Someone is learning and making progress!
Meredith of Peachie Speechie and I (Mandi of Panda Speech) have teamed up to talk about how we play games in speech! It is a commonly known fact that SLPs use board games in therapy sessions to engage their students. It is definitely not as easy as it sounds! We have to incorporate other materials relevant to each of the student’s objectives in between turns, not to mention cueing and modeling social skills. Let me say this, it is NOT all fun and games……it’s learning. I found the acronym for the word G.A.M.E.S (in the cover image) that I thought shed a better light on why we use these types of games in therapy. Games And Motivation
Equal Success.
That is truly the essence of it...MOTIVATION! The great thing about using common board games in therapy is that they are recognizable to the students. I love to see my student’s eyes light up when I pull out Jenga, Crocodile Dentist, or Connect 4. I love to hear
“I know this game” or “I play this all the time!”
This is meaningful to the students because they have seen these games in their homes and in their classes. If a student can relate to an activity, it translates into greater engagement and enthusiasm for learning (again, think about the word MOTIVATION).
I started creating game companions in order to make playing these types of games in speech more directly therapeutic! Meredith from Peachie Speechie also shares a love of board games and creates many engaging companions that I use in my speech room weekly! Here is what Meredith had to say:
I love how games naturally encourage social language skills such as turn taking, sharing, and working as a team. With a few modifications, games can be used to target a variety of speech and language skills with the added bonus of being FUN. And I'm not just talking about fun for the kids! I like to play games with my students, which gives me the opportunity to model expected behaviors and target skills.
We wanted to share some of our favorites, we think you will like them too! There are links to a ton of FREEBIES below! (Click on any of the images or underlined text).
Stacking Blocks Companions!
I have four products that pair with the popular stacking blocks game! I made a mat for EVERY student on my caseload and many SLPs have raved about these!
Language Blocks: 18 different language areas and 80 mats!
Articulation Blocks: All phonemes and 72 mats!
Fluency Blocks: 6 Fluency Strategies with strategy teaching cards!
Conversation Blocks: Great for carry over and social skills!
Popping Swords
This one is a HIT in my speech room! Which sword will make the pirate pop? Meredith made articulation companion mats to use with this game! Genius! She is also working on a language product to pair with this game!
Four in a Row!
I made these articulation mats with targets in the initial, medial, and final positions (all phonemes). Take turns playing this fun game and practicing articulation at the same time!
Crocodile!
Who doesn't love this game? Meredith has a great pack that covers a variety of articulation and language objectives. Get a free sample of this product by signing up for Peachie Speechie emails HERE!
Climb It & Slide!
Another classic game with articulation companion mats! This product can also be a stand-alone activity (drill game).
Bananas!
Students will go bananas to find the letters to complete their speech words!
Dice Games
Use dice and my score sheets with the articulation targets right on them! I also made the scoring simple for elementary aged students. This is great for older articulation students (it covers later developing sounds).
The hard to find game!
Many SLPs covet the elusive, near extinct game. If you are lucky enough to have one, Meredith has some card companions to work on therapy goals!
Apples!
This is such a motivating game for my students! Meredith has made these cute apple articulation mats to go a long with it!
Guessing Game!
This is a new edition to the Peachie Speechie Store. This product puts a twist on articulation drills! Put the cards right in the game and drill away! She also included clue cards with this product! I can't wait to use this!
The Ice Breaking Game!
Find great companions for this fun game by:
The Popular Candy Board Game!
This game is also VERY popular in the speech room!
Short and Sweet Speech has articulation cards to go with this game. Get her free sample here!
Speech Room News has a TON of great companions covering a variety of speech and language targets.
Twisting Fun!
Speech therapists always amaze me with their creativity! Check out TLC Talk Shop's companion to Twister! Get her FREEBIE of this product here!
I hope you were inspired to start playing games in speech therapy! Dust off those board games (dig through your hall closet if you need to) and put those board games to work (#putboardgamestowork).
Like we said, we don't play games in speech...we provide motivation to learn!