"Crackers or apple?" is a hard question for a child who can't yet answer it in words. A choice board puts the two answers in front of them as photos, and the child answers by pointing, touching or handing you a card. Parents use them at home and teachers use them in classrooms, and a board for home needs a printer, a few photos, a laminator or clear tape, and some hook-and-loop dots.
This page is about the picture board for young children. In schools, "choice board" also names a grid of learning activities that students pick from, like a tic-tac-toe of assignments. That is a different thing with the same name.
What's in the free file?
- Page 1: how to make and use it. Photos, printing and dots, then how to offer "I choose" and where to keep "I want".
- Page 2: two boards with two choices each. An orange "I want" board ("point to one or hand it over") and a green "I choose" board ("pick one") with the word "or" between its two spaces. Cut around each board on the light dashed line.
- Page 3: 12 photo cards. Each card has a 2 inch photo window and a line for the word under it. The sheet is headed "Snacks and drinks", a good first set, but any card can hold any photo.
- Two sizes: US Letter and A4, as two files. The cards and spaces are the same size on both.
Every space on the boards is sized for a laminated card with room to spare, so the cards come off and go back on easily.
What is the difference between "I want" and "I choose"?
| Board | When to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I want | For things your child asks for. Keep it where those things are | A snack board on the fridge with their crackers and their cup |
| I choose | For picking between two options you offer | "Bath duck or boat?" with both cards on the board |
The "I want" board answers a child who comes to you wanting something. The "I choose" board is you asking. Both work the same way: two real photos, one pick.
What goes on the cards?
Photos of the real things, from your child's eye level. Not a picture of any apple: their apple, on their plate.
| Kind of card | What to photograph |
|---|---|
| Snacks and drinks | Their crackers in the box, an apple, yogurt, their cup of water or milk |
| Toys and play | Blocks, a ball, cars, play dough, crayons, bubbles |
| Places | The park, the swings, the yard, the library door |
| People | Who reads the story, who gives the bath: face and shoulders |
| Clothes and quiet time | Two shirts laid flat, pajamas, a book, music, the bath toys |
Vanderbilt's choice board tip sheet adds an idea for things that are hard to photograph: a photo of you holding your child for "hold me", or of you tickling them for their favorite game. Write the word your child hears at home on each card's line. If they say "nana", the card says "nana".
How to make the choice board
- Take the photos. Start with two things your child likes and that you can give right away.
- Print the photos 2 inches square. Six fit on one 4 x 6 print.
- Print pages 2 and 3 at 100% scale, with background graphics on. The 1-inch line at the bottom of each page should measure exactly 1 inch.
- Glue a photo into each card and write its name on the line.
- Laminate the boards and the cards, then cut them out, leaving a thin clear edge of about 1/8 inch around each one.
- Add hook-and-loop dots: the hook side in the middle of each space on the boards, the loop side on the back of each card. Use the same way round every time, so every card fits every board.
- Keep the spare cards in an envelope taped to the back of the board.
How do you offer a choice?
These steps follow Vanderbilt's choice board tip sheet and the how-to page in our full Photo Choice Board.
- Decide what is really on offer. Only put up things you can give right now. If the park isn't happening today, its card stays off the board.
- Put two cards on the board. Start with two choices.
- Hold the board at your child's eye level and ask: "Do you want crackers or apple?" Point to each photo as you say its name.
- Wait. Your child may answer with a word, a reach, a point, a look or by pulling a card off. Give them time to look at both.
- Say the word and hand it over right away: "Apple. Here you go."
- If they pick the one you didn't expect, give it anyway. The tip sheet's reasoning: your child finds out that a choice on the board is a real choice. Then offer the two again.
Where should a choice board live?
Near the things on it. The Vanderbilt tip sheet suggests a snack board in the kitchen and a toy or activity board in the area where your child plays. An "I want" board on the fridge, at your child's height, means they can bring it to you. The "I choose" board can travel: bath time, getting dressed, the car.
When can you add more choices?
When two feels easy. Vanderbilt's visual supports tip sheet says to start with two choices at a time and add more as your child is ready. Our full Photo Choice Board has boards with 3, 4 and 6 choices for the wall and the table, pocket boards for the bag, 48 large and 48 mini photo cards, write-on cards for things you haven't photographed yet, and "I want" and "I choose" sentence strips.
A choice board shows options; a first then board shows order. The two fit together in one sentence: "First shoes, then park or swings?" Our visual schedules for kids page has the other picture charts in this family.
Frequently asked questions
What is a choice board?
A choice board is a board that shows a few options as pictures, so a child can point to, touch or hand over the one they want. At home it is often two photos on a laminated card, held on with hook-and-loop dots so the photos can change.
How many choices should a choice board have?
Start with two. Vanderbilt's tip sheets suggest beginning with two choices and adding more as your child is ready. Our free board has two spaces on each board; the full set has boards with 3, 4 and 6.
Should a choice board use photos or drawings?
Either works, and so do the real objects. Photos of your child's own things, taken from their eye level, show this cup and this park rather than any cup or any park. Put the word under every photo either way.
What if my child picks something they don't seem to want?
Give it to them anyway, as Vanderbilt's choice board tip sheet suggests, then offer the two choices again. Picking a card and getting that thing is what makes the board mean something.
Is a classroom choice board the same thing?
No. In many classrooms a choice board is a menu of learning activities that students choose from. The picture choice board on this page is for a young child to pick between two or more real things, like snacks, toys or places.
Free printables come with a personal-use license: how you can use a printable.
Sources
We opened and checked every link on October 5, 2026.
- Choice Board Tip Sheet, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center TRIAD, Families First. A choice board shows items or activities your child may choose; begin with two; a snack board in the kitchen and a toy board where your child plays; ask "Do you want this or that?" and point; wait for a word, a reach, a point or a look; give the item they chose, even an unexpected one.
- Visual Supports tip sheet (PDF), Vanderbilt Kennedy Center TRIAD. Choice board: shows what is available; start with two choices and add more as your child is ready; real objects work too; your child can point or hand you the picture.
- Tips and Ideas for Making Visuals to Support Young Children with Challenging Behavior (PDF), Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning, Vanderbilt University. Choice charts: give choices at every opportunity ("Do you want the blue cup or the red cup?"); photograph one item on a plain background from the child's point of view; make pictures sturdy with cardstock and lamination.
An educational support tool. Not a substitute for evaluation or treatment by a licensed speech-language pathologist or physician. Read the full disclaimer.