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We all have those students who love to move and shake during our speech and language therapy sessions! Annnnd we all know that sometimes that energy comes at the expense of our therapy. But Mandy and I have rounded up our favorite ways to keep kids engaged in our activities to maximize our data collection and ultimately their growth!
Check out our fool proof strategies to keep even your most wiggly friends ready to learn! Of course if our students have behavior plans or specific IEP goals addressing behavior goals, we always follow the team plan. With that being said, all students can benefit from these strategies!
Fidgets
First up, our students love fidgets! This may be a no brainer, but we like to keep a small bin of items near by to allow busy hands a chance to pick something fun! We like spinners as well as squishies, rapper snappers, wacky tracks, putty, and more. Some of our students love anything mini so we like to throw some little dinosaurs, lizards, and animals in too. Lastly, we always recommend having anything with wheels on hand for those kiddos who need a sensory break.
Fidgets are perfect for students to enjoy while waiting for their next turn or help to stay regulated. We even let some of our students transition back to the class room or whole group instruction while holding a toy or item. Our collaborating teachers always appreciate a smooth transition whenever possible.
Also, the local dollar store or Target dollar section are perfect places to fill up your sensory basket with lots of fun items! 😉
Want more sensory ideas? Check out: 9 Amazing Benefits of Sensory Bins!
Visual Schedules
Visuals, visuals, visuals! While visuals may not keep busy hands occupied, visual schedules definitely help our students stay focused and understand the session’s expectations. We have used first/then boards, token economy systems, matching pictures, and individualized picture schedules.
Visuals are a great way to reinforce verbal directions as well. When verbal instructions are paired with visuals, students are more likely to comprehend the language, complete the task, and increase their memory of the skill being targeted. And even better? Pictures paired with text may help keep those extra silly friends a little more focused during your next speech and language activity!
Music
We absolutely love incorporating music into our sessions. Whether we play a themed song or just a goofy song to build rapport, music gets all the extra wiggles out before getting to work or returning to class. If we have access to a Smartboard, we will often play a song to encourage dancing and following along to the movements. If we are running a small group rotation, Mandy and I like to sing simple songs with simple movements to help refocus students or increase language skills. We even pair songs with colorful scarves or simple instruments!
Some of our favorite songs to sing together and keep kids engaged are as follows:
- Finger Family Song
- Open Shut Them
- B-I-N-G-O!
- ABC Song
- If You Are Happy And You Know It
- 5 Little Monkeys
- Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes
- The Hokey Pokey
The above songs are great for not only recentering your students, but also a perfect opportunity to encourage verbally filling in the lyrics, imitating movements, or making up a silly new one! Some of our collaborating teachers do a nice job of using songs and simple rhymes when transition the entire class from one activity to the next too!
Movement Breaks
If your students tend to stand or tip their chair back, this next strategy is for you! We love these movement cards for a quick and easy break in the middle of our speech and language sessions. Getting up and getting the wiggles out can be quick, fun, and necessary to keep kids engaged! Check out these free movement cards from Pocket of Preschool – Jackie Kops that we like to keep on hand for those who need a quick little reset during our sessions!
Manipulatives
Another way to keep our students engaged is to keep their hands busy! We LOVE the minis from Speech Tree Co. Similar to fidgets, our students can hold, move, describe, and play with these themed units. Not only do these minis increase focus, they also provide many of opportunities to label, identify, describe, compare, and more. Don’t miss the corresponding hand outs and BOOM Cards to go along with each mini set!
We also use hands on materials to target core words and encourage functional language. Students are always super excited to turn, open, pull, push, etc. items. Bonus if the activity includes music or lights!!! One of our our all time favorites is the Critter Clinic by B Toys. So many ways to use this toy while increase student engagement!
Vocabulary & Articulation Scavenger Hunts
Lastly, these vocabulary scavenger hunts and articulation scavenger hunts are hands down the best way to keep kids engaged while targeting a variety of goals. Plus with so many different themes to choose from, students will be up and moving for every holiday and season.
With 4 activities in 1 resource, student can find themed vocabulary to target expressive or receptive language, MLU, and more. With the articulation scavenger hunts, students are exposed to the same great themed vocabulary, but also can practice every sound in every position depending on their goals. Both scavenger hunts are perfect for mixed therapy goal groups!
Hide the cards around the room to get students up and moving. Students won’t even know they are working with these activities! Don’t miss all of the themes available! Which one is your favorite?
Read more about our versatile vocabulary scavenger hunts here: The Only Transportation Themed Activity You Will Ever Need!
We hope you have found some inspiration, tools, or tricks to help your students stay engaged during your next speech and language session. Leave us a comment with any ideas we may have missed!
Kate & Mandy
Talking Mama Bears
