HexTiles: Space out buttons on your board

Each 8-inch HexTile can hold up to 6 buttons, but kits come with fewer buttons than button spaces. Our ratio of tiles to buttons is designed to maximize your chances of success in teaching buttons while minimizing the cost involved. Because there is no “final” vocabulary, it is almost never the case that every space on a board is filled with buttons. This guidance applies to Speak Up! Buttons and Connect Buttons alike.

Start with one button per HexTile

Spacing out buttons across several HexTiles makes them easier to tell apart, which should help your learner learn and remember them. We strongly discourage filling HexTiles with buttons too quickly, because this can overwhelm and confuse learners. Instead, start with one button per HexTile, then gradually add more buttons per HexTile as your learner’s vocabulary grows.

Why spacing helps

More space between buttons means more precise presses. At first, many learners are a bit “sloppy” in their presses, which can lead to problems if the HexTiles are full. Over time, many learners become more skilled and can handle more buttons per tile, but many teachers keep the extra space, especially if their learners have bigger paws.

Larger learners

For larger learners and paws, spread out the buttons at first, and do not fill every button space on a HexTile, to prevent “mumbling”. As your learner gets more comfortable and precise with their presses, you can try a denser arrangement.

Where to put the Connect Base

The Connect Base does not need to sit next to the Connect Buttons, but it must be within earshot of the learner who presses them, so your learner hears the word.