Sorting out logistics

Overview

Thorough planning of the logistics can impact how children are engaged in a workshop. Keep sessions under 1.5 hours, especially for younger children with multiple exceptionalities. Include breaks, body/music breaks, and sensory breaks to maintain focus. Mindfully use technology, test it in advance, and control volume. Address dietary restrictions, offer nutritious snacks, and provide sanitary items. Communicate with parents about transportation and create an access guide for venue familiarity. Wrap up sessions by expressing gratitude.

Description

To ensure meaningful and productive co-design workshops with kids, careful planning of the logistics is essential. Children might have different levels of responsiveness to various stimuli. While some can stay focused on a task with minimal distractions, others may easily shift their attention to existing stimuli in the environment. Therefore, what works for one child may not work for another. Considering the following aspects can help children with diverse needs remain engaged in activities.

Timing

Session duration: Limit interactive sessions to less than 1.5 hours for most kids. For younger children and those with complex needs, aim for sessions under one hour. Shorter sessions help maintain focus and prevent exhaustion.

Breaks: Children, especially those with disabilities, can easily become distracted during collaborative sessions. Moreover, engaging in activities that involve the use of assistive technologies like switches, joysticks, screen readers can be physically and mentally exhausting. Incorporating dedicated break times into the session can be highly beneficial for children to refocus and recharge their energy levels. To maximize the effectiveness of break times, consider having 5-10 minute breaks for every (approximately) 30 minutes of active participation. Providing a structured break schedule helps participants anticipate and prepare for moments of rest. However allow for flexible breaks as well, enabling kids to take necessary breaks, fill up water bottles, use the restroom, or simply step away if needed.

Body/Music breaks: Incorporate body breaks in the form of obstacle runs or song breaks with their favorite tunes. These activities can help release extra energy, leading to increased focus and engagement during the subsequent session. Alternatively, you can introduce calming activities like playing a soothing song that resonates with the group. This can help children relax and prepare mentally for the remaining activities.

Sensory breaks: you can incorporate planned sensory breaks throughout the session that include activities like deep breathing exercises, stretching, or quiet time to reset and refocus.

Technology

Consider child’s safety and needs: Chat with a member of staff as you are setting up the equipment to make sure that these do not interfere with children’s participation or create safety issues. Remain mindful of the childs’ specific needs, there may be specific environmental constraints you may not be aware of and it is always good to check beforehand.

Test technology in advance: If you plan to use technology, such as videos on a projector or a smart board, test it beforehand to ensure the available devices at the school or other environments you are working are compatible with technologies you use. Children are not patient with technical glitches and they can get distracted and sometimes feel frustrated.

Volume control: If using sounds, set speakers at a medium volume level to avoid startling the participants with sudden loud noises.

Food

Dietary restrictions and food sensitivities: if you are offering food at your events, check with teachers and parents about any dietary restrictions, allergies or food sensitivities to ensure the safety and well-being of all children.

Plan ahead: offer ‘snacks’ or break time ‘treats’ that are most appropriate for the individual children who are taking part, including children who do not eat orally or who might not enjoy eating.

Choose nutritious refreshments: If providing refreshments, opt for snacks with low sugar content to help kids maintain focus throughout the workshop.

Sanitary items

Make disinfectants readily available: Have ample hand sanitizers, tissue boxes, and disinfectants readily available. Children may share materials during activities.

Sanitize regularly: Ensure all materials, toys, and desks are regularly cleaned and sanitized to maintain a safe and hygienic environment.

Transportation

Communicate with Parents: Prior to the session, communicate with parents to provide information on the best ways to get to the venue. Address any transportation concerns they may have. This is particularly important if their children use mobility devices.

Access Guide: If possible, prepare an access guide for the venue and share it with parents in advance. This guide helps familiarize parents and children with the space, making them feel more comfortable in the new environment. An access guide may include information and photos of parking options (and applicable fees), ramp access for wheelchair users, and directions to get to your workshop location, washrooms, kitchens, and water fountains in the venue. Here is a sample of a social story that helps to prepare students for a Hudson’s Bay Holiday Concert: Access Guide Example

Check out the supportive material section for another example of an “Access Guide”.

Wrap up

Thanking their participation: as you wrap up each session, find a way to express your gratitude for their participation and contribution to this collective effort. For example, giving each child a sticker as a session comes to a close is something they can keep and consider as a thank you for their participation.

Example

Various groups of children with diverse needs have used Weavly in different workshops, each having unique experiences.

A corner of a classroom with two bean bags for seating, a smal table, a small chair, and some floor mats a couple of different toys

For older children using assistive technologies like scanners, on-screen communication systems (e.g., Grid 3), or keyboards, selecting an item on the interface was not as simple as clicking; it involved several steps. Headtracker, eye gaze, and switch users needed constant physical movements and high mental focus to interact with the Weavly interface. Thus, we made sure to give them breaks every 10-15 minutes to rest their bodies and help them sustain engagement.

For students with social and behavioral needs, once we noticed signs of distraction, disengagement, boredom, or conflicts, we offered various forms of body breaks. For example, in one class, we would play a common YouTube video for body breaks, while in another, we would create an obstacle course with masking tapes on the floor. This helped release negative energy, making them more focused and energized for the rest of the session. Although we had scheduled breaks in our facilitation plans, our team was always observant of the room’s energy and in communication with teachers to call for a break when needed.

Despite post-pandemic settings, COVID-19 protocols persisted in our workshops, especially due to shared equipment like iPads and physical toys. This ensured a safer environment for both the facilitation team and students.

Supportive Materials

Access guide example View