Highly motivating toys and games that require help increase the opportunities for a child to initiate an interaction. You can target sounds while playing with a common toy. Using familiar games to target speech sounds is an effective way to play with your children and provides an interactive way to practice speech, rather than drilling vocabulary. Here are a few games and toys you may already have at home that can be used to encourage speech practice.
Activity #1: Ball Popper Unicorn
Skills to Target:
- Requesting: “help me”, “more ball”, “go ball”
- Prepositions: verbalize prepositions during play (in, out)
- Following directions: first put the ball in the mouth then push the belly
Vocabulary: ball, pop, in, out, go, more, push, help
Activity #2: Potato Head
Skills to Target:
- Requesting: “I want ___”, “more ___”, “___ please”
- Sing Songs: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
- Sound practice: target the vocabulary words and sounds below while requesting or playing
Vocabulary: Final /t/ words: hat, foot, feet, out, put. Final /n, m/ words: in, arm. Final /s, z/ words: eyes, nose, toes, purse, or plurals. Final /p/ words: top, hop. Final /k/ words: take.
Activity #3: Honey Bee Tree Game or Kerplunk
Skills to Target:
- Requesting: “my turn”, “your turn”, “green stick please”, “more bees”
- Sound practice: target the vocabulary words and sounds below while requesting or playing
Vocabulary: in (putting leaves in, putting bees in), out (pulling leaves out, bees falling out), drop, down, my/your turn, buzz, bees, come/home
Activity #4: Don’t Break the Ice
Skills to Target:
- Requesting: “my turn”, “your turn”, “break it”, “hammer please”
- Sound practice: target the vocabulary words and sounds below while requesting or playing
Vocabulary: my/your turn, in (setting up ice blocks), gone (knocking out ice blocks), hit, out, knock, break, ice, boom/tap (as you hit the ice)
