Summer is a great time for children to relax, play, and enjoy the sunshine. However, it is also an excellent opportunity for parents and speech therapists to continue working on speech and language development. With the help of printable activities, children can have fun while improving their communication skills. Here are some summer speech therapy printable activities that you can use to keep your child engaged and learning during the break.
One fun and educational activity for summer speech therapy is a beach vocabulary matching game. Create a set of cards with pictures of beach-related items such as sandcastle, sunscreen, beach ball, and seashell. On another set of cards, write the names of these items. Have your child match the pictures with the corresponding words while practicing pronunciation and expanding their vocabulary.
Another engaging activity is a summer-themed bingo game. Create bingo cards with pictures of summer activities like swimming, hiking, and camping. Call out the names of the activities, and have your child place a marker on the corresponding picture. This game helps with listening skills, word recognition, and turn-taking.
For children working on articulation, a summer speech therapy printable activity could involve tongue twisters with a summer twist. Create a list of tongue twisters that focus on specific speech sounds, such as “Sally sells seashells by the seashore” for s-blends or “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” for plosives. Encourage your child to repeat the tongue twisters multiple times, focusing on correct pronunciation and clarity.
Summer is also a great time for outdoor scavenger hunts, which can be adapted for speech therapy. Create a list of items for your child to find in the backyard or at the park, such as a leaf, a rock, or a flower. As your child finds each item, have them practice saying its name aloud or describing it using specific vocabulary words. This activity helps with language comprehension, expressive language, and vocabulary building.
In conclusion, summer speech therapy printable activities are a fun and effective way to continue working on speech and language skills during the break. By incorporating games, puzzles, and outdoor adventures, children can stay engaged and motivated to improve their communication abilities. So, grab some printable materials, head outside, and make learning speech therapy a part of your summer fun!