Red Buttons in Water is an all-time favorite, designed for those who are challenging to motivate. The buttons' slow descent through the water, disappearing into the bottom of the Shoebox, captures students' interest and motivates them to complete the other Tasks.

A one-unit stacking task that visually demonstrates the concept of counting from one to five by associating numerical characters for each dowel with the number of beads to be stacked. Each dowel is just long enough to accommodate the number of beads on its label, creating a clear finishing point.

The individual matches a given order of red, yellow and blue Dox Blox, assembles the pieces, and puts them in the finished area. Mastery of this type of visual instruction and organization is foundational to many students attaining meaningful work later in life.

A one-unit matching task to encourage independence while practicing academic readiness skills. Includes (4) sets of discs to be matched: letters, numbers, (9) colors, and (9) shapes. The discs are presented upright, encouraging the student to choose one symbol at a time to match on the right.

Designed for students who are easily distracted from attaining a designated goal or who have difficulty using their fingers in a coordinated manner. Parallel tracks have finished openings at opposite ends, engaging the student to slide the beads beyond the mid-line to complete their action. The student grasps beads, sliding them along each of two tracks, until they fall through the finished openings.

Lacing provides students the opportunity to use two hands in a coordinated fashion. This Task was designed to accommodate a wide range of skill levels, creating an attainable challenge: maneuvering the attached shoelace through a prescribed course to end at a clearly defined point.

A multi-step activity: matching objects to pictures, assembly and packaging—a simple format teaching a variety of skills. Teaches organization through the use of visual structure and includes two distinct packaging activities.

Squeezing the end of a transparent pipette, the student draws colored water from a hidden source into the pipette. Students are able to move up to three colors and mix them for greater variety—an important skill and a fun activity that could end up in your “choice area.”

Task 25 is designed to hold the student’s attention. The sight of each ball rolling down the tube into the Shoebox, along with the sound made when landing, adds interest. Using the coordinated effort of two hands, the student is encouraged to repeat the activity until finished.

Color Match Sequencing has the flexibility to meet a range of needs, with nine different colored discs used in pairs or groups of three for matching or sequencing patterns of colors. The educator creates a pattern of colors on the top line, which the student replicates with the remaining discs on the two lines below.

Designed for the student who may not have the necessary motor control to place an object in a small opening—watching the ball rolling around and around, before funneling its way down into the opening, encourages independent action and holds the student's attention.

Pom Poms builds hand strength by encouraging the student to move pom poms with tongs from one container to another. Vibrant colors and soft texture encourage fine motor practice, with the possibility for up to a four-way sort and match.

An activity that encourages the use of fine motor ability and the coordinated effort of both hands. Students put oversized pom poms into containers before screwing down the cap for closure, providing a clear end point when all four tubes are capped.

Coordinating the use of two hands, the student strings beads on either a pipe cleaner or shoelace while following a prescribed pattern of colored discs. Use of the shoelaces instead of pipe cleaners for stringing increases the fine motor challenge of the Task.

The student stretches rubber bands between dowels to create a variety of patterns, which encourages the development of fine motor skills and a coordinated effort between two hands. The Task is finished when all the rubber bands are stretched onto dowels and the container is empty.

This Task teaches basic shape matching, as well as object-to-picture matching skills. Placing one of the three different plastic shapes at the base of each wooden dowel creates a template from which the student can match and stack additional shapes. 

(We have two color variations, which will vary depending on stock). Around The Block requires a student to find the color that matches by turning the block. The educator velcroes up to (9) colored discs to the lid in any combination of (3) colors. Besides encouraging fine motor control, the student must retain the goal of matching a particular color while looking for it among the other colors on the block.

The curious behavior of magnets encourages concentration and fine motor control. The student attracts a magnetic ring through a clear plastic tube, leading it with a magnetic wand along the length of the tube to release it onto a wooden dowel. Versatility in uses of the wand to maneuver the magnets makes completing this Task attainable and interesting across many levels of motor skills.

An open-ended Task to encourage fine and gross motor development, eye-hand coordination and opportunities to engage the mid-line by winding a link-chain around dowels in varied ways. The visual effect motivates students to make this transfer.

Bullseye contains four puzzles, three of them concentric. The student removes loose puzzle pieces from the open side of the Shoebox and matches them to a pattern on the top of the lid to complete the puzzle. The one-unit presentation encourages independence and serves as a precursor to the Folder Tasks.

Variations is designed to demonstrate that objects can be used in a variety of ways. A bead can be matched to a picture, dropped in a hole, and stacked on a dowel. The Task is finished when all three sets of objects are in their designated places.

In TEACCH preschools, a common skill progression is for a student to progress from all ShoeboxTasks® to a mixture of some ShoeboxTasks® and some folder tasks, and then eventually, to all folder tasks and other more subtle/abstract activities. Our Folder Tasks are constructed of sturdy vinyl, using images students find familiar after working with ShoeboxTasks®.

Periodically assess your student with one or more of these Folder Tasks. If s/he shows no interest, s/he is either not ready or may only respond to images that are of particular interest to that student. If the child is able and willing to manipulate the cards, and with help can be successful, continue using the Folder Tasks during one-on-one sessions. Once a student demonstrates independent mastery, add them to his/her independent work sessions.