Bubbles

Bubbles is a popular activity with young children. It’s easy to control and can offer lots of fun and opportunities to request. Blowing bubbles can offer opportunities to request for the bubbles and for the wand or the mixture, if you client is able to blow bubbles themselves (Mand 3a). If your client is not able to blow it is a great opportunity for them to develop oral motor control as the reinforcement is immediate for successful blows (Motor Imitation, 1a). Also, requests for actions like blow. If you add some washing up liquid to a container of water you can blow through a straw to make bubbles. This activity allows more opportunities to request for items, for instance water, straw and soap/washing up liquid. Also you could hide 3D items that are being targeted as labels (tacts) “What is this called?” (Tact 2M) or identification (listener receptive) “give me the —” (Listener receptive 3f). This is a great activity for playing outside on a nice sunny day, and a great opportunity to generalise skills to a different environment. Do be cautious of giving your a client a straw to blow through, in case they accidental swallow some of the solution.

Preceding skills reference to the VB-MAPP Assessment tool:

Sundberg, M. L. (2008) Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program: The VB-MAPP. Concord, CA: AVB Press.