My 5 Favorite Super Simple Songs to Teach Core Vocabulary

 

I am a big proponent of using visuals during my speech therapy sessions. For my caseload, visuals may be as simple as a sticky note. It can also include a mini-schedule, choice board, core boards, or high tech AAC, such as TD Snap or LAMP. I am currently assigned to a large elementary campus with students from PK-4th Grade, and includes an early childhood special education classroom and a life skills classroom.  Most of my students in the early childhood classroom are minimally verbal or non-speaking.  I provide push-in therapy to my 3s and 4s this year, and serve them in a small group. My sessions are small and short, but we have a lot of fun and engage in meaningful language opportunities.

Growing Capsules Science Experiment in Speech Therapy

I'm always looking for something fun and engaging to wrap up a thematic unit. Sometimes it's an art project, a thematic sensory bin activity, or a game. I also like to include simple science experiments in speech therapy because they are hands-on, engaging, and support curriculum guidelines. Simple science experiments can target articulation, phonology, language, fluency, pragmatic skills, and written language. Simple science experiments are ideal for mixed speech and language groups in the school setting, during speech camps, and summer ESY sessions. In this post, I will share how I used GROWING CAPSULES in speech therapy to target multiple goals and a free worksheet to draw and write about their experiment.

Valentine’s Day Speech Therapy Ideas Using “Love Monster and the Last Chocolate” Plus a FREEBIE

If you love using books in your speech therapy sessions, then you will LOVE this Valentine’s Day FREEBIE. I’ve included Amazon Affiliate Links in this post if you would like to add these books to your therapy library. Several of the elementary teachers on my campus read Love Monster by Rachel Bright to their students and follow up with craft and writing activities. So instead of using the same book (which I absolutely adore), I follow up with Love Monster and the Last Chocolate. With themes of friendship, worry, compassion, and sharing, this book provides opportunities to address all your student’s  IEP goals with just one book. By including extension activities, you can easily stretch this book to 2 or 3 weeks of therapy. Now you have your entire month of February covered with just one book!  I’ve used this book with students in PreK through 5th grade targeting both speech and language skills. Here are a few ideas on how you can use Love Monster and the Last Chocolate during the month of February.

My Favorite Preschool Winter Songs

 Music and movement can be used to introduce young children to thematic units; link literacy, art, and movement; and create home to school connections. In a previous post, I shared my favorite preschool songs for following directions. In another post, I shared my favorite picture books for young children about winter clothing.

When I think about all the winter topics we can sing about, they include: snow, snowmen, hot chocolate, penguins, polar bears, hibernation, winter clothing, arctic animals, and more. In this post, I've chosen my favorite preschool winter songs. These songs can be used in individual sessions, during small group lessons, or during whole class instruction. Target articulation,  vocabulary, categorizing skills, following directions, descriptive language, sentence length (Mean Length of Utterance), rhyming, and auditory memory. Pair these songs with gestures,  props, and AAC to target core vocabulary, model gestalt language phrases, and build background knowledge.

How I Use a Mini-Visual Schedule for Push-In Speech Therapy

Push-in speech therapy in the preschool classroom can be a little scary at first. After all, you are walking into someone else's classroom twice a week and teaching a lesson in their classroom.  I admit, working with three and four year old students can be exhausting and rewarding at the same time. These little ones make me smile and laugh everyday. They really do feed my soul. As speech-language pathologists, we know that preschoolers learn through playing, singing, moving, creating, and exploring the world around them. By asking questions, and building relationships with others, they develop the skills necessary to be successful in  school and at home. When I push into the classroom for preschool therapy, I am able to see how they function in their real life. Sometimes, I like to walk in a little early or stay after my lesson just so I can observe my speech students in their natural environment.

3 Ways to Target Core Vocabulary with Dino Fine Motor Toy

Preschoolers love dinosaurs! Whether it's a dinosaur book, game, movie, or plastic egg with a toy dinosaur inside, preschoolers love learning about and playing with dinosaurs. They are fascinating, fun, and can be played with year-round. I found this Dino Fine Motor Toy  on Amazon, and immediately thought this would be a fun toy to target Core Vocabulary throughout the year with my preschool students in speech therapy.  This toy helps preschoolers develop fine motor skills by grasping the small spikes and placing in the dinosaur. They  also learn colors, quantity concepts, and problem-solving skills through play. In this post, I want to share with you 3 ways you can target core vocabulary using the Dino Fine Motor Toy. 

My Favorite Preschool Songs for Following Directions

From their earliest interactions with caregivers, infants and toddlers enjoy cooperation and turn-taking activities. Early turn-taking games, songs, and finger plays, such as: "Patty-Cake." "Where is Thumbkin?," and "Open, Shut Them," establish the foundations for following directions and social interaction. It is important that infants and toddlers are engaged in playful learning with copycat games. They learn how to listen, attend to speakers, imitate actions, expand vocabulary, and share joint attention. 

By age three, children begin to follow multi-step directions and work cooperatively with others, build social relationships, and take on roles in their family (picking up toys, putting on and taking off clothing items, etc.). Music provides the bridge between learning and fun. We know that children learn through hands-on experiences, and engage different parts of their brain through music. Music also provides the springboard for social-emotional and language development.

How I Use "Chrysanthemum" By Kevin Henke in Mixed Speech Therapy Groups

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henke is an uplifting story a about starting back-to-school and learning to love and accept yourself regardless of what your peers think or say. In this post, I will share how I use Chrysanthemum in my mixed speech and language therapy groups to target multiple goals. 

Story Summary

Prior to the first day of school, Chrysanthemum thought her name was absolutely perfect. She loved and appreciated her name. On the first day of school, Chrysanthemum's classmates started to bully her and make fun of her name. They giggled and told her that her name was too long. Chrysanthemum started to doubt her uniqueness. She "wilted." With the help of a special teacher, she regained her confidence and did not just think her name was perfect but knew it was. 

3 Ways I Use My Movement Dice in Speech Therapy

I LOVE a good Dollar Tree haul. I found these foam dry erase dice and immediately thought of the endless possibilities for my preschool and elementary students. I needed an activity that would engage all my students, and could be adapted to target several different goals. I also wanted a go-to activity that could be adapted and repeated throughout the year. In this post I am going to share with you 3 different ways I use my movement dice in speech therapy.

What I came up with, was the idea of creating movement dice. The first thing I needed to do was create the 6 exercises to attach to each side of the die. My favorite resource for picture symbols with a vast library of content is Smarty Symbols. Under the category of "exercises" and "actions" I found "squat, clap, marching (I renamed knee lifts), hop, jumping jacks," and "arm circles." Each dry erase spot measured 2-1/2 inches in diameter. I printed the circles on cardstock, laminated them and glued them to the die. 

6 Picture Books About Winter Clothes for Speech Therapy

Winter is here! that means cold days, comfy slippers, and warm blankets. Snuggle up with a good book and share your love of reading with your students. Read alouds and repeat readings with students are the perfect way to build background knowledge, share common experiences, target multiple objectives during speech therapy sessions, and spark a passion for reading. In this blog post, I want to share with you my top 6 favorite picture books about winter clothes. (Amazon affiliate links are included)

5 "Easy Does It" Practices at Work

The new year is the perfect time for me to reflect on what was successful in the workplace and set goals for the new year.  It's also a great time to evaluate my mindset and approach to teaching. 

As speech-language pathologists, we love to teach idioms to our students. Teaching figurative language such as: "It's raining cats and dogs," "hot off the press," and "feeling under the weather" are just a few of the common idioms we teach students. This year, I want to approach the new year with an "easy does it" attitude. What does "easy does it" mean? This idiom simply means, slow down, relax, and take it easy.

In this post, I want to suggest 5 "easy does it" practices you can apply in the workplace.

How I Use "Lucky Ducks" in Speech Therapy

Who's the lucky duck in your classroom?
Parents, speech-language pathologists, and classroom teachers can target color and shape recognition, social skills, and critical thinking skills with the moveable memory game Lucky Ducks ™ (Amazon affiliate link) by Goliath Games U.S. This game is appropriate for children ages 3 and up and includes a motorized pond with 12 ducks.  The game requires 2-AA batteries for the “pond” to rotate clockwise. Players choose which shape they want to look for (circle, square, triangle, star) and take turns picking a duck from the pond to see if it matches the shape they are looking for.

In this post, I want to share with you how I use Lucky Ducks™ in my speech therapy sessions, as well as ways to differentiate instruction to meet students' needs.

Best Bug Books for Speech Therapy

Creepy Crawly bugs! I don't like them in my house, but I love them in my speech therapy sessions. What is it about bugs that fascinates children? These bright colorful creatures intrigue children of all ages. Whether you share your favorite rhyming book or non-fiction reference book about bugs, your students will ask for them again and again.  Engage in conversation, ask critical thinking questions, connect text to life experiences, learn a new word, and play with sounds, rhymes, and syllables. In this post, I want to share what I think are the BEST Bug Books for Speech Therapy. (Amazon affiliate links are included)

10 Speech Therapy Goals for "The Doorbell Rang" by Pat Hutchins

Pat Hutchins is one of my favorite authors. Her books are rich in content and engaging for young learners. If you have not read my previous blog post, Teaching Basic Concepts Using Rosie's Walk, I recommend it as a follow-up to this blog.The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins, is written for early elementary. Activities can also be adapted for students in alternative curriculum classes needing age/grade level appropriate content. (An Amazon affiliate link is provided)

In this post, I've identified 10 target goals for The Doorbell Rang that you can encorporate in your speech therapy groups today.

5 ways to Avoid Burnout in the Workplace

The new year is the perfect time to set goals, start a new habit, reflect on what you've learned from the past year, and let go of what holds you back. It's also a time to reflect on your choices and move forward. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." If you are feeling burnout and want to recharge for the new year, I have 5 suggestions for avoiding burnout in the workplace.

How to Build Social Competence with Simple Science Experiments

Social competency involves the social, emotional, and intellectual skills and behaviors needed for social adaptation. It involves the ability to use past experiences, social communication, emotional regulation, and intellectual reasoning successfully across different contexts. Social competency also looks very different in different stages of development. Our roles and responsibilities as speech-language pathologists in building social communication skills includes consultation, education, collaboration, and intervention. In this blog post, I want to share how you can use simple science experiments in your social language groups to facilitate social competency.

How to Use "Smellies" in Speech Therapy

The beginning of the school year is my time to reflect on what worked from last year and what didn't. Returning to school refreshed and relaxed always motivates me to try something new in the speech room. This year, I wanted to find an alternative to sticker charts and treasure boxes in speech therapy. The early childhood special education teacher and PreK teachers on my campus were using flavored lip balm on the back of little hands as a tangible reward for sitting during carpet, or completing work in a learning center. I started off the year experimenting with this reward system and realized that PreK students were not the only ones motivated by my "smellies." Turns out that three year-olds and fifth graders all love smellies in speech therapy. You can purchase several flavors of lip balm for $1 each, and you'll have enough to last the entire year.  But after a couple sessions of smellies, I discovered there are so many more uses for flavored lip balm than just a reward for good behavior. 

Speech and Language Activities for "The Apple Pie Tree"

Fall is one of my favorite seasons of the year for speech therapy. The warm smells, vibrant colors and cooler weather provide a platform for rich literacy and language opportunities with children. If your speech therapy groups are anything like mine, you have mixed articulation, fluency, social and language needs throughout the day. 

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall, is a sweet and engaging book for kindergarten through upper elementary. Activities can also be adapted for students in alternative curriculum classes needing age/grade level appropriate content. (An Amazon affiliate link is provided)

I've outlined a few target skills and included a freebie at the end of this blog for you to start using today. 

How to Make Glitter Glue Sensory Bottles

Sensory bottles have many names, calm down bottles, sensory bottles, discovery bottles, and sensory jars. It's safe to say that sensory bottles have become my go-to for children who need an opportunity to process their emotions and anxiety, and organize their sensory system in a way that is meaningful and appropriate. 

Sensory bottles can be used at home, in  classrooms, clinics, after school programs, and therapy rooms. Children with  ADHD, sensory processing disorders, language disorders, autism, and behavior disturbances can all benefit from using sensory bottles. The key is to create one that the child will engage with. 

In this post I want to share how to make the perfect glitter glue sensory bottle. (Amazon affiliate links are provided).

Jaw-dropping Shark Theme Activities in Speech Therapy

It's Shark Week and I am ready for some fabulous FUN! Whether you work with preschool, school age, or high school students shark mania is the highlight of summer. I've researched some fun shark activities and short videos you can use this week in therapy. I've included Amazon, Pinterest, and YouTube links, as well as links to my fiction and non-fiction products highlighting sharks. So here are my favorite shark week activities.