Use ONE speech activity in TEN ways!

I’m sure that you have a killer articulation activity in your room that you pull out daily. It wows your kids for a month or two… but then it’s a been there, done that type of thing and you move on to the next exciting game. 

Sound familiar? 

Instead of thinking that you need a new articulation activity… why not change what GOES with the item?  

Let me give you an example: I love my Webber Jumbo Articulation pages in color. They’re simple, and I can pull them out every session and do something different with them. I let my kids use dry erase markers, put mini trinkets on the pictures, pick up magnetic counters, use jumping frogs and drive cars from picture-to-picture to name a few things.  

One of my favourite resources are Articulation Threading Mouths and I’m going to share 10 therapy ideas that you can do with one thing! Just replace these ideas with what you already have, and you can start reusing your resources over and over again without them getting boring!

• You can thread with them (duh!) Punch holes in these, encourage multiple practices (such as 5 attempts), then pull the thread through. I love the different types of threading patterns that you can use too! 
•  Use clothespins/pegs to clip them on the target words. This is another fun, fine motor trick. If my kids are little, then I’ll let them UNCLIP the pegs. 
• Hello, playdough! Rolling little balls for playdough smash takes me FOREVER. If I have a parent in the session, then I will ask them to roll the playdough while we practice. But, my sneaky way is to make a long snake and have my students push down on the playdough! 
• Pom poms are just so versatile. They’re fun to pick up with tongs, and something that my kids LOVE at the end is to blow them all off! 
• Dry-erase markers for the win! Kids get such a kick out of wielding the power of a marker. Sometimes I’ll color code correct vs incorrect, or let the kids place dots on the pictures for the number of trials. 

• Get rainbow happy with beads. Sometimes everyday objects can be so much more exciting when you combine them with something else. Not only do I have DIY abacuses using these beads threaded onto pipe cleaners, but I like placing them on top of pictures. Some added fun: make these into ‘speech bracelet’ to practice targets at home. 
• Magnetic counters are always motivating. So, grab those counters, place them on top and let your students swipe up and collect evidence of their hard work. 
• Use mini figurines. Whether it be little LEGO men or a unicorn toy, use your child’s interests to maneuver around the board! It also takes the onus off the child if they make an error, as we might tell the LEGO man to stay where he is on the board so that he can practice again. 
• Incorporate connectors. I will use this term loosely, but ‘connectors’ are simple manipulatives that you find in many classrooms that you can connect together. A great reinforcer for my students is to lay down all the connectors and then make something with them after they’ve completed their practice. 
• I use a bag to create an element of surprise! I’m sure we all have a stash of either mini trinkets, erasers, Dinky Doodads or Kinder Surprise toys at your disposal. Put them in a little bag and have your students pull out a mystery toy and place it on top. It’s SO simple guys. So simple, but so effective! 

WANT TO REPLICATE THESE FOR YOUR CHILD? 

Just open your speech cupboard or look at materials that you already have laminated, and think about what you own that is flexible. If you just HAVE TO HAVE these threading mouths, I have a set for early sounds, later sounds and a discounted bundle for ALL sounds.