The Trip Clip Blog | Make Any List Then:

Slug Bug has been around forever and can be a lot of fun for the whole family on road trips or even just running errands around town. This printable game board lets you keep track of how many you’ve seen. You can print one for each family member to see who can spot the most, or you can each make predictions ahead of time for how many you think you’ll see in each color, and work together to see whose predictions are the most accurate.

This game is fun, but it can also teach some simple graphing skills as well as introduce the scientific method. You can even play virtually with a friend who lives someplace else and compare notes to see if the same colors are the most common in each locale.

And if you want to throw in some foreign language practice, try putting the names of the colors in another language!

Try it with a kid-sized clipboard to make it easy to use in the car.

For some kids, including many special needs kids, anxiety around going to the doctor can be reduced by knowing exactly what is going to happen and when. This sort of visual schedule can help kids ‘see’ their visit, and see their progress through it, in a way that helps them handle and manage the stress.

You can use this list as is, or you can edit it to make it just right for your child.

You can easily make a First-Then boards using The Trip Clip. A First-Then board is a visual support that works well for kids with Autism. You can click here to learn about how First-Then Boards work.

I made these boards using The Trip Clip’s hook & loop picture clips.

First, I printed out the blank boards. You can print a first-then board for free here.

Next I laminated the first-then board, and attached some hook & loop circles to the board.

After that I used the Custom List from The Trip Clip. I was able to drag and drop the pictures I wanted to use to create my picture clips, and then write the text I wanted underneath each picture. I chose to use the Big Picture Clips setting, but you can also make Small Picture Clips, or combine the two if that works better for you.

I printed out my individual pictures, laminated the sheet, and then cut apart each of the picture clips.

After that all I needed was hook and loop circles for the back of each picture, I was able to create my first-then boards, and I can re-use the board with different pictures as needed.

All of the supplies you need to do this yourself can be purchased on The Trip Clip website.

This picture checklist helps kids know what needs to be cleaned up at the end of the day. It can be used in person in a classroom, or even at home for kids who are attending school online.

You can use it as is for free, or create an account at TheTripClip.com if you want to edit it.

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Looking for a unique gift idea?  Try a magnet pack from The Trip Clip! There are morning and bedtime routine magnets, chore magnets, after school magnets, or a collection of the 20 most popular ones.  Each magnet pack is $3.95 and contains 20 1” magnets. These make great stocking stuffers for kids AND parents!

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For kids who need very specific instructions to learn a task, or remember how to do it, a visual checklist is a great tool!

You can print this as is for free, or sign up on The Trip Clip website to edit this to make it work right for your family.

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My family has made the difficult decision to not gather for Thanksgiving this year. With virus counts increasing everywhere, and elderly, at risk relatives in the mix, we’ve decided we will do our best to find ways to celebrate virtually.

Our plan is to gather via Zoom not for a full meal, but just for dessert. To make it feel a little more celebratory, we’re going to kick off the full holiday seasons with a Secret Turkey gift exchange. We’ll each get assigned a person to get a small gift for which we’ll order online and have them delivered straight to the recipient to be opened on the zoom call Thanksgiving Day.

I also had the idea of having a Scavenger Hunt. We haven’t tried this yet, but here’s the plan:

We will divide up into teams of 2, preferably matching up teams so that no 2 people are in the same household, though they will each need to have their own device to connect with their partner via a phone call, Face Time, or some other app.

One person won’t play but will instead run the game and be the judge.

At the same time, the judge will give every player the list of things to find around their house. You can send them the link so they can print it out, or they can use the list online via a mobile phone using the The Trip Clip website. You can print this list here for free.

With an account on The Trip Clip website you can edit this list to customize it for your family. If you have trouble coming up with ideas you like, use the Bingo Board activity to refresh a Custom Bingo Board with random pictures, and then put those pictures on your Scavenger hunt list. Your family members can get creative to find something to match the picture, whatever it may be!

When the Judge says “Go”, each team should make a plan for finding the items on their list between their two households. When they find an item, and show it to their partner to make sure they agree, they should take a picture of it with their phone and then text that picture to the Judge.

The Judge should have multiple printouts of the scavenger hunt printed out and ready to record when they receive a picture from a team.

The first team to prove to the judge that they have found every item on the list wins! Or you can have a time limit, and the team that has found the most things within the time limit wins. The prize can be something simple like a gift card delivered electronically in email. Or just bragging rights!

The Trip Clip website makes it easy to set up a magnet (or hook and loop) school schedule that is customized for your kids. This is especially helpful for kids who need to be able to visualize their schedule and the progress they’re making through their day so they can understand and be reassured in knowing what is coming next.