First Words Board
A starting board for brand-new communicators: a small, motivating set of words and people, with room to grow into.
PDF · 6 pages · US Letter / A4 · Portrait · 281 kB · Free to print
Words on this board
Page 1: Home
- want
- more
- stop
- help
- yes
- no
- go
- all done
- eat
- drink
- play
- sleep
- Food
- People
- Feelings
- Toys
- I
- you
- what
- on
Page 2: Food
- apple
- banana
- bread
- milk
- water
- juice
- cookie
- cheese
- rice
- chicken
- yogurt
- cake
Page 3: People
- mom
- dad
- baby
- hi
- brother
- sister
- friend
- bye
- grandma
- grandpa
- teacher
- Safe
Page 4: Feelings
- happy
- sad
- angry
- scared
- tired
- hungry
- hurt
- love
- excited
Page 5: Toys
- ball
- book
- doll
- blocks
- car
- teddy
- puzzle
- bubbles
- music
Page 6: Safe
- Don't touch me
- my body
- They hurt me
- They hit me
- I feel unsafe
- Can I tell you?
- Tell someone
- secret
Print and keep close
Choose US Letter or A4 to match your paper, and use the portrait or landscape orientation shown for each board. Print every page in a set, check that the words and pictures are easy to see and point to, then keep the pages together. Laminate if useful.
An arrow and number lead to another page in the same PDF. Click the cell on screen, or turn to that page in the printed set. Keep the full set together and return to page 1 for the main board.
Use it together
Point to a picture as you say the word during everyday activities. Give the person time to respond in their own way; they do not have to copy you. Keep a core board nearby when using topic pages so words such as help, stop, and no stay available.
Make your own board in the app
These are starting points. To match someone’s own words, photos, and layout, print their board from SpeakPad. Open Caregiver Mode, tap More, then Print Board. You can choose the orientation and paper size, include linked boards, print each word as a card to cut out, and use larger text or black and white.
These PDFs use SpeakPad symbols. © SpeakPad. The boards are free to download and print.
The boards your child builds, in their pocket
SpeakPad is a free, private, offline AAC app for iPhone and iPad. Build a board once, then print it, share it, or speak with it.
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