Engaging Speech Therapy Games for Kids

For many parents, the idea of speech therapy games for kids seems like something best done in speech therapy sessions only. You might be surprised to find that there are many engaging speech therapy games that can easily be done at home! (In fact, when you use these activities at home, you're helping support the effectiveness of your child's formal speech therapy through extended practice.) You might be even more surprised to learn that some of the games you already know and love can also be used to support your child's speech development! Let's dive into this a bit more.

Keep the goal in mind!

The first thing to consider is the goal you hope to accomplish with speech therapy games at home. Articulation concerns are generally the most common type of speech delay in small children, so we'll focus on a few speech therapy games for kids that support articulation in this post.

Key terms to know

Before we go any further, let's define a couple of key terms you need to know. You'll see these terms throughout the game descriptions, and they're essential to your understanding of speech therapy support at home.

• articulation: the clear pronunciation of sounds. Children with articulation delays or articulation disorders have difficulty producing the correct speech sounds.

• articulation cards: These are specific cards that feature pictures, very much like picture flashcards. The pictures represent words that target a specific speech sound. These cards are used to help a child practice his/her sound production. For example, the /s/ sound might be represented by a picture of a sun. These are usually selected based on the child's developmental level and what is needed to establish a new sound production, among other factors. These cards vary from child to child, so talk with your child's speech therapist to obtain an accurate set of articulation cards you can use at home. Then use those cards to play any of the games below!

Engaging Speech Therapy Games for Kids

• Go Fish! Did you know that this fun, familiar game is also supportive of your child's speech development? Simply print or copy two sets of your articulation cards as the "playing cards," and then play Go Fish according to the standard rules of play. Note: For this version, you may only require your child to make a "match" of two cards, rather than a "book" of four cards, as in the traditional rules of play for Go Fish.

  
  

• Memory If your child is a fan of card games, this one is a perfect addition to your at-home activities list. Similar to Go Fish, you only need two sets of articulation cards to play. Lay both sets of cards face-up on the table. Allow your child a brief amount of time to study the placement of the articulation cards. Then flip the cards face-down. Players take turns flipping two cards over (one from each set) at a time to try to make a match. You must say the word the picture on the card represents as you flip, regardless of whether they match or not. If you make a match, keep the pair of cards. If your cards do not match, flip them back over in the same position. Take turns flipping cards until all matches have been made. The player with the most cards wins!

Note: Keep the number of cards relatively small at first. A set of six articulation cards (which would make twelve cards once doubled) is a perfect starting point. You can add more words as your child matures.

• Articulation Bowling This one is particularly effective for kids who require an extra amount of movement in their learning activities. To play this game, you can either purchase a set of plastic toy bowling pins or you can create your own "bowling pins" using empty water bottles. If you use the water bottles, you may want the warp the bottoms just a bit to make them unstable. They will tumble over easier that way! Once you have some form of bowling pins, simply attach an articulation card to each pin and line them up in a bowling formation. Your child will roll a ball to knock down as many pins as possible. He/she will pronounce the word for the picture on each pin that falls. Once all pins are down, line them up, and play again!

  
  

• Speech Card Hide-and-Seek This is a fun twist on the traditional version of hide-and-seek. As the name implies, you hide articulation cards throughout a room in your home, and your child seeks them all. Don't forget to have your child pronounce the word the picture represents each time he/she finds a card.

  
  

• Turn a Board Game into a Speech Game! You can use your child's favorite board game for this one. (Think Candyland or Chutes and Ladders!) Simply replace the standard cards with your articulation cards, and play the game according to the standard rules of play! Optional: For extra practice, you may have your child pronounce the word at least three times for each turn.

  
  

• Scavenger Hunt Most children enjoy a scavenger hunt, and this one is particularly challenging! Show your child one articulation card. Your child will pronounce the word the picture represents and the corresponding target sound. (For example, the /s/ sound might be represented by a picture of a sun.) Then your child must go on a scavenger hunt for an item that matches the target sound for that card. Use multiple articulation cards or have your child try to find more than one item that matches a single target sound.

Final tips

• Join your child in playing speech therapy games! He/she will have more fun playing with you, and the experience will be more meaningful. You can always boost your child's motivation by letting him/her choose which speech game to play!

• Communicate with your speech therapist to decide which sounds, specifically, you should review at home. Using his/her recommendations will ensure that you're reinforcing what your child is learning in speech therapy through your play at home.

• When your child engages in speech therapy games, he/she will not even realize they are doing "speech work" at home! The consistent practice will have a tremendous impact on his/her speech development, though. Whether your child realizes it or not, you are playing a crucial role in facilitating his/her progress. Way to go!