In this second October installment of The Frenzied SLPs we bring to you A Treat of Halloween-Themed Language Tricks and Activities.

If you checked in earlier this month you caught my favorite reinforcement activity, Spooky Tree! Download this FREEBIE as a treat to pair with any language drill activity!  My favorite preschooler was prepping my materials last week.

Visuals.  Visuals.  Visuals.  Did I say visuals?  My first trick for you, write/draw supports always and anywhere.  Have a picture or write words of what you expect to remind students of target skills. This picture shows a student working on present tense verbs.  The student was struggling to match the correct speech sound for the ending.   So I added the sounds as we were working.  There is also a fluency strip as another reminder to practice fluent speaking when the target was finally achieved.  I will be writing on the table more often for this student!

During our pumpkin craftivity, this student was trying to make a past, present, and future tense sentence with pictured verbs.

Pictured below, some of my 4th graders grabbed their own clipboard when I said we were going to recall key details from a text read aloud (nonfiction texts from Nicole Allison). Tell me that's not using a strategy!

I use books in therapy ALL THE TIME!  Are there times I don't get the quantity of trials I'm looking for? Yes! Does that get my anxiety rising? Yes!  So why do I keep  using books in therapy? 

My students ask for books.  My students listen attentively to books. My students love structured activities that go along with books.  My students talk a lot during my therapy using books.  I can target every goal in mixed groups using books!  Now that's a treat for this SLP!  Motivated students yields increased results.

Another trick, when possible, use a series of books throughout the year.  You will be amazed at the predicting as well as confidence in verbal expression that comes with a familiar series.  Here are a few of my favorites, although I am not affiliated with any of these books.

There Was an Old Lady books by Lucille Colandro

Bear books by Karma Wilson

Otis books by Loren Long

If you give a books by Laura Numeroff
Pout Pout Fish books by Deborah Diesen
I also like Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey, A Pirate's Night Before Christmas by Philip Yates and other Night Before books!

I'd love to hear some of your favorite series books!

To wrap up this post and allow you time to wander around the linky, I'd like to share one last treat!  I finally finished my Otis and the Scarecrow Print and Go Book Companion.  While I will put it on sale for 50% this week, if you download the preview, I have included a FREEBIE carryover page which focuses on perspective taking and showing compassion!

Thanks again to Doyle Speech Works, Twin Speech Language and Literacy, LLC, and All Y'All Need, the linky party hosts this month!  I hope you find many more tricks and treats along the way from The Frenzied SLPs and talented SLP friends!

An InLinkz Link-up

Read more »

Sparklle SLP

The Frenzied SLPs are falling into FUN Fall-Themed Articulation ideas this week!  You can read my ideas and then make sure to check out all the link ups below!

I do love fall. The colors. The cool weather. Football is quite exciting and makes a good excuse to sit on the couch. Pumpkin-everything isn't too shabby either!  Check out these cute little guys on my mantle.  

But you didn't come to read about my love of fall.  Moving along to the FUN Fall-Themed Articulation ideas. 

For starters, what is more fun than play dough?  Pumpkin-spiced play dough paired with some smashing good fun. I found this yummy play dough recipe when Pinterest hopping.  Although orange play dough will also work just fine too.  Until I finish tweaking my fall-themed smash strips, you can download this FREEBIE for some smashing fun in your speech room.  Roll 5 little balls of play dough, grab some articulation cards and pair with a smash strip.  Your plans are complete! 

I also LOVE books in therapy!  Have I mentioned this before?  Maybe a few times.  While many language targets can be addressed when bringing books in the therapy room, articulation targets are just as plentiful!  This month we will be reading Big Pumpkin by Erika Silverman.  This book targets /k/ in a tricky position 'pumpkin' as well as /v/ for 'vampire' and 'vine', among others!

During my read aloud, I focus on auditory awareness of target sounds by first identifying the sound for each student prior to listening. Each time a target sound is heard, I ask the students to point out the word that was heard. The more sound targets within a book, the more opportunity for auditory bombardment. I love when students work together to hear all the target sounds. Have you noticed that SLPs read books very different from parents and classroom teachers?  Yes I do 'over the top' exaggerate target speech sounds when I read!  Doesn't everyone?!

Following my read aloud, I use the articulation word lists from my book companion.  I usually have students write words on a home practice page while we do some drill work.  This is my routine for 1st and 2nd graders.  For my 3rd graders who still love books in therapy, they take turns reading aloud to practice target sounds.  

Next up, barrier activities.  My kindergarten students LOVE barrier activities.  They each get a scene and some cut-out pictures. Barrier activities are fabulous for expressive and receptive language development, but also for 100 word articulation samples.  We are nearing the end of the grading period at my school, so bringing out my Fall Barrier Activity and Craftivity will be perfect for collecting some new baseline.

When I worked in preschool running phonology groups, we did a snip and stick activity every single session.  Say your target word as you snip (10 pictures), say your target word as you stick, and say your target word as you stamp (with bingo daubers).  That's 30 practices during a quick 10-minute center activity with preschoolers!  If you are not having enough fun just yet, why not add a craftivity? We are making paper plate pumpkins (my materials are all prepped below).  For craftivities, I keep cut-out target sound pictures in plastic soap tubs for adding target sounds to our creations.

Rounding out my FUN Fall-Themed Articulation Ideas is my all time favorite reinforcement activity. Spooky Tree Reinforcement is a FREEBIE in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.  It's a roll and collect activity to pair with any target skill drill session.

I just love The Frenzied SLPs!  I am ever so grateful and seriously giddy about writing these posts. Planning therapy is something I look forward to and I can't wait to read all the other FUN Fall-Themed Articulation Ideas.  Check out all the link ups below, starting with Doyle Speech Works!

An InLinkz Link-up

Read more »

Sparklle SLP