Backyardigans AAC Template for TouchChat

Pablo, Uniqua, Tyrone, Tasha and Austin, and the singing and dancing that make The Backyardigans, on two TouchChat boards.

At a glance

• App: TouchChat
• Grid: WordPower 60
• Pages: 2 linked pages
• Cost: Free — no account required

What’s on the boards

What the pages are

Backyardigans. Pablo, Uniqua, Tyrone, Tasha, Austin, we’re the Backyardigans!, let’s sing a song!, let’s dance along!, the whole wide world!, let’s play pretend!, time for a snack!, meet you next time!, Into the thick of it!, Shake your body!, sing, dance, jump, clap, play, spin, wiggle, happy, excited, fast, slow, loud, backyard, snack, plus I, you, it, is, the and and.

Songs and Dancing. Pablo, Uniqua, Tyrone, Tasha, Austin, Into the thick of it!, Shake your body!, A pirate says arr!, Yeti stomp!, Hokey pokey, Row your boat, music, drum, guitar, trumpet, tuba, microphone, spin, wiggle, march, stomp, sing it again, my turn, your turn, stop, go, loud, quiet, fast, slow, plus I, you, it, is, the and and.

What’s included

• Pablo, Uniqua, Tyrone, Tasha and Austin, with the show’s own pictures
• Lines from the theme, the snack-time end song and favorite songs
• Spin, wiggle, march, stomp, clap, and the instruments
• I, you, it, is, the and and in the same spots as your child’s home page
• 2 boards on the standard WordPower 60 grid, so every core word stays where your child already knows it

Why themed boards work

The family who asked for this said it’s mostly about the singing and dancing, so the lines are the show’s own songs: we’re the Backyardigans!, let’s sing a song!, let’s dance along!, time for a snack!, Into the thick of it!, Shake your body!.

The second board is for singing and dancing together: favorite songs, the instruments, spin, wiggle, march and stomp, sing it again, my turn, your turn, loud and quiet, fast and slow.

Motivation drives AAC use. A child handed a board full of clinical vocabulary has little reason to reach for it; a child who can talk about what they already care about has every reason. Themed boards are not a replacement for a robust core-word system — they sit alongside it. More on core words and themed boards.

How to install

1. Download the file above and unzip it.
2. Open our installation guide — note that TouchChat’s built-in vocabularies are locked, so you make an editable copy first.
3. Import the pages into your TouchChat vocabulary.
4. Place a page-link button somewhere reachable during a conversation.
5. Customize — add the words your communicator actually uses.

Before you import

• TouchChat exports do not carry over “Alternate Pronunciation” settings. If a word is spoken oddly, adjust the spelling on the device after importing.
• The Backyardigans belong to their creators, and the character pictures are the show’s own. This is a free communication aid, not merchandise.
• If a symbol reads wrong to your child, or a word they need is missing, ask and it will be fixed.
• Need something changed, or a different grid size? Ask us.

Know when we add new templates

We build these from family requests and give them all away. Drop your email and we’ll tell you when new ones land — nothing else, ever.