Best Games for Speech Therapy at Home
The right games played in the right way can make speech therapy fun for both you and your child. Here are some ideas and suggestions that will make therapy both fun and successful.
Tip:
- Choose games that are quick to set up and are easy to keep going. Games that take too long to set up or take too long between turns take away from practice time.
- Games that have lots of turns and ones that go back and forth so you can play too are best.
- Earn a turn. Have your child say a certain number of words before he gets to take a turn. I usually try for 5 and “count” each try on my fingers. Say the words when you take a turn too.
- Find games that are fun but not too fun. You want your child to be excited to play the game with you but if it is too much fun they may be distracted from what they need to work on.
- You also want to make sure the game isn’t too hard to play. Frustration isn’t helpful when you are working on speech sounds.
- Make the game special. Play it only when you work on speech sounds.
- Have a few different games so your child can pick what they want to play.
- Garage sales and second hand stores are a great place to shop and save money. The links below are all for Amazon but you don’t have to shop here.
Games that I love to play when doing speech therapy:
Don’t Break the Ice:
- Takes a bit longer to set up and the number of turns can be small if you don’t play carefully.
- Extend the playing time by earning each piece of ice, then put it together an play.
- Smashing the ice is lots of fun but can easily become too much fun for some.
Hungry Hungry Hipos:
- Earn all of the marbles one at a time and then play the game.
- Easy to play even for younger children.
Crocodile Dentist:
- Super quick and easy to set up.
- Use a tooth brush to push down the teeth to make it less “scary”.
Pop Up Pirate:
- A classic speech therapy game. Comes in Pop Up Chipmunk and T-Rex versions.
- If you earn a sword and take a turn, the number of turns is unpredictable but it is easy to set up again. You could also earn all of the swords and then play the game.
Bowling:
- Great for kids that need to get up and move around between saying words.
- Put picture cards under each pin. Practice saying the cards as you set up the pins and say them again as you knock them down.
- Make it easier by using less pins and setting them up in a line.
Domino Train:
- Some kids just love trains!
- Lots of turns if you earn each domino as you set up the train.
- Can be a bit tricky for kids (and some adults!) to get the dominos in the dispenser.
Stomp Rockets:
- Yes – you can play with rockets indoors! – at least soft foam ones.
- Pick a launcher where you can adjust the angle so you have some idea of where it is going to go.
- Stomping to make the rockets blast off is a great physical break.
- Does take a bit of time to set up.
Ned’s Head:
- A super fun “gross out” game.
- Earn the pieces as you put them in the head and as you take them out.
- Try putting in small objects that have the speech sounds you are working on or picture cards.
Pop The Pig
- The pig eats hamburgers that have numbers on the bottom of each. You can use these numbers for how many times your child has to say a word.
- It can be a bit harder for younger kids to push down the pig’s head.
Ball Shooters
- Earn a certain number of balls before shooting them.
- Try leaning picture cards against plastic cups as targets – say the cards as you set them up and as you shoot them.
- Nerf guns work well too.
These are some of games that I get to play with every day – oh and also use as rewards for the kids to do their “work”. (Really it is all about me!)
Let me know if you have any questions.
Hope this helps.
Madison Garvi – SLPatHome