60 Speech Therapy Tips (practical strategies that work)

Gina Britt
Oct 8
9 min read

Speech therapy can feel overwhelming—whether you’re a new SLP, a parent wondering if your child’s speech is on track, or just trying to survive another round of practice without tears (yours or theirs). After 14 years as a speech-language pathologist, I’ve seen what actually works (and what just looks good in textbooks). That’s why I put together these no-fluff speech therapy tips for parents and caregivers—real-life strategies that save your sanity and still move the needle.

Welcome to the land of speech therapy survival. Around here, crayons disappear faster than socks in the dryer, speech therapy materials for kids multiply overnight, and you’ve probably searched “free speech therapy resources” at 2 a.m. while your printer ran out of ink. This isn’t just another speech therapy guide—it’s a lifeline: practical tools, strategies, and a sprinkle of sarcasm to make speech therapy less stressful and more effective.

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This post is all about speech therapy tips

Don't ask yes no questions

You: Do you want to do this worksheet? Client: No!

Give choices | First Then

Instead of yes/no questions give choices. Do you want to do this worksheet first, then the puzzle? Or Do you want to do this puzzle first, then the worksheet? This gives the illusion of control.

Ignore small behaviors

If the behavior is small but not harmful or preventing progress towards goals, ignore it.

Highlight positive behaviors with specific verbal praise

When you see behaviors you like, such as listening, following directions, saying the words clearly, praise for these specific behaviors. "You are doing a great job saying your sounds clearly, especially the T sound at the end of words. Great work, Tim!"

Be willing to ditch the stimulus item

Remember, you are working on the speech goal, not the worksheet or Uno game. It's deeper than that. You can ditch the item mid session if it is not working and change but remember your focus (i.e. WH questions, the T sound).

Refrain from using hand over hand assistance

Stop. Client's autonomy should be respected.

Give a fill in the blank cue

I like to eat macaroni and ______. This article is really ______. (insert something positive and encouraging).

Give a phonemic cue

A phoneme is a fancy word for sound. An animal that barks is a "d"

Give a gestural cue

Mime the word.

Give a syllabic cue

A beautiful insect that has matching wings is a "but" (terfly...)

Give a clinician model

Fancy word for spilling the beans or giving the actual answer. An animal that barks is a "dog." Say "dog."

Clear your space

Clutter free space, clutter free mind. Keep your speech therapy room, your speech therapy room set up and your speech therapy room decor cute, minimal and functional.

If you see a behavior always look to change the environment first

You probably have too many materials out, something too enticing in front of the client, or too many things for them to look at in the background, or too much noise

Build a rapport before placing demands

Talk, read, sing, model, expand, and listen. And maybe stop asking Alexa to do all the talking. If you care to... read about some crafty ways to turn everyday items into speech therapy exercises at home. Also, here is a three step series on how to do speech therapy at home: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Collaborate with other disciplines

There is so much to learn from PT and OT. Maybe they can help with typing or creating more independence with a self-care task you have been trying to sequence.

Leave work at the door

Have a general plan in mind for different goals- your go-to books for articulation, your favorite boom cards for language learning, your vocabulary flash cards. Rinse, re-use and recycle.

Scripting is a communication attempt

Don't ignore scripting. This is a communication attempt. Sometimes quoting a movie is the best the student can do in that moment. Acknowledge it and see if there is intention behind the script. Ask parents if it's common or if it occurs during a certain time (happy times, stressful times etc). It may be something simple like they want to watch the movie.

Stimming is a self-regulatory behavior

Stimming should be normalized as long as it is not harmful (biting wrists, hitting head). Provide sensory activities (squishy toys, squeezes, calming music, visual video, quiet room, movement activity)

Don't be afraid to delegate

Give tasks to others to help with.

Take CEUs in areas you feel are lacking

Speechpathology.com is a great resource to get all of your CEUs for $129 per year. You can search the areas you want to grow in.

A short and sweet session can be more effective than a long boring one

Self-explanatory.

Use everyday items as speech tools

I wrote a blog post on this here

Expose your child to language rich environments

Extra-curricular activities!!! Don't leave your child's progress in the hands of others. Be proactive and expose your child to new environments

Check out these developmental norms to see what is expected

Developmental Norms

Go to a college that has a master's program for speech

Your local college will sometimes offer a sliding scale for speech therapy sessions

Early intervention does matter

Something about you can't teach an old dog new tricks

Find free materials online

There are free AAC apps, resources on teachers pay teachers, story online for books, and so much more fun and free stuff online!

Know what questions to ask

Questions to ask your speech therapist blog post and cheat sheet

Use lots of visuals

Pull up a blank canva page and create as you go, print and laminate picture cards, have some worksheets available. For a variety of speech worksheets go to my TPT store

Don't use anything too exciting

Your speech therapy toys, speech therapy materials, speech therapy crafts and speech therapy activities need to be moderately entertaining.

We don't work on reading - just the comprehension part and saying the sounds correctly

Sadly, that’s a different profession. Confusing, I know.

SLPs works with children and adults

We work with everyone from toddlers to grandparents. Basically, if you can talk, eat, or think- we’re in your business.

Speed up the rate at which you are presenting tasks if the student is behavioral

Use this speech therapy tip as your speech therapy guide. Faster presentation of items means less time for behaviors.

You are here to solve a problem. Listen.

It's to impose your beliefs on what next steps a child need to take as their speech goals. Sometimes you need to listen to the problems the parent and teacher are having and use that as the foundation.

Think outside the box

Figure out what is going to motivate that specific child and work off of that. Maybe its a bag of Takis, an activity with purple monsters, talking about their special interest (I spent a year planning speech therapy lessons around a Maytag washer and dryer)...Maybe it's, Maybeline.

Processing Time

Too many people are quick to ask a question and expect an immediate response. Sometimes there is a 5 minute delay in kids with different abilities. Don't jump them the answer.

Stop using hand over hand assistance

Please don't use hand over hand assistance unless it's a safety emergency (i.e. about to reach to touch fire).

Work on strengths not weaknesses

If a student is a great typer, work on those skills and help strengthen them. Especially in sometime that already struggles to speak and communicate their basic wants sand needs. Sometimes they can find more clarity through typing and written langauge and that is a gem of a skill that needs to be nourished.

Speech Therapy In Motion

Pair speech/language tasks with physical activity: have students say target words while jumping, tossing bean bags, or doing yoga poses. Movement can help with memory and engagement.
Try “Obstacle Course Directions” where the child follows multi-step language instructions to complete a mini-course.

Use Technology Creatively

Record silly voice memos and let the client self-monitor.
Use filters or voice changers (like on TikTok/Snapchat or free apps) to make articulation practice fun.

Real-World Functional Practice

Practice speech/language skills while ordering pretend takeout, checking “emails,” or leaving fake voicemail messages.
For adults: rehearse scripts for doctor’s visits, grocery stores, or job interviews.

Reverse Roles

Let the client “be the therapist” and teach you the target sound/strategy. Teaching back builds metacognition and confidence.

Mindfulness with a Twist

Try “Gratitude & Gripes” journaling: name one thing you’re thankful for and one thing you’d change

Use a visual timer

Youtube has tons of free visual timers to use for 1, 2, 5, 10 minutes and more!
Keep the volume low because the end of the timer sometimes plays a really loud sound that can be startling

Keep things consistent

For students who are having a hard time getting into the swing of things, try using the exact same materials/structure each session
In general all clients appreciate some type of structure

Don't repeat yourself

Say what you want one time and then wait
If needed try to follow up with a gestural cue. For example, it's time to leave lets go to the door. After giving the verbal stimulus, follow it up by getting up yourself & walking to the door.

Follow special interests

It's easier to target speech goals with materials that are of high interest to the client

Sweet Spot

I find 15 minutes weekly practicing a speech goal can make a difference!

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is not meant to replace language but enhance it

When using an AAC electronic device or picture cards, pair it with verbal language when possible. This should help enhance language not replace it. Tip: Start with the most motivating words (i.e. cracker, all done, candy, outside, play)

Break words down

If the word is no start with the first sound "n." You can say tongue up for "n." Lips rounded for "o."

Use backwards chaining

Backwards chaining is a cueing technique where you teach a child to say the end of the word first, then add the middle, and finally the beginning. This way, the child practices the most important part (often the ending sound or syllable that carries meaning) and builds success step by step.

Example: To teach “butterfly,” you’d start with “fly,” then “terfly,” and finally the full word “butterfly.” This approach helps kids who struggle with motor planning, sequencing sounds, or getting “stuck” at the start of words.

Use a mirror

For articulation therapy, it helps if you use a mirror for visual feedback. Out of all the speech therapy tools this is one of my favorites!

Make It Fun (but not too fun)

Activities in speech therapy should be fun and engaging but should not distract from targeting the goal

Set up language opportunities

Hand them a coloring sheet without crayons, leave candy in a closed jar... you get the idea.

Parallel Play & Parallel Play

Confused how to help your non verbal child? Play beside them, model their action and pair it with a one or two word phrase. "Car racing" "Go up" "Go down" "Try again" "Orange tree" "flying monkey"

Read Books Together | Speech Therapy Tips Made Easy

Point the pictures, name vocabulary items and have fun

Repeat back communication attempts

If you don't have a big talker and they FINALLY SAY SOMETHING repeat it back and continue on with specific praise- I like hearing your voice. If your child is easily startled don't freak out- play it cool as a cucumber

Observe

Don't over cue spend more time observing what is happening than taking action - Your future self with thank you. This is a profound speech therapy tool.

It's ok to fail

It's ok to totally bomb a session- Just pick up the pieces and move forward with more knowledge next time of what NOT to do. It's time to work on your speech therapy materials, speech therapy activities and learn from speech therapy tips. For additional support join my newsletter for freebies, inisghts, speech therapy tips and a few jokes.

Is speech therapy worth it?

I would say so. But it depends on the issue at hand. Is it a dental issue causing the distorted /s/ sound? Are they missing two front teeth and there for have a lisp? If you answered yes to either of the last two question a speech therapist is NOT the professional you need.

So whether your therapy space looks like a Pinterest-perfect speech therapy aesthetic or more like a tornado hit your speech therapy office, remember this: progress doesn’t come from having the fanciest speech therapy room setup, the trendiest speech therapy posters, or every last speech therapy toy for toddlers on Amazon. It comes from showing up, laughing at the chaos, and occasionally reusing the same speech therapy crafts because… who has time for new speech therapy materials diy every week?

Now go forth, conquer those speech therapy worksheets, organize your speech therapy task boxes, and if anyone asks why your speech therapy room decor includes three half-dead plants — just tell them it’s part of your monthly speech therapy themes.

The real magic, though, is consistency (and maybe bribery with stickers). If you want more tips, jokes & free resources that save your sanity—hop on my newsletter list.

Thanks for reading about speech therapy tips

My speech therapy tips are served with a side of sarcasm