Free Printable Choice Board Maker for Autistic Children and Classrooms
A visual choice board lets a child or student pick by pointing instead of speaking. Build one below, print it, and cut the cards out to Velcro on. Or start from one of the free choice board templates.
- Write the board title, the question it asks.
- Choose how many options the child sees, from two up to twelve.
- Add a picture and a short label to each option.
- Pick the card size, the paper, and portrait or landscape.
- Download the board, the blank Velcro version, and the cut-out cards.
How a choice board is used
A choice board works the same way at home and in a special education classroom. In ABA it is a standard antecedent strategy, because offering a controlled choice hands some control back before a demand escalates, and it doubles as a way to run a preference assessment without placing a verbal demand on the child.
Keep the board somewhere the child can reach without asking an adult first. A board that lives in a drawer teaches a child that asking depends on being noticed. The cards print at the same true-inch sizes as the PECS cards from Spectrum Unlocked, so a card cut from one sheet lands correctly on the other board.
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Choice board questions
- What is a choice board?
- A choice board is a small board showing two or more options as pictures, so a child can point to what they want instead of having to say it. It is used for free-time activities, snacks, calm-down strategies, and any moment where an open question would be too much language at once.
- How many choices should a choice board have?
- Between two and six for most children. Six suits a child who can scan a whole array and pick. Drop to four or two when scanning is itself the hard part, which is common when a child is already dysregulated. Start smaller than you think and add options once the routine is familiar.
- How is a choice board used in ABA?
- Choice boards appear routinely in ABA and other behaviour-support plans as an antecedent intervention, because offering a controlled choice returns some control to the child before a demand escalates. They are also used to run preference assessments without placing a verbal demand on the learner.
- What is the difference between a choice board and a visual schedule?
- A visual schedule shows what happens in order, so it answers what comes next. A choice board shows options side by side with no order at all, so it answers which one do you want. Many classrooms use both, and the cards from Spectrum Unlocked print at the same sizes so they can share a set.
- Can a choice board be used with AAC or PECS?
- Yes. A choice board is often the step where a child first makes a request by selecting a picture, and the cards print at the same true-inch sizes as the PECS cards from Spectrum Unlocked, so a card cut from one sheet lands correctly on the other board.
- Is this choice board maker free to print?
- Yes. The board, the blank Velcro version, and the cut-out cards all download free in US Letter and A4, with no email required.