A back-to-school guide to the Symbols for All resources

Posted by Claire Harrison on the 20th August, 2025

Category Symbols AAC

Do you want to start the new school year with a set of ready-made accessible learning activities? Our Symbols for All website is a treasure trove of ready-to-use symbol supported resources to help children and young people with additional support needs access learning and communication. 

What are the Symbols for All resources?

The resources are designed to help you get started with using symbols across the curriculum to show you what’s possible and  give you ideas for other learning and communication activities. We’ve tried to curate a broad selection of ideas, so that you can see what learning and communication might look like across a range of contexts. The resources feature Boardmaker Picture Communication Symbols (PCS) or Widgit Symbols. So don’t need any specialist symbol software, you can freely download and print everything.

Everything is organised into categories to align with Curriculum for Excellence, with a mix of activities designed for younger and older learners:

Organisation & Communication

• Door Labels: A5 labels to help symbolise environments
• Core Word Communication Pack: Starter sets of communication boards in various formats
• Positive Behaviour Support Fobs: Visual prompts for younger and older learners to encourage positive behaviour

Expressive Arts

• Creative Vocabulary Boards: Art-themed symbol grids
• Colour Bingo Game: A fun game about colours
• Ceilidh Dancing Instructions: Adapted for wheelchair users and their partners
• Music and Song Boards: communication supports for making choices within songs and rhymes

Health & Wellbeing

• Handwashing & Toileting Sequences: Step-by-step visual routines
• Social Stories: Supports like “Get Ready for School"
• Mealtime Vocabulary Boards: Symbol-supported prompts for eating routines
• Smoothie Making Core Board: A fun way to combine communication and healthy eating

Literacy & English

• Storyboards & Word Mats: Including Scots and Gaelic resources
• Shared Reading Boards: Tools to support book interactions and discussions
• Weekend News Templates: supports to talk about weekend activities

Numeracy & Mathematics

• Fractions Spinner Game and 3D Shape Help Sheets: Engaging ways to explore maths concepts
• Counting Songs: Like “Five Little Speckled Frogs” with symbol props

Sciences

• Floating and Sinking Experiments: Visual instructions for hands-on learning
• Scientific Vocabulary Sheets: Symbol-supported reference materials

Social Sciences

• Transport Sentence Building: Using Colourful Semantics
• History & Rivers Flashcards: Topic-themed vocabulary supports

Technologies

• Digital Skills Infograph: Symbol-supported information sheets
• Baking Core Board: Communication boards themed around baking activities

Religious & Moral Education

• Assembly Certificates: Customisable templates to celebrate achievements

Customisation & Personalisation

If you have access to InPrint Software (Widgit) or Boardmaker 7 you can also download the original files so you can adapt the materials to suit your learners.