Speech & Language Activities

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

Articulation cards may be provided by your child’s speech/language pathologist. You could also cut out pictures from magazines, download pictures online or find objects around your home. We also recommend you use written words from the "Suggested Words for Articulation Practice" tab of this website.

Articulation Activities:

1. Go Fish: This game is a classic that can be altered to address articulation targets. If you have articulation cards use them, but make sure you have 2 copies. Glue them onto a darker paper, mix them up and have fun getting tons of practice. You can also make your own by either drawing or gluing pictures or writing words on cards and then taking turns asking each other for specific cards held.

2. Matching Game/Concentration: Use your articulation cards (2 copies), mix them up and turn them upside down to make a grid. Turn over 2 cards at a time and if you have a match, you get to keep it and go again. If not, turn them back over, put them back where you found them and it is the next person's turn. Don’t forget where they are though because it may come in handy later. Make sure your child is practicing his or her sounds on each turn.

3. Bean Bag Toss: Lay out your articulation cards on the floor in a 3 by 3 grid. Step back and toss the bean bag onto a card. Say the word 10 times and then it is the next person's turn. Try to get 3 in a row, just like Tic Tac Toe on the floor.

4. Tic Tac Toe: Make up several Tic Tac Toe boards with pictures or words in each spot. When a spot is chosen, have your child practice his/her target 10 times. Play until someone wins.

5. What’s Missing: Place 5 cards on a table and instruct your child to name all of the pictures while practicing their speech sound and trying to memorize the words. Have your child close his/her eyes while you take one card away. When your child opens their eyes, they have to guess which card is missing and name it using good articulation.

6. Board Game: Choose any board game you have around the house. Have your child roll the die and the number that is rolled is the number of spaces they move and the number of words they have to say with good articulation before moving in the game.

7. Sound Hunt: Search for objects around your house that begin with your child’s sound. They may enjoy taking photos of each object with your phone. Have your child say each word out loud with good articulation.

8. Paper Basketball: Write 20 words with your sound/s on separate half-size pieces of paper. Crumple each piece of paper into a ball. Choose a crumpled paper ball. Open it, say it out loud, and count the number of syllables in that word. Then crumple it back up. Toss it into a trash can from afar. If the word was a three syllable word and you make a basket, you get three points. Two syllable words are worth two points and one syllable words that make it in the basket are worth 1 point. Have a blast and don't forget to keep score!

9. Fitness Articulation: Practice saying 25 of your speech words while doing 25 jumping jacks (one word per jumping jack). Then do 25 sit-ups. While in the up position, say one of your speech words. Then repeat both exercises. You just completed 100 speech trials and strengthened your muscles. Way to go!

Language Activities:

1. Read Together: Read a book or a chapter of a book with your child. Stop every page or two and ask your child questions about the story including who, what, where, when, why and how questions. If they need some help, model the answer for them or add to their answer with more information.

2. Retelling Stories: Read a story together and have your child retell the story in their own words. If they need assistance, ask them to tell you about the characters in the story, the setting, what happened first, second, third in the story, and how the story ended. Try to have them use transition words such as first, next, then and finally.

3. Categorization Games: Ask them to think of as many items in one category as they can. Ex: “Name as many ocean animals/drinks/tools as possible.”

4. Guessing Games: Describe an animal or object and have your child guess what you are describing. Ex: “I’m thinking of an animal that can swim and it walks very slowly. It is small and green and has a hard shell on it’s back. Can you guess what it is?” Take turns describing with your child. If they have trouble describing, prompt them by asking what group it belongs to, what it can do, what it looks like, what it is made out of, the parts it may have, and where you would find the object.

5. Correct Grammar: If your child uses incorrect grammar, such as “I winned the game!” or “her has a red coat,” restate their sentence using correct grammar, “Yes, you won the game!” or “You’re right. She does have a red coat.”

6. Opposite Game: Choose one word and have your child think of the opposite word. Ex: Parent: “heavy” Child: “light.”

7. How To: Have your child practice their expressive language by asking them to explain how to do certain tasks, step by step. Ex: “Tell me how to brush your teeth,” “Tell me how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” Encourage your child to explain these tasks in the correct order by using words like; first, then, next, after that, finally.

8. Board Games: Games such as “Headbanz,” "Outburst Junior", "Apples to Apples Jr,” and "Scattergories" help increase vocabulary, describing skills, understanding of categories, and word retrieval skills.

9. Explaining Recipes and Rules: After following a recipe together or playing a board game, have your child explain the steps to the recipe or rules of the game to facilitate their expressive language and sequencing skills.

10. Playing Simon Says: This will help any child learn following directions (the sillier the better), increase attention understanding concepts like on, over and next to. I requires one person to give directions for a movement. If the follow that direction with the phrase Simon Says, then the person can complete the direction, if they say it without that phrase, then they do not follow. If you make a mistake, you are "out" for that round. The bigger the group the better (but stay 6 ft. apart).