Best Games for Speech Therapy
With all of the technology available to our clients and families, it is amazing what goals we can accomplish with old-fashioned low-tech board games. Below is a list of these authors’ top 5 games to utilize in speech therapy.
5. Open-Ended Games:
Open-ended games like Pop the Pig ™, CandyLand ™ , Connect4 ™ , Chutes&Ladders ™ , or HiHoCherrio ™ are relatively straightforward turn-taking games that work really well for incorporating a variety of goals. For example, if you have multiple students (or family members) who are playing you can work on language (i.e. “my turn,” “your turn,” “I go,” “win,” “oh no!” “more,” “all-done,” colors, “up,” “pop,” etc) just by playing through the game! When time for the student to take a turn, you can focus specifically on targeted articulation sounds (i.e. show a flashcard with the targeted /s/ sound prior to each turn). These games are fun, easy to learn, and give many opportunities for repetition of their targeted language goals!
4. Problem-Solving Games:
Problem-solving games like HedBanz ™ , GuessWho ™ , and Scattergories ™ are great games for older children who are working on language or articulation goals! If choosing a game like Scattergories ™, choose their targeted sounds (i.e. /s/) for the round, and allow them to practice listing their answers in order to practice their strategies. HedBanz ™, and GuessWho ™, are great games for working on answering and asking wh- questions. This allows students to target language goals in a fun way!
3. BINGO Games:
Games like Zingo ™, and BINGO games are a great and fun way to work on answering and asking wh- questions (i.e. do you have X, do you need X, which do you need, etc.) as well as receptive matching skills (i.e. match the “bunny” to your BINGO board). BINGO is also easy to customize if there are specific skills or targets that you would like to focus on.
2. Card Games:
Card games, including games like UNO ™, or SkipBo ™, are a wonderful resource for younger and older children. Younger children can work on turn-taking, articulation skills, academic skills with colors and numbers, and turn-taking language during the game while older children can work on remembering and repeating the rules, playing well with peers, or practicing articulation targets.
1. Daily Routines:
Although the above listed games are fantastic resources for speech and language therapy, it is important to always remember that just engaging with your child in their daily routine is a great way to engage them as well as to work on their speech and language skills. For example, when unloading the dishwasher, have your child help you match the forks to the forks in your drawer, talk about what you’re going to eat later, or practice sounds including “f” (in fork or knife), or /s-blends/ (spoon, scoop, spatula). You don’t need anything out of the normal in order to work on speech or language skills, your child will find the most exciting thing in their environment to be you!
