delays

A less common, but still debilitating delay is the delay of the senses. This kind of delay causes children to become more or less sensitive to certain things. Sometimes, the child will display an overactive hearing sense and sometimes, the child will not be able to hear well at all. This is also common with bright lights or colors. This developmental delay is often misdiagnosed as partial blindness or deafness, but it can actually be remedied through running games. Have the child run at a slow pace and then a fast pace which will help them experience sensations of feel, touch and sound in a controlled fashion.

References

• Scholastic: Meeting Learning Challenges: Working With Children Who Have Developmental Delays

Resources

• Sensory Processing: Advice, activities and games