At Holly Grove School in Burnley, switch adapted toys from Inclusive Technology have become a familiar part of everyday learning. They make play more accessible and give children an enjoyable way to develop the skills they need to use switches with greater purpose and confidence.
The response is immediate and easy to understand. One press can make bubbles appear, start a song or activate a favourite sensory toy. This gives children a real reason to keep trying. With time and repetition, they can begin to understand cause and effect, press more consistently and learn that their actions can influence what happens next.
These early switch skills can open the door to much more. They can support children to take part in classroom activities, communicate choices and use other switch-accessible technology.
Michelle Grimshaw, HLTA and Communication and Early Reading LeadIt’s not just us doing that. They can initiate that interaction and take a big part in that activity together.
During our visit, children used communication boards alongside the Switch Adapted Vibrating Bee, Frog and Ladybird Massagers. One learner selected which character she wanted and then indicated where it should be placed: on her arm, leg or back.
As the activity continued, she communicated that her back was her favourite place. She then reversed the roles, asking Michelle to take a turn before choosing where the massager should be placed.
What began as a sensory activity soon became a conversation. The learner was not simply receiving an experience. She was sharing her preferences, directing another person and taking the lead in an interaction they could both enjoy.
Michelle GrimshawWe really love using switch toys at school. They provide a really inclusive approach, and we use them every day throughout the curriculum.
Michelle explained that the toys are used every day across different areas of the curriculum. For children who may find it difficult to operate a standard toy, a switch can make the difference between watching an activity and being part of it. They can start the action, choose what happens next, take turns and invite other people to join in.
Class Teacher Samantha Hindle sees the same benefit: “It’s really nice that the children who possibly wouldn’t be able to play with toys have an opportunity to access toys through switches.”
The toys are used to support communication, social interaction, turn taking, choice making and regulation. They also create motivating opportunities to develop the physical skills involved in switch access. Reaching, pressing, releasing and activating a switch more consistently can all be practised as part of an activity the child wants to continue. Children can also work through simple problems and begin to anticipate what will happen next.
The Switch Adapted Bubble Machine Freddy the Fish was one of the most popular activities of the day. It showed how a simple switch action can open up communication and social play. One learner used her communication board to choose whose turn it was, then carefully aimed the bubbles towards different adults around the room. Before long, everyone was laughing as the bubbles floated around them.
As her familiarity with the switch and communication board grew, so did her confidence. She began deciding who should receive the bubbles next and inviting others into the fun.
The activity also gave words and phrases such as ‘ready, steady, go’, ‘stop’, ‘again’, ‘blow’ and ‘pop’ an immediate purpose. Language, switch use and turn taking all developed naturally because they were connected to an activity the children wanted to share.
Samantha explained that switch adapted toys are valuable for children who are developing dexterity and learning to access a switch more reliably. Practising the same movement can feel demanding when there is no meaningful outcome. With a motivating toy, the child can immediately see, hear or feel what their action has achieved, giving them a reason to try again.
The school also used our Switch Adapted Toy - Micro Scalextric Law Enforcer during a celebration event. It gave children a lively reason to practise switch activation while taking part in friendly competition with other people.
Activities like these help children build confidence, persistence and physical control while sharing the same fun and excitement as their peers. The skills developed through play can then transfer to other switch-accessible learning and communication activities.
Switch Adapted DJ Bouncin’ Beats was another favourite. Michelle encouraged one learner to choose animals for a recording. Sometimes Michelle suggested an animal; at other times, the learner vocalised the sound she wanted to hear. Together, they took turns making the sounds before the learner activated the switch to begin the recording.
As the toy transformed their voices into a lively song, the learner watched with delight, laughed and eagerly waited to hear the result. She was choosing, vocalising, taking turns and controlling when the recording would begin. Michelle followed her lead, so each new sound came from the learner’s own ideas.
The learner also uses a high-tech communication device during the school day. In this playful activity, vocalisation, switch access and anticipation worked alongside that device as different ways to participate and communicate.
Download our free communication boards for bubbles, vibrating toys and DJ Bouncin’ Beats.
They are designed to support choice making, turn taking and child-led communication during play.
At Holly Grove, switch adapted toys do much more than make conventional toys easier to operate. They give children repeated, meaningful opportunities to understand cause and effect, practise switch activation and discover that their choices can influence people and events.
In school, this practice can be linked with curriculum learning, communication support and play with friends. The same approach can work just as well at home or during therapy sessions. Start with something the child genuinely enjoys, give them plenty of time to respond and follow their lead. Repeating a familiar activity can help confidence and consistency grow.
The real benefit is not only that a child can activate a toy. It is that the child can start something, stop it, ask for it again, choose what happens and share the experience with someone else.
Across the activities we saw, the children were not watching play happen around them. They were making choices, starting interactions and sharing fun experiences with friends and staff. For Holly Grove School, that is what inclusive play looks like: every child having the opportunity to explore, communicate, develop new skills, feel that they belong and take the lead.
For more practical ideas on how to use switch adapted toys to develop switch skills, read our guide - How to Support Switch Access Through Play.
If you're interested in finding switch adapted toys and devices to help motivate the person you support, explore our range below.
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