Exceptional Children’s Week 2025

Objective: Celebrate differences and commonalities through student storytelling. 

Instructions: 

• Provide students with a choice: draw a picture, create a short video, or write a short paragraph about something that makes them unique.

• Allow time for students to share their work with classmates in pairs, small groups, or a class gallery walk. 

• Encourage positive comments and connections 

Template: 

• Prompt: "What makes me unique? What is something I love to do?" 

• Formats: Drawing template or sentence starter worksheet. 

Objective: Show how small acts of kindness and inclusion build a stronger community. 

Instructions: 

• Give each student a strip of paper to write or draw an act of kindness they did for a classmate that day. 

• Collect strips and connect them to form a paper chain displayed in the classroom or hallway. 

• Discuss how kindness spreads and helps everyone feel included. 

Template: 

• Strip Example: "Today, I helped ___ by ___." 

• Support: Provide sentence starters or let them draw instead of writing. 

Objective: Encourage students to share skills and strengths with classmates. 

Instructions: 

• Pair students or form small groups where each student teaches something they’re good at (e.g., a fun fact, a sign language word, a math trick, a dance move). 

• Allow time for partners to switch so everyone learns something new. 

• Reflect on the experience: "How did it feel to teach and learn from a friend?" 

Template: 

• Student Card: "Ask me about ___! Here's what I can teach you." 

• Reflection Question: "What did you learn from a friend today?" 

Objective: Help students understand different abilities and perspectives. 

Instructions: 

• Set up hands-on experiences (choose one or more): 

• Reading a short passage in braille. 

• Using noise-canceling headphones to experience sensory differences. 

• Completing a simple task with one hand to simulate a physical disability. 

• Navigating an obstacle course or similar activity while blindfolded with a buddy guiding them. 

• Facilitate a discussion about what they learned and how different experiences impact learning. 

Template: 

• Experience Reflection Sheet: "One thing I noticed was..." "Something I learned about my classmates is..." 

Objective: Create a collaborative piece celebrating inclusion. 

Instructions: 

• Give each student a small piece of paper to draw or write one way their class or school is welcoming to everyone. 

• Arrange the pieces into a large mural or collage displayed in the school. 

• Host a short "gallery walk" where students can admire and discuss the final piece. 

Template: 

• Mural Prompt: "Our school is a welcoming place because..." 

• Alternative: Have students add handprints or names as a symbolic commitment to inclusion.