Creating PECS Visuals in Canva Template: A Complete DIY Guide for Parents and Educators
If you are a parent or a teacher or a therapist who is helping a child with autism or a child who has trouble talking you have probably heard of the Picture Exchange Communication System, which is also known as PECS. The Picture Exchange Communication System is a tool. You might have seen the cards that people use for the Picture Exchange Communication System and thought that there must be a cheaper way to do it. There is a way to make these cards for the Picture Exchange Communication System. You can use something that you probably already have on your computer, which is called Canva.
Making pictures for PECS in Canva is a way to save money. It is also very helpful. You can change every picture to fit your childs needs and the things they like to do every day. You do not have to look through a lot of pictures to find the one thing your child likes such as their kind of crackers or the color of their favorite cup. Let us look at this guide that will teach you how to make PECS pictures. This guide will show you how to make PECS pictures one step at a time. It will make you very good, at making PECS pictures for your child. You will be a PECS picture making expert.
Why Canva is a Game-Changer for PECS Visuals
Before we get started with how to do it lets talk about why Canva's great for making Augmentative and Alternative Communication materials or AAC materials for short and also known as AAC. Canva is not like design programs that are hard to use. Canva is easy to use. You can access it from a web browser. Canva has a lot of features that make it simple to design picture communication boards which's a type of AAC material. Canva is perfect, for creating AAC materials because it is easy to use and has a lot of features.
The important thing is that you can make visuals that look professional and are consistent. This is really important for kids because they like it when things are the same every time. A lot of ABA therapists say that when things look the same it helps kids learn faster and they get confused less. Canva has a template system so you can make one design that you like and then use it over and again. This means you can make a lot of visuals that look the same. That is really good for kids. Canva and its template system are very helpful, for this.
You do not have to start from the beginning. The platform gives you access to millions of images and fonts and design elements. Lots of parents who have children with autism have already figured this out. I have seen many people talking about this on Facebook and Reddit. They say things like "I made my own using a template, from Canva and then I took them to FedEx to get them laminated".
Here is what you need to get before you begin. You will need a things before you start.
* A computer
* A phone
* A piece of paper. A pen to write down the website and the email and the phone number of the company like the Apple company or the Google company or the email address for example example@example.com or the phone number for example 123-456-7890.
The things you need to get before you start are very important for the website and the email and the phone number of the company, like the Apple company or the Google company.
Gather these essentials:
A free or Pro Canva account (Pro is worth it for background remover and premium elements)
High-quality photos of your child's preferred items, activities, and people
A standard printer or access to a print shop
Cardstock paper (110 lb or heavier)
You will need a laminator and some laminating sheets to do the job. Alternatively you can use a print shops services for this task. They have a laminator and laminating sheets so you do not have to buy these things.
Velcro dots or strips
A 3-ring binder or communication book
Scissors or a paper cutter
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating PECS Visuals in Canva
Step 1: Decide On The Size Of Your Canvas
To get started, Canva and click on the button that says "Create a design." When you do this you will see a lot of options. Do not choose a template. Instead select the option that says "Custom size."
For the PECS cards you want them to be small. They should be 2 inches by 2 inches. This is the same as 600 x 600 pixels, at 300 DPI. The PECS cards are this size because they fit well in communication books. They are also easy for small hands to handle. The PECS cards are a size for kids to use.
For the sentence strips that we use in Phase 4 and beyond we need to make a design that is 8 inches, by 2 inches, which is 2400 x 600 pixels. This gives us space to put the "I want" starter card and a lot of picture cards on the sentence strips.
Now it is time for step 2.
This is where you choose or create your base template for the project. You have to pick a base template that you like.. You can make your own base template if you do not like the ones that are already available. The base template is important because it will be the foundation of your project. So choose a good base template.
* You can look at the base templates that are available
* You can also make your base template from scratch
The base template you choose will be the starting point, for your project. You will use the base template to build your project. So it is an idea to choose a base template that you really like.
Here's where Canva's power shines. In your blank 2x2 canvas:
Click "Templates" in the left sidebar and search for "square label" or "square sticker"
Choose a simple, clean design with a bold border
Or create your own: Add a square shape, set it to white fill, and add a 3-point colored border
Here is a good idea: use the border color for all the cards. A lot of therapists think that blue or green is a choice because these colors can be calming. Using the border color for all the autism support materials creates a look that is easy on the eyes and that is very important, for autism support materials.
Step 3: Add the Image
Click on "Uploads". Add photos of the things that belong to your child. This is what makes doing it yourself with PECS good. Your child will like it more when they see pictures of things they know like their toys rather than just symbols. Research shows that kids, like it better when they see things they know not just any picture.
If you have to use stock images:
* Make sure the stock images are really good
The stock images should look like they were taken by a person
You should use the stock images in a way that makes sense for your story
Do not use the stock images if they look fake or stupid
Use the stock images to help tell your story with the stock images
The stock images can be useful if you use the stock images correctly
You can use the stock images to make your story more interesting, with the stock images.
Look for the pictures you want in Canvas photo library. You can find what you need in there. Canvas photo library has a lot of pictures.
Use specific terms like "goldfish crackers" not just "crackers"
For actions, search "drinking water" or "swinging on swing"
For the image placement:
Leave a 1/8 inch border all around
The image needs to be big so that we can recognize it easily. We should make the image large enough so that the image is very clear. We can see what the image is. This way the image will be easily recognizable.
If using the Pro version, use the background remover for cleaner visuals
Step 4: Add Easy To Understand Words That Make Sense
Click "Text" and add a single word in ALL CAPS. Use a clean, sans-serif font like Arial Black or Open Sans Bold at 24-28 pt size.
Put the text at the bottom of the card. Leave a little space around it. Make sure the text looks the same on every card. Use the font the same size and put it in the same spot. This helps kids pay attention to what the card's saying, not how it looks. The text, on the card should be consistent so kids can focus on the content of the card not the way the text is formatted on the card.
Now we are at step 5. This is where we create variations for the PECS phases. We need to make variations for each of the PECS phases. The PECS phases are important. We must create variations for all of them.
To do this we will create variations for the PECS phases one by one. We will start with the PECS phase and then move on to the next PECS phase. We will make sure that we create variations for every PECS phase. The PECS phases are all important. We need to create variations, for each of the PECS phases.
You can make changes to fit the six phases of the Picture Exchange Communication System. The six phases of the Picture Exchange Communication System are important to understand. The Picture Exchange Communication System has these six phases that you need to know about.
* The Picture Exchange Communication System is used for the six phases.
1. The first phase of the Picture Exchange Communication System is where you start.
The Picture Exchange Communication System is what you are working with for these six phases.
Phase 1-2 (Single Card Exchange):
Create individual cards as described above
Make duplicates by clicking "Duplicate page" in the bottom toolbar
This is perfect, for teaching people how to communicate and also about distance and persistence.
Phase 3 (Picture Discrimination):
Create sets of similar items (e.g., three different types of crackers)
Use the grid feature in Canva to lay out multiple cards on one page for printing
This is useful for training people to tell things. It is good, for discrimination training. The discrimination training is important.
Phase 4 (Sentence Structure):
Design your sentence strip template
I think we should add the I WANT card as a separate design. This will make the I WANT starter card stand out. We are going to use the I WANT card in a new way. The I WANT starter card will be special because it is a design.
* We will make the I WANT starter card look nice
* The I WANT starter card will have its unique style
We need to focus on the I WANT starter card and make it the best it can be. The I WANT starter card is very important, to us.
You need to make sure the sizes are exactly right for your picture cards. The sizes of the cards and the pictures have to match. This is important, for your picture cards.
Phase 5-6 (Responsive Requesting & Commenting):
We need to make some cards that people can use to start conversations. These cards should say things like "I See" "I Hear" and "I Have". The idea is to have people pick a card and then talk about what's written on it. For example if someone picks the "I See" card they can tell us about something they see. If they pick the "I Hear" card they can tell us about something they hear.. If they pick the "I Have" card they can tell us about something they have.
* "I See" cards can be about things that're right in front of us
* "I Hear" cards can be about sounds or music
* "I Have" cards can be about things that we own or things that we are good, at doing.
Make "YES" and "NO" cards with distinct colors (green/red works well)
Add attribute cards like colors, sizes, and numbers
Step 6: Organize with Canva's Folders
As your library gets bigger it is really important to keep everything organized. This is similar to what you do, with PECS books. In Canva:
Create a folder called "PECS System"
Subfolders: "Food," "Toys," "Actions," "People," "Places," "Sentence Starters"
Save each design with clear names: "CRACKER_GOLDFISH" not "card1"
This digital organization is really, like the way you organize the cards. It makes the physical cards and the digital organization work together. This way it is easy to find the organization and the physical cards and edit them later when you need to. The digital organization and the physical cards will be simple to find and edit because they are organized in a way.
Step 7: Download and Print
For the best quality:
Click "Share" → "Download"
Choose PDF Print (not PDF Standard or PNG)
If you want the color select "CMYK color" when your printer can do it. This is a choice because the printer supports "CMYK color". So you should select "CMYK color" for the result.
If you are going to use a printer make sure you check the option that says "Crop marks and bleed". This is something you should do when you are using a printer. The "Crop marks and bleed" option is important, for printers.
Download at highest quality (300 DPI)
Printing strategy: Place multiple cards on one sheet. In Canva, create a new 8.5x11 design and use the grid feature to align 12 cards (3x4) for efficient printing.
Printing, Assembly, and Making Them Last
Now, for the part that a lot of online tutorials do not really talk about:
Printing:
You should use cardstock that's at least 110 pounds because anything that is lighter will not be strong enough. The 110 lb cardstock is the minimum that you need to use. It will not hold up very well.
Test print one sheet first to check colors and sizing
For home printers, use the "heavy paper" or "cardstock" setting
Laminating:
Five million laminating pouches are really great because they are thick enough to be strong but thin enough to cut easily. The laminating pouches are perfect for people who want something that can hold up well. Is still easy to work with. I think the laminating pouches are a choice because they have a good balance of being strong and being easy to cut. The laminating pouches are very useful, for a lot of things.
Leave a small border (1/8 inch) of laminate around each card to prevent peeling
Do not skip this step. Laminated cards can survive spills and chewing and constant handling. This is really important, for cards. Laminated cards will be okay even when they get spills on them or when people chew on them or when they are handled all the time.
Cutting:
A paper cutter is really useful because it helps you get edges on your paper. This is a help and it saves you a lot of time when you are working on a project. You can use a paper cutter to cut lots of things like paper and cards and photos and it always gives you a nice straight edge. This means you do not have to spend a lot of time trying to cut things which can be really tricky to do. A paper cutter is a thing but it is really good, at saving you time and making your work look neat and tidy.
Round the corners with a corner punch to prevent sharp edges
It is really important to be precise when you are making cards. If the cards are shapes they can be very hard to handle. The irregular shapes of the cards make them difficult for people to pick up and use. This is why it is so important to make sure the cards are precise and have shapes, like squares or rectangles so the cards are easy to handle.
Assembly:
Put rough Velcro on the back center of each card
Put soft Velcro strips on your communication board/book
Store unused cards in baseball card sleeves in a 3-ring binder
Pro Tips from the Trenches
These tips come from years of parents trying different things and seeing what works and also from things that therapists have suggested.
Make it personal this is what I think. When we do things for people it is nice to make it personal. Making things personal is a way to show people that we care about them. For example when you give someone a gift you can make it personal by adding a message or their name. This makes the gift extra special. Shows that you put thought into it. Making it personal is about the little things that we do to make people happy. We can make lots of things, like a birthday card or a present. Making it personal is what makes things really special.
Take pictures when your child is doing things like brushing their teeth. You can also take pictures of the toys they play with in the bath.. Do not forget to take pictures of their favorite character from television the one they like to watch all the time their favorite TV character.
Include family members' photos for "MOM," "DAD," "GRANDMA"
Take a picture of your home, your car and your school. This will make it easier for you to move from one place to another. You can photograph your home so it is familiar, to you. Also take a picture of your car and your school because these are the places you go to every day. Photographing your home, car and school will really help you with transitions.
Color Coding by Category:
Food items: Yellow borders
Toys/activities: Blue borders
Actions: Green borders
People: Purple borders
Places: Red borders
This system helps kids find cards really fast. It also helps them learn how to put things into categories. Canva makes it easy to do this. You can just change the color of the border on your template. Then make a copy of it. This way you can use the visual organization system to help children find cards faster. It builds categorization skills, for the children.
Start Small:
Do not try to create 200 cards at one time. Start with 10 to 15 cards that are really motivating for your child like your childs snacks, toys and activities. As your childs communication skills get better you can add cards to the library. A lot of parents have said that their child learned the system faster when they had cards to choose from but the cards were more meaningful to the child, like favorite snacks and toys and activities.
Test for Size:
Before you print a lot of cards try printing one card and see how it works for your child. Have your child try to pick up the card hand it over to you. Then place the card on a board. Some kids have trouble with cards so you might need to make the cards bigger like 2.5x2.5 inch cards. The good thing, about using Canva is that you can change the size of the cards easily and see what works best for your child.
Create a "Master Template":
When you have the design you should save it as a template in Canva. This way for each card you can just duplicate the template and then swap the image and the text. This helps to keep everything looking the same which is really important in ABA therapy. The idea is to have consistency with the ABA therapy cards and using a template, in Canva is a way to do this with the ABA therapy.
Backup Everything:
You should download all of your PECS library every month. This way if something happens to Canva or you have problems, with your account you will not lose all the work you did over the few months. It is an idea to store everything on Google Drive or Dropbox and make sure you have nice and clear folders so you can find what you need.
Let us look at some cool things you can do with Canva. We are going to explore some features that are great for Augmentative and Alternative Communication or AAC for short. AAC is a way to help people communicate when they have trouble speaking.
The Beyond Basic Cards title is about using Canva to make communication easier for people who use AAC. Canva has a lot of features that can be very helpful for AAC.
Here are some things you can do with Canva to make AAC better:
* Make your own pictures and symbols to use for communication
* Create cards that say exactly what you want them to say
* Use lots of colors and fonts to make your messages stand out
* Even add audio and video to your messages to make them more interesting
Canva is a tool for AAC because it is so easy to use. You can make all sorts of things with Canva from cards to really complex communication systems.. The best part is, you can use Canva to make AAC materials that are just right for you or, for someone you care about.
When you feel comfortable you should explore these features:
Animated Social Stories:
Canva has these animation tools that help you make GIFs that show how things are exchanged. You can export these as MP4 files. Then play them on a tablet to see how it works with the exchange process. This way you can model the behavior using Canvas animation tools and the exchange process.
Digital PECS Board:
I want to make a board on a tablet that helps people talk. I will use a template from Canva called "Presentation" to make this board. I will add some things that you can touch and play with. Then I will save it as a PDF file. After that I will open it in an app where my child can touch the screen and talk to me in a digital way. My child can tap on the board. We can have a conversation, on the tablet. The tablet will help my child and me exchange messages digitally.
Visual Schedules:
Create longer horizontal designs (10x3 inches) for daily schedule strips. Use Canva's timeline templates and customize with your child's actual activities.
The Cost Breakdown is what we need to look at to see why doing it yourself makes sense. When we talk about The Cost Breakdown we have to consider the money we will save with a do it yourself project. The Cost Breakdown shows that doing things ourselves can be cheaper. So The Cost Breakdown is very important to understand why doing it yourself is an idea.
A professional PECS set can cost a lot of money, around $300 to $500. The version of PECS that you make using Canva is different.
Canva Pro: $120/year (or free version works fine)
Cardstock paper: $15
Laminator: $30 (one-time)
Laminating pouches: $20
Velcro dots: $10
Total first year: Under $200 with unlimited cards
When your child learns a word or finds a new favorite food you can make a card really quickly it only takes about 5 minutes. You do not have to wait for weeks for it to arrive in the mail. This is a way to keep up with your child and the new things they are learning like new words and favorite foods.
Making It Work is really important. We need to think about how to make things happen. Here are some tips to help with implementation.
* First we have to plan
* Then we have to take action and make Making It Work a part of our routine.
Making It Work requires effort and time. We have to be patient and not give up when things get tough.
The key, to success is to keep working on Making It Work.
Creating the cards is only half the battle. Here's how to ensure success:
Train the Team: Share your Canva designs with the teachers, the therapists and the family members so everyone uses the Canva designs that is the identical cards. This way the teachers and the therapists and the family members are all on the page, with the Canva designs.
Make sure the communication book is easy to get to. It should be with your child all the time like when you're in the car or when your child is at school or even when they are, at grandmas house. This way your child and the people who take care of them can always use the communication book.
Model You should use the cards yourself when you are talking to people. You can point to the cards give them to others and show them how to do things with the cards.
You should check your cards every month. Look at the cards that you are not using and think about what ones you need to get. Kids change their minds quickly so you have to stay on top of what they like. You have to update your cards because the childrens preferences change fast.
Conclusion: Your Child's Voice, Your Labor of Love
Making pictures for PECS in Canva is not about saving some money. It is about giving your child a way to say what they want that is all their own. I remember when my son gave me a card that said "HUG" on it. The card had a picture of him. Me hugging. That moment made all the time I spent making these pictures worth it. Creating PECS visuals, in Canva templates gives your child a way to communicate. When my son handed me that "HUG" card I saw how important it was for him to have this way to talk to me.
The beauty of this system is that it is very flexible. You are not stuck with someone Symbols or limited by sets that are already made. You can show your childs life what they are really interested, in and what they really need.. As they go through the six phases of PECS. From using one card to talk to using many cards to say complex things. You will be right there ready to make the next set of tools that the PECS system needs for your child.
Tonight is the night to get started. Open up Canva. Upload a picture of the snack that your child loves the most. Then make your card. You can print it out tomorrow. It is really interesting to see what happens when you give your child a way to express what they have been wanting to tell you for long. Your child might say something that surprises you when they have the chance to talk about what's, on their mind.
Remember: The goal isn't perfection—it's communication. A slightly crooked border or a photo that's a bit too dark doesn't matter if your child can use it to ask for juice, tell you they're tired, or say they love you. That's the real power of DIY PECS, and that's why Canva is the perfect partner on this journey." blog post style