6 Simple Speech Therapy At Home Activities (part 3)

This post is all about Speech therapy at home activities

As a speech therapist for over 14+ years, my mission is to provide effective and accessible speech therapy resources.  

I know where the gaps lie in the ability for people to suceed in their communciation goals. This piece, formally known as "generalization" is the ability to turn the skill learned in the speech therapy room to other settings.

This is where YOU can help :)

Gentle reminders, check-in's and short and sweet speech therapy practice sessions at home are the missing piece to the puzzle, the cherry on top & the key to progressing! This crucial component is often overlooked. I am here to help bridge the gap.

Speech therapy at home activities #1 Pets:  

Use your pet as a speech therapy motivator!  Canine-assisted therapy can encompass many different beneficial things! You can practice strengthening the voice by calling out to your pet or recalling the sequence of a training command such as sit, stay, okay, let's go (or whatever your furry friend is accustomed to doing).

Speech therapy at home activities #2 Books: 

Read a book together or a news article depending on if it is a child or an adult. Review specific words in the book. For example if you are working on the S sound, pick out with that have S in them.

Speech therapy at home activities #3 Community: 

Go on a community outing and practice speaking to the public. For example, this may look like ordering food at a restaurant or making a exchange at the cash register for something like ice cream (or another desired object that is motivating). Pick your loved ones favorite spot.

Speech therapy at home activities #4 Nature:

Go on a nature walk or spend time talking about the outdoors in the backyard or at a park. This will be enjoyable for both people and takes a break from boring worksheets.

Speech therapy at home activities #5 Recipes:  

This is my favorite and has stood the test of time... go over a recipe together, talk about the ingredients, the instructions and then make the (hopefully delicious) item  - brownies work well. Other budget friendly and easy ideas are pizza bagels in the microwave or cinnamon rolls.

Speech therapy at home activities #6 Films:

Watch Pixar clips, a TV show or a movie and talk about it. Here's a list of some of my favorite short films if you want some ideas

• Snack Attack  This is my favorite because of the plot twist at the end.

• For The Birds This one is short & silly.

• Shake It Off: This one is a fun movement and mindfulness based video.

General Tips:

• Speech therapy at home should feel more natural and not forced

• Try to avoid tasks that feel like school or work. Instead of worksheets, get creative and use the outdoors or other items to inspire you

• Keep the sessions and practice short and sweet. It's better to have shorter sessions more frequently than long sessions that will cause burnout

• Try to find motivating topics to speak about

• Avoid giving too many verbal commands

• Do your best! Even a little practice goes a long way for holding your loved one accountable to their goals

Thank you for reading about Speech therapy at home activities

Let’s build a world where all individuals are supported by an empowered community committed to nurturing communication development.​