I was first introduced to file folder games when working at a residential school for kids with special needs in La Crosse, WI. File folders were EVERYWHERE! I was instantly hooked. We had books we copied out of, pulled pictures out of magazines, scoured the Internet for free or cheap printables, and used Boardmaker to design and plan our own. I found coloring, cutting, and assembling these activities therapeutic. This was before I discovered Teachers Pay Teachers so I can only imagine how deep my obsession would have been if I known about the site then.
As you can imagine with an obsession so deep, I have accumulated quite the collection of file folder games and it grows every year. There are two steps to managing your file folders. First is managing the hard copies and assembling. Teachers Pay Teachers makes this almost fool proof because you can store you files and just print if your missing a piece or need to remake. I am a sucker for nostalgia and have been collecting the original books that exposed me to file folder games all those years ago. They are created and illustrated by Karen Finch and are titled "File Folder Games." They are organized by skills and grades as well as a couple of seasonal books.
These books are great but do take significantly more work. You need to copy, color, and assemble the games yourself. The pieces are also not always the easiest to cut but when they are finished, they are amazing! I used to make color copies of my finished sheets and store them in a binder, but that quickly got out of control as my collection of sheets and books grew beyond one large binder. I recently had an idea that I would use the scan to computer function on my schools copier to store the pages digitally. It has been a game changer. Here are the steps I use:
File folder games are a labor of love because most are not just print and go. You need to take the time to assemble, cut all the cute little pieces out, and then make sure everything is put together before your students can use them. This system makes it easy for me to quickly replace or adjust as needed. Next time, I will post about how I use my file folders and how I manage my collection without it getting to be a huge mess.
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About MeHi! My name is Kelsey & I am a Special Education Teacher in WI. I love what I do & love sharing new ideas & awesome materials. When I'm not teaching, I'm enjoying being a Mommy, cooking, & being outdoors. Archives
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