Fast & Fun Speech Therapy Activities for Kids

Using an abacus in therapy is a game-changer! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I love simple, motivating activities that don’t waste time setting up and don’t have too many little pieces to distract children. While it is technically not a “game,” the “thunk” of moving one bead at a time to the other side of the abacus is highly satisfying for children and adults alike.

Even better, when you have helped the child you are working with achieve high-practice successful trials for their speech target. If you want to use the abacus for the whole session, you know that there are 100 trials on there, but you don’t have to.

Use it as a way to get a quick and easy 20- or 30-trial boost before moving on to a different activity. I like to stick the picture cards to the abacus and use the movement of the beads for block practice or in minimal pairs therapy with one picture in the pair stuck to each side.

The child must have a successful attempt at both words before they can move the bead. By only moving the bead with accurate productions of both words in the pair, we can provide the child with visual feedback that helps build self-awareness.

Watch my abacus in action HERE.