You may have seen special education teachers on social media talk about file folder activities. Or maybe you have seen them when browsing Teachers Pay Teachers and wondered what they are.
File folders are a staple in my classroom, and many of my students prefer them over other activities. In this blog post, I will share what a file folder activity is and how I use it in my classroom.
What is a File Folder Activity?
When you think of a file folder, you probably think of a manila folder shoved somewhere in a file cabinet stuffed with random papers. That is the type of folder we are talking about, except we make it way more fun and functional!
File folder activities use the physical file folder as a base for the activity. It usually consists of movable pieces that either get sorted or matched. File folder activities do require some assembly. You most likely will need to print, cut, laminate, and add Velcro to make it fully functional.
Why and How Do I Use File Folder Activities?
File folder activities are great for so many reasons. For starters, they are amazing for introducing working on a short task and/or doing so independently.
My favorite way to do this, especially in pre-k, is starting with an errorless file folder like file 1. An errorless file folder or task is a task the student can not get wrong. It typically consists of putting on a moveable piece or moving it from one side to the other. This builds up a student’s capacity to complete a file folder and sets the base to build in more complex or academic file folder activities.
File folder activities are also amazing for differentiating. As you can see from the image above, you can use different skills in different folders. You can even differentiate within one single folder.
For example, in Folder 3 I could; ask students to match image to image, receptively/expressively ID the thematic vocabulary, count the number of images, break it down into a task analysis, work on sequential directions, and so much more. A single file folder can be used in so many ways for each student, making the resource way more than just a file folder!
File folders are also super easy to grab (once assembled) and use wherever you see fit in your schedule. They can be used for whatever your independent work system is, during whole-group instruction to pair along with a corresponding story, one-on-one instruction, or assessment, and sometimes you may even have a few students who LOVE doing them so much you can make them a center choice.
Where Can I Find File Folders For My Special Education Classroom?
Okay, now you know all about file folders and are ready to dive in. Yayyy! I am so excited for you! I have a TON of file folders just for you right HERE! Most of my file folder activities come in a set of three and typically have an errorless file folder activity. I even have them all bundled together HERE, and I am constantly adding more. I understand if you are not ready to commit to buying and want to test them out first. I have a FREE file folder activity set just for you in my Free Resource Library.