Art is a way for special needs students to express themselves and be successful. Modifications depend on the special needs of the students. However many art activities geared to younger students will work well with special learners. For those with visual impairments, make certain there are plenty of other sensory elements to the projects, such as textures and scents. Students with fine motor skills limitations will benefit from pre-cut shapes, larger surfaces and larger tools, such as bigger or thicker crayons, paintbrushes or markers.
Sensory Projects
Children with sensory issues, autism or visual impairments will benefit from art projects that use scents, textures and sounds. Use clay or dough that has scent added, like peppermint, Kool Aid, or cinnamon. Scented markers add a sensory benefit to many art projects.
Create a collage with a variety of textures, such as soft felt shapes, feathers, foil, rough linen paper and bumpy corrugated cardboard. Fingerpainting is fun for a variety of learners, and you can mix it up a bit by using other substances than paint, such as pudding, shaving cream with food coloring or icing.
Make maracas from an empty soda can and beans, then decorate and cover the opening. Or take an oatmeal canister, cover with construction paper the student has painted or colored and use it as a drum.
Dimensional Projects
Students with visual impairments will benefit from art projects that incorporate building. Stack and tape cardboard tubes and boxes and paint or decorate with stickers.
Create collages with pre-cut shapes. Instead of gluing, stick down the shapes onto clear contact paper, then place a top sheet of contact paper over the finished project.
Cut a variety of fruits and vegetables, fill shallow containers with paint, then dip the veggies and stamp onto paper. Alternately, use sponges cut into different shapes as stamps.
Assemble a variety of textured objects like feathers, coins and flowers, then place a sheet of paper over the assortment. Rub an unwrapped crayon over the paper to create rubbings.
Make a mosaic by allowing students to rip up scrap paper and glue them onto a picture that has been drawn onto a larger sheet of paper. Place thick paint on one side of a folded sheet of paper, then fold and press the paper over, then open the paper and discover the new design.
Group Projects
Murals are a great way for differently-abled learners to work together. Hang a large piece of paper on the wall to simulate the ocean, and have a variety of fish shapes available for the students. If you have students who can cut, allow them to do the cutting. Decorate the fish with paint, markers and crayons. Then place the fish in the ocean. Have plants, shells and other shapes to tape to the ocean scene. A similar project can be done with a large tree shape and pre-cut leaves.
Another type of mural can be completed by hanging a large sheet of paper and providing students with spray bottles of paint, covering the floor with a dropcloth and just letting them discover the fun of mixing colors and spraying paint over the sheet.
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