Motivating Games for Speech Therapy Tested by Kids!
As fun as I try to make speech therapy, as an SLP, I’m aware I sometimes need to inspire motivation! Sometimes, we need to switch things up, or try new games and activities! I recently asked my facebook community what their kiddos top motivating games are to play in speech therapy while working on targets. I had many of them, but some I don’t use much and others I haven’t heard of! I hope you enjoy the suggestions as much as I did. P.S. Parents always ask what make good presents for SLP’s. Games and therapy materials are ALWAYS appreciated and are a gift that keeps on giving!
Don’t Break the Ice was the most popular game reported on my facebook page poll!
I currently don’t have this game, but when I did I’ve worked on final /p/ saying “tap” or final /t/ saying “hit” or final /s/ saying “ice.” So many more ideas you can do.
Pop the Pirate
Pop the Pig!
Pop the Panda!
I was wandering around Toys R Us one day and found this game. So many good possibilities! VC words: eat, in. CVC words: push, down. CVCV words: Panda, bamboo
Honeybee Tree
My kids request this one a lot. I’ve worked on everything from targeting the word “in” and “out” when we put the leaves in and take them out, or just working on /l/ and saying “leaf” everytime we put a stick in. As a bonus to work on prosody, we sing “Baby Bumblebee” too.
Crocodile dentist
A game kids will either love or hate. You push down the teeth one at a time until the crocodile chomps you. Work on targets: teeth, down, push OR just have the child say a target word before he pushes down a tooth. We can work on prosody too with this game using our “scared voice” as we push the teeth down and then are LOUD voice when we get chomped.
Jenga:
A classic. You can have the child say a target word before pulling out each piece.
Monkeying Around!
I had a girl who would literally say and do anything as long as she could play this game.
Don’t Spill the Beans.
I had one kid working on final /n/ and we first worked on “on” everytime we but a bean on, and then moved to “bean on” maintaining articulatory accuracy for both final /n/, until we worked ourselves right up to “put the bean on.”
Guess Who
This game is great for working on syntax within question forms among other things!
Zingo has a bunch of words our kids are working on and is a favorite in therapy and at home! How do you use Zingo?
Catch the Fox!
Thrift store wish list!
There are some games that are GOLD but aren’t sold anymore. If you see one, pick it up!
Cariboo!! So versatile and so popular among SLP’s, there are even programs that make customized layouts to set over the board to practice target words and sounds.
Puppy Racers. Rec from a reader but doesn’t look like it’s made anymore.
Have any more suggestions? Add it in the comments below.