Strengths Based Learning, Play and Technology
I love to play - it’s probably the reason I got into teaching in the first place, to find opportunities to create elastic, wonder-filled play-based experiences with students. On my first practicum experience, my supporting teaching turned the entire classroom into Aladdin’s ‘Cave of Wonders’ for a term. The students absolutely adored it, inspiring art, theatre, role-play scenarios, and all manner of games. In my own teaching career, I have had the opportunity to create vast video game experiences (that have then turned into student movies), I have leveraged student passions to create safe environments for students to feel at home in the classroom (including turning a classroom into a Super Mario level), and, on an every day level, have found opportunities to incorporate play into all aspects of learning. Particularly, I’ve always valued how it can connect with communication and interaction goals.
Below are a few examples of how I have begun using technology, particularly ChatGPT, to connect with play experiences, including designing games out of random classroom materials, helping to solve construction goals, 3D printing, and using it in conjunction with Apple Maps to help plan excursions. Click on the images to follow links that explain more. One that I haven’t included below, but that I absolutely love, is using AI agents to create resources that support play opportunities: check out this ‘Digital Lock Scanner’ that I created with my son to foster adventures we’ve been having in the neighbourhood, and this ‘Native Flower Scanner’.
My guiding principle is to follow the strengths and interests of our students: to help identify what these might be, I use these questions that were developed in collaboration with Dr. Tom Tutton -
• If you had some free time to do anything, what would you choose?
• Are there activities that you are usually good at?
• What do you like? What do you enjoy doing?
• Are there times when you totally relax?
• What do you get excited about?
• What makes you laugh or smile?
• When do you learn the best?
Let’s take a look at some different ways of creating structured play experiences. You will intuitively know some of the ways in which you already support play, and maybe you’ve even utilised methodologies like the Lego-Based Therapy approach where you assign different roles to students in order to scaffold communication and interaction. I’ll show you five different ways that I’ve structured play in my own classrooms, including four examples of each. Then, if you scroll down, you’ll see a template to help you plan and design your own play structures to support students in your classrooms.
Role-Based Structured Play Experiences
Students assume clearly defined roles within playful activities and games.
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Activity Description:
Students are grouped into teams of three, each assigned a specific role:
Engineer: Holds the instructions, communicates building steps.
Supplier: Finds and passes specific LEGO pieces required.
Builder: Assembles the pieces according to the Engineer's instructions.
Associated Resources:
Visual role cards clearly indicating responsibilities (images + words).
Simplified LEGO instruction booklets or visual step-by-step guides.
Timer visuals for role-switching.
Visual Supports:
Clearly labelled containers for LEGO pieces.
Laminated step-by-step building guides with picture prompts.
Visual timetable indicating role rotation schedule.
Social & Communication Goals:
Turn-taking, asking for clarification, listening actively, precise communication of instructions, cooperation.
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Activity Description:
Students work together to create a shared virtual structure or community in Minecraft.
Roles:
Architect: Designs and communicates the vision.
Resource Gatherer: Collects and organises building materials.
Builder: Constructs based on instructions from the Architect.
Associated Resources:
Role-identification badges or cards.
Visual templates or blueprints for construction (could link to a class text, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
Checklist for gathering resources.
Visual Supports:
Screenshot visuals demonstrating expected outcomes.
Visual step-by-step checklists or task sheets.
Timer visuals for structured turn-taking and role switching.
Social & Communication Goals:
Cooperation, negotiation, listening, clear communication of instructions, collaborative problem-solving.
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Activity Description:
Simple narrative-driven game where students collaboratively create and follow a storyline.
Roles:
Storyteller: Narrates the scene or situation.
Actor(s): Acts out or describes characters' actions.
Decision-Maker: Chooses the path or options available.
Associated Resources:
Story prompt cards or scenario visual aids.
Character cards outlining roles or attributes.
Visual decision-making flowcharts.
Visual Supports:
Visual storytelling prompts (picture cards).
Flowchart visuals showing narrative decisions.
Timer visuals to structure turns.
Social & Communication Goals:
Expressive storytelling, decision-making, empathetic role-taking, active listening and responding to peers.
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Activity Description:
Simulation of a café setting where students assume realistic roles.
Roles:
Server: Takes and communicates customer orders.
Chef: Prepares and assembles simple food items.
Cashier: Handles visual currency exchange.
Associated Resources:
Visual menus and order-taking forms.
Visual step-by-step recipes or assembly instructions.
Visual currency and price lists.
Visual Supports:
Laminated picture menus.
Step-by-step visual guides for food preparation.
Role-identifying aprons or name tags.
Social & Communication Goals:
Practical communication, polite social interaction, cooperation, role-specific communication, turn-taking, social etiquette practice.
Interest-Based Open-Ended Play
Curated environments and activities designed around students’ personal interests, enabling spontenous exploration and natural interactions.
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Activity Description:
Set up clearly defined areas in the classroom based on student interests, such as science exploration, city-building materials, or nature discovery.
Associated Resources:
Interest-specific materials (microscopes, building resources, natural artifacts).
Exploration guides and question prompts for each station.
Visual Supports:
Clearly labelled visual signs for each interest area.
Visual instructions or prompt cards encouraging inquiry and discussion.
Laminated cards with questions or conversation starters relevant to each station.
Social & Communication Goals:
Spontaneous peer communication, shared enthusiasm, expressive language, cooperative exploration.
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Activity Description:
Dedicated area for collaborative storytelling, equipped with puppets, costumes, books, and thematic story props.
Associated Resources:
Story prompt cards (characters, settings, challenges).
Costumes, puppets, and props related to popular themes.
Visual Supports:
Visual story maps or narrative sequencing cards.
Step-by-step visual story creation guides.
Story starter visuals (pictures or brief text prompts).
Social & Communication Goals:
Creative expression, collaborative storytelling, narrative language development, imaginative interaction.
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Activity Description:
Students collaboratively plan and create stop-motion animations using simple technology and student-selected themes.
Associated Resources:
Tablets or smartphones with stop-motion apps (e.g., Stop Motion Studio).
Playdough, LEGO figures, or paper cutouts for characters.
Storyboard templates.
Visual Supports:
Visual storyboard outlines.
Step-by-step visual instructions for using the stop-motion app.
Example visuals of completed stop-motion films for inspiration.
Social & Communication Goals:
Cooperative planning, negotiation of story elements, expressive language, teamwork, peer feedback.
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Activity Description:
Dedicated sensory-rich areas or containers designed around students’ sensory interests (textures, scents, sounds, visual patterns).
Associated Resources:
Sensory materials (sand, rice, water beads, textured fabrics, sound-makers).
Visual exploration prompts (e.g., "Find something soft/rough/quiet/loud").
Visual Supports:
Clear visual labels indicating sensory attributes.
Picture-supported guides for sensory exploration activities.
Laminated sensory exploration prompt cards.
Social & Communication Goals:
Sensory descriptive language, spontaneous peer interaction, shared sensory exploration experiences, emotional expression through sensory engagement.
Collaborative Problem-Solving Play
Students collectively address structured challenges or puzzles, leveraging teamwork and problem-solving.
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Activity Description:
Students work in teams to solve puzzles and riddles collaboratively, unlocking a series of clues to "escape" or achieve a goal.
Associated Resources:
Themed puzzle cards or riddles.
Locked boxes or envelopes containing clues.
Timer visuals.
Visual Supports:
Step-by-step visual instructions for solving puzzles.
Visual checklists to track progress through puzzles.
Hint cards to support students who require additional prompting.
Social & Communication Goals:
Team-based planning, clear and concise communication, negotiation, strategic thinking, collaborative problem-solving.
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Activity Description:
Students collaborate to locate hidden items around the classroom or school grounds using written, visual, or cryptic clues.
Associated Resources:
Visual or written clues.
Item checklists.
Maps or visual guides.
Visual Supports:
Visual clue sheets with picture support.
Maps indicating specific search areas.
Visual checklist for item tracking.
Social & Communication Goals:
Group decision-making, active listening, expressive communication, cooperative search strategies.
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Activity Description:
Students collectively design and build structures or mechanisms (e.g., bridges, towers, simple machines) with set materials (e.g., LEGO, cardboard, recycled materials).
Associated Resources:
Construction materials (LEGO, blocks, cardboard).
Visual construction guidelines or blueprints.
Task cards outlining specific building objectives.
Visual Supports:
Step-by-step visual guides for complex builds.
Visual diagrams or blueprints.
Timetable visuals to manage collaborative building time.
Social & Communication Goals:
Cooperation, negotiation, problem-solving, spatial reasoning, shared responsibility.
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Activity Description:
Students solve a "mystery" using investigative clues (e.g., who took the classroom mascot, solving a fictional scenario).
Associated Resources:
Clue cards.
Investigation journals or worksheets.
Character role-cards or scenario descriptions.
Visual Supports:
Visual flowcharts for solving the mystery.
Picture-based clue cards.
Visual checklist for collecting and analysing clues.
Social & Communication Goals:
Collaborative reasoning, investigative communication, critical thinking, hypothesis testing, group discussions.
Creative Arts-Based Collaborative Play
Artistic activities used as vehicles for collaborative expression and interaction.
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Activity Description:
Students collaboratively plan, design, and create a mural based on a shared theme or story.
Associated Resources:
Large paper or canvas, paints, markers, brushes.
Visual theme or idea prompts.
Planning sheets or storyboard templates.
Visual Supports:
Visual step-by-step planning templates.
Image inspiration cards related to the theme.
Visual timetable for the collaborative process.
Social & Communication Goals:
Shared decision-making, expressive language, creative negotiation, peer feedback, teamwork.
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Activity Description:
Students work together to write lyrics and compose music, resulting in a shared song or musical piece.
Associated Resources:
Musical instruments (e.g., percussion, keyboards).
Songwriting templates.
Audio recording equipment or simple apps for capturing music.
Visual Supports:
Visual songwriting guides.
Picture-supported lyric sheets.
Step-by-step visual instructions for recording and performing music.
Social & Communication Goals:
Creative collaboration, listening skills, expressive communication, rhythmic and melodic awareness, shared creative achievement.
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Activity Description:
Students collectively create a comic book by developing a storyline, characters, dialogues, and illustrations.
Associated Resources:
Comic book templates or graphic organisers.
Illustration materials (pens, markers, digital tools).
Dialogue bubbles and visual narrative prompts.
Visual Supports:
Visual storyboard outlines.
Step-by-step comic creation guides.
Example comic visuals for inspiration.
Social & Communication Goals:
Narrative development, dialogue creation, visual storytelling, teamwork, collaborative creativity.
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Activity Description:
Students work together to plan, script, and perform puppet shows, creating their own characters and scenarios.
Associated Resources:
Puppet-making materials or ready-made puppets.
Puppet theatre or stage.
Scriptwriting and story planning templates.
Visual Supports:
Step-by-step visual puppet-making guides.
Visual scripts with clear character dialogue cues.
Visual timetables outlining rehearsals and performance schedules.
Social & Communication Goals:
Creative role-playing, expressive voice and dialogue use, cooperative storytelling, empathetic understanding through character perspectives.
Thematic Immersion Play (across a term)
Imaginatively transform your classroom around sustained themed, engaging students over extended periods.
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Activity Description:
The classroom is transformed into a mystical environment such as Aladdin’s Cave, complete with fabric drapes, glittering lights, maps, and props.
Students assume themed roles (e.g., explorers, treasure guardians, storytellers).
Associated Resources:
Themed props, decorations, and costumes.
Treasure maps, journals, story scrolls.
Themed vocabulary word walls.
Visual Supports:
Role cards with visual symbols and descriptions.
Daily task boards connected to the theme.
Story maps and visual scene prompts.
Social & Communication Goals:
Role-based interaction, expressive language, shared storytelling, teamwork, imaginative dialogue.
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Activity Description:
Students become marine biologists, deep-sea divers, or ocean creatures in a classroom designed like an underwater research station.
Associated Resources:
Ocean-themed learning kits (books, sea animal figures, sensory trays).
Aquatic role cards (e.g., Researcher, Explorer, Photographer).
Interactive map of the classroom as an underwater terrain.
Visual Supports:
Visual checklists for daily missions.
Task rotation cards with images.
Word walls with theme-specific vocabulary.
Social & Communication Goals:
Descriptive language use, reporting findings, collaborative exploration, curiosity-driven inquiry.
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Activity Description:
Students take on roles as astronauts, mission control, engineers, or alien diplomats in a classroom designed like a space station.
Associated Resources:
Control panels made from cardboard and foil, walkie-talkies, star charts.
Mission task sheets.
Space-themed storybooks and prompts.
Visual Supports:
Role ID badges with visual cues.
Daily visual mission logs.
Visual sequencing boards for tasks.
Social & Communication Goals:
Mission briefings, turn-taking dialogue, spatial vocabulary, role-based social negotiation.
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Activity Description:
Students become characters in a classroom-wide adventure game, completing challenges, earning tokens, and unlocking new “levels.”
Associated Resources:
Visual tokens, maps, character cards.
Level-up progress charts.
Problem-solving and creative thinking tasks linked to curriculum areas.
Visual Supports:
Character profiles with visual descriptors.
Gameboard-style wall chart to track group progress.
Visual challenge cards.
Social & Communication Goals:
Strategic thinking, encouragement and teamwork, goal-oriented communication, shared celebration.
Your Turn: Design your own play-based structure for students.
Use the design template below (you can read the prompts from the accordion below or tap the Google Doc button to copy a ready-made form) to plan one or two of your own play-based structures for your class.
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Small Group Collaborative Activity – Create One or Two New Play Experiences
Goal: Design two distinct play-based learning structures for your classroom that support communication and social interaction for autistic students. Draw on the five models we explored together.
PART ONE: FOUNDATIONS (10–15 mins)
Group Members:
Names:
Student Age Range / Needs Focus:
(e.g., Stage 2, emerging communicators, etc.)
Which models are you drawing from? (You can mix & match and create your own)
☐ Role-Based
☐ Interest-Based
☐ Problem-Solving
☐ Creative Arts
☐ Thematic Immersion
Or create a Hybrid Model
PART TWO: STRUCTURE – Play Experience Design (30–40 mins)
Name of the Play Experience: (e.g., “The Story Ship,” “Mystery Builders,” “My Café”)
Core Idea / Concept:
Describe the play experience in a few sentences.
Student Roles (if applicable):
Who does what? Are there clearly defined roles?
Materials / Environment Needed:
Think about sensory tools, visuals, props, furniture layout, etc.
Structure & Sequence:
What happens first, next, and last? How is turn-taking or collaboration supported?
Visual Supports / Scaffolds:
What visuals will help students understand the play?
(e.g., visual schedule, role cards, cue cards, maps, checklists)
Social & Communication Goals:
What interactions will this structure support?
(e.g., requesting, turn-taking, problem-solving, descriptive language)
Modifications / Accessibility:
How can students with different support needs participate meaningfully?
PART THREE: Reflections & Next Steps (10–15 mins)
Does your play-experience feel ready to implement?
What might be a fun way to pilot it next term?
What support, resources or collaboration might help?
How could we share the outcome with families or the school community?
Thinking Routines to Support Communication & Interaction
Project Zero, based out of Harvard, provides many ‘thinking routines’ that can help structure and scaffold communication and interaction opportunities. I have selected a couple that I regularly use in the classroom.
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These Harvard Project Zero routines can be embedded into your play-based structures to support reflection, dialogue, and cognitive flexibility. Click the title of each thinking routine to access the applicable resource page.
Encourages students to make careful observations and thoughtful interpretations, stimulating curiosity and setting the stage for inquiry.
Use in: Interest stations, storytelling, sensory exploration.
Promotes evidence-based reasoning by asking learners to share their interpretations.
Use in: Collaborative builds, game-based decisions, planning.
Facilitates exploring diverse perspectives by considering different viewpoints on a topic.
Use in: Role-play, immersive play (e.g., village, café, space mission).
4. Step Inside
Encourages students to step into the role of a character or object to explore different perspectives.
Use in: Drama, storytelling, imaginative settings.
Aids learners in distilling the essence of ideas nonverbally by choosing a color, symbol, and image to represent them.
Use in: Arts-based reflections, wrap-ups.
Supports reasoning by having students form claims, support them with evidence, and pose questions.
Use in: Group debriefs, post-play discussions.()
For a comprehensive list of routines, visit the Project Zero Thinking Routines Toolbox.
Other Resources
These are a couple of resources that I find inspiring. You may find them a bit too experimental or far out, but I like them, and you might like them too :)
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I love how Linda Liukas thinks about play, about technology and about childhood. She created the ‘Hello Ruby’ book and educational resource, which I’ve used in many classrooms. She recently designed a playground, I think it speaks to a lot of what we’ve explored above - check it out: LINK
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This one almost has to be seen to be understood - it is a wonderfully creative way of creating interactive workshop environment spaces using digital projectors in wild ways. Click through and watch the video, all will be revealed: LINK
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This is a new (very new!) app released by two Australian educators, focused on visual supports and communication. It’s a great resource to support structured play experiences.
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Another ‘Project Zero’ resource from Harvard, this is a resource page focused on what they call a ‘pedagogy of play’. Check it out: LINK