Core word board: free printable PDF

Who it’s for

Anyone starting to communicate with pictures: young children who are just beginning with AAC, older children and adults who don’t speak or don’t speak much, and the parents, teachers and speech therapists who talk with them. It’s also a backup for someone who already uses a talker or a tablet. Paper works in the bath, at the pool and when the battery is flat, and the words are the same ones the person uses all day.

Why core words

A board of things, like apple, ball and car, only helps where those things are. Core words like more, stop, help, go and not work at breakfast, in the bath, on the playground and in the classroom, and they combine: want more, go up, not that. That’s why this board has no food or toys on it. Pair it with a topic board for the things, like the mealtime communication board. New to the idea? Read what a core word board is.

The same words, all day

• Snack time: more, all done, open, help, different.
• Play: go, stop, turn, up, down, look.
• Art time: more, different, big, little, put, on. The art communication board adds the paint, the glue and the scissors.
• Story time: look, what, turn the page, more, all done. On a trip to the library, the library communication board adds books and quiet words.
• Getting dressed: put, on, in, help, not that one.

How to use it

1. Pick a few words to start. Choose two or three that fit your day, like more, stop and go. You don’t have to use all 30.
2. Point while you talk. Say “Want more?” and point to want and more. This is called modeling. You don’t need to point to every word you say, and you don’t need to ask the person to copy you.
3. Use it all day. The same words work at snack, at play, in the bath and in the car. That is what makes them core words.
4. Wait, then answer. Give extra time. If the person points to stop, stop, even if you aren’t sure it was meant. That’s how a word gets its power.
5. Put two words together. When one word comes easily, show two: “want more”, “go up”, “stop that”, “I like it”.

Children and adults

Core words aren’t baby words: adults say I, want, not and different as often as children do. A teenager or an adult can use the same board to talk about grown-up things: “I like that song”, “not now”, “look, it’s good”. An adult who can spell can keep the alphabet board next to it, for the words that aren’t here. For an adult who prefers grown-up pictures and topics, try the communication board for adults.

What’s on the PDF

One page with 30 words in five columns of six, read from top to bottom, and a color key along the bottom. Each kind of word has its own color, so the eye finds it faster. The colors print best on a color printer.

• Yellow: people and things. I, you, it, that
• Pink: yes and no. yes, no
• Green: actions. want, like, get, put, look, help, go, stop, open, turn, play, feel
• Blue: describing words. more, all done, big, little, good, different
• Purple: little words. in, on, up, down, not, what

Printing tips

• Print on card stock if you have it. Laminate the page, or slide it into a sheet protector, so it can be wiped clean.
• Print several copies: one for the kitchen, one for the car, one for the school bag.
• Keep every copy the same. When a word is always in the same place, the hand learns where it is.
• Teaching one word at a time? Try the core word of the week plans, or print 52 core word cards with pictures and a list for the fridge.