Announcing My Speech Tools is Now on YouTube

2017 held several new beginnings for me. I started my business in February and my blog in April. I had a drive to share my passion with you and it has been an amazing experience. Now in 2018, I am excited to share my new adventure with you. I have created a YouTube channel Speech Therapy Tips with Lisa Erwin, SLP.

10 Fun Speech Therapy Activities with "Sneezy the Snowman"

If you are not familiar with "Sneezy the Snowman," you are missing out on a winter engaging and entertaining read aloud for your students. Sneezy the Snowman is terribly cold and wants to warm up. He drink hot cocoa, sits in a hot tub and stands by a fire. Each time, he melts. The children know just what do to and rebuild him each time while offering a piece of their winter clothing instead. This is an excellent book for mixed speech and language groups in early elementary (PreK - 2nd grade), but can be expanded through 3rd grade while working on higher level critical thinking skills and character traits. 

In this post, I want to give you 10 different ways you can use "Sneezy the Snowman" in your speech and language therapy this winter. 

Top 10 Gifts for Young Children

The holidays are just around the corner and we made it through the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales in one piece. But for many of us, there is still a list to check and shopping to finish.  As a speech-language pathologist, I am always looking for toys that stimulate language and literacy development in young children. Young children learn through play. Play stimulates speech and language, social-emotional, cognitive, and motor development. Since play primarily revolves around toys and a child's imagination, I wanted to share with you my top 10 gift recommendations for the holidays. 

Why do SLPs Love Play Dough? PLUS a FREE Download

Play dough is a staple with any speech-language pathologist. You can find it in our bags, our drawers, our cars, our crates, and cabinets. We stock up at the beginning of the year, replace it at the winter break and even make our own when we want to add fragrance or glitter. But what is it about play dough that makes it a "must have" for SLPs? You will want to read on to discover the secrets behind play dough in speech therapy, and then download the BEST recipe for home made play dough at the end of this post.

Play dough engages the senses in learning opportunities. Using play dough enlightens sight, smell and texture. If you make your own play dough (see recipe below), you can add fragrance for the seasons and glitter for the holidays. One of  my favorite play dough add-ins is pumpkin pie spice. My students really enjoy smelling the pumpkin pie seasoning in my play dough during the months of October and November. In the spring, I add lavender oil or rose oil for a floral aroma. Learning experiences become meaningful with sensory activities.

5 Great Thanksgiving Read Alouds for Speech Therapy

It's about time to put away the jack-o-lanterns and bats and pull out your turkey books and Thanksgiving therapy materials. There are several different themes you can incorporate in your lessons, including: gratitude, family, the first Thanksgiving, save the turkey, and MORE! In this post, I want to share with you my favorite read alouds for speech therapy. These great books are perfect for mixed groups (articulation, language, fluency, social skills) as well as for connecting the curriculum to your students' communication goals.

Why do SLPs Focus on Categorizing Skills?

Have you written a goal like this: "Given the name of a familiar category, student will name at least 3 items in the category (ex: vegetables, fruits, pets, etc.) on 7/10 trials." or "Given 3 related items, student will identify the category (ex: cow, horse, pig) on 7/10 trials." As a speech-language pathologist, I know that students with weak vocabulary skills may exhibit difficulty categorizing pictures, objects, words and concepts. So when a child demonstrates difficulty grouping like items together, further assessment and intervention may be warranted. So why do speech-language pathologists need to focus on categorizing skills? At an early age, young children begin to recognize shapes, colors, and familiar people. The ability to sort, add order and create working systems is key to developing a rich language foundation. In this post, I want to explain 3 reasons why speech-language pathologists and classroom teachers should strategically focus on categorizing skills as part of their instruction and intervention.

Speech and Language Activities for "Room on the Broom"

One of my favorite books to read with students in October is Room on the Broom. This wonderfully illustrated book with repetitive lyrical text is widely popular among teachers, parents and speech-language pathologists. The classic "defeat evil with kindness" theme appeals to all students. 

As a speech-language pathologist, I am always  on the lookout for fiction and non-fiction books that can be used to target multiple speech and language goals. Room on the Broom is one of those books that can be differentiated to target multiple receptive and expressive communication goals. 

In this post, I want to share 14 ways to use Room on the Broom in your speech therapy sessions, as well as direct you to the author's website for more resources to incorporate in your therapy sessions. 

Best Dollar Tree Hacks for Speech Therapy

Are you on a school supply budget? Do you wish you had more money left over after you shopped for your own children's school supplies? Are you looking for bargains that will help you stretch your dollar for speech therapy? I have shopped at Dollar Tree for several years now, and I am always impressed with the office supply items and back-to-school resources that are available in late summer. Dollar Tree has also marketed many different patterns and designs when it comes to poly-folders and composition books. 

In this post, I want to share some of the resources I've found at Dollar Tree and give you a few new ideas for using everyday items you find at Dollar Tree.

How to Create a Fall Sensory Book Bin

Sensory play is an important part of a child's development. Children learn through exploration using their 5 senses. Through taste, touch, smell, sight and sound, children develop social, emotional, cognitive, motor and language skills. Sensory bins provide learning opportunities while having FUN. Since children love to make messes, you might want to think of it as "mess in a box."  For children with sensory impairments, sensory bottles, bags and bins can also be very calming by providing the exact stimulus their sensory systems are seeking.

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year for speech therapy literacy and language activities. Children are always fascinated with pumpkins, acorns, squirrels, apples, scarecrows, and farm activities. This opens up opportunities to experience some amazing books, as well as provide hands-on learning opportunities in sensory filled activities.

In this post, I want to share with you tips on creating fall sensory book bins.

Speech Therapy Goals and Activities for "Boo Hoo Bird"

I wanted to sit down and write this post today to share an amazing children's book I found that can be used to target a variety of speech and language IEP goals. While searching for books to teach social skills, I came across this sweet book by Jeremy Tankard, Boo Hoo Bird, that I honestly had never heard of and now absolutely adore. In Boo Hoo Bird by Jeremy Tankard, Bird gets bonked on the head with a ball while playing catch with his friend Raccoon. "Boo Hoo Hoo," Bird cries. Raccoon, Rabbit, Sheep, and Fox try to cheer him up. What will make Bird feel better? This story is ideal for students in PreK through second grade.