Back to School! (All About Me Freebie Included)
Please let us have a normal year…please let us have a normal year…please let us have a normal year. Am I the only one with this playing in my head?
I’m not sure what “normal” is these days, but we are jumping in and hoping for the best at our house. This year, I have an 8th grader, 6th grader, 3rd grader (self contained), and a Kindergartner (that last one is a little shocking!)
Secret: I fake our Back to School picture every year.
You Moms who get everyone ready and take a picture on the first day of school (and often even the last) are not of this world. You’re amazing! That’s what I’m telling myself.
These are some of my favorite fake days before Back to School pictures.
Mom Hack: Put the picture in the frame each year….then have them hold the frame in the photo. That makes it so that every single picture is in the shot. Isn’t that cool?
Extra Tip (this is a secret): Don’t forget to buy the picture. Then you’ll have to download photoshop and insert a fake picture so that you don’t miss an entire year. Oops.
Organization Tips and Tricks for Back to School!
I use tote boxes by season. I use these very cute Monthly Labels and
have 4 boxes: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. I change them out in
the back of my car every 3 months and always have my evaluation box with
me.
I have some standard things that I always have with me (You can click on images to find out where to purchase or download):
- My Rolling Cart: I’m a therapist on the go. I work out of my car and go in and out of various buildings. This has been a game changer! It’s a heavy duty version from Home Depot. It
has held up very well and even works in rain and snow. You can mix and match which of the boxes you
include and it has stayed water-safe when I’ve gone in and out of
buildings.
- My Calendar: I love this one from Polka Dot Posie. I print it off at home each year
Back to School Lesson Plans
Click the Image Below to download a free copy of the Back to School Lesson Plan in the Freebie Library. If you need the password, click here.
Books and Read Alouds
I love including books in my sessions and at home. These books are great for preschool, kindergarten, special education, and home school.
Read Alouds
Kindergarten, Here I Come! by DJ Syeinberg
If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff
The Pigeon HAS to Go to School by Mo Willems
Books
Time for School, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
Printable Book Companion by Elizabeth Hepler (in Freebie library)
Digital Boom Cards Book Companion by Elizabeth Hepler
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books by Lucile Colandro
Printable Book Companion by Elizabeth Hepler
Digital Boom Cards Book Companion by Elizabeth Hepler
Upack the Bag by Panda Speech
Click, Clack, Quack to School by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
Songs
Back to School by Jack Hartmann
Printable and Digital Favorites
Visuals: I’m a firm believer in visuals. Up until this past year, I didn’t fully understand that ALL children are visual learners. I had assumed that visuals were mostly for nonverbal children, but they are for us all!
- Visual Schedules: I use both printable and digital versions of these, depending on what I need.
This book system is by Especially Education. They have both clip art and printable version. This is the best book I’ve seen in years of searching. It’s sectioned off with pictures for both school and home, which is great for carryover. It takes some time to put together, but it’s really unique and you can personalize it!
This is my go-to set of Visuals for Speech Therapy. It has so many great things:
1) Visual Schedules: First Then Boards, First Next Last, To Do Done, Therapy Session Schedules, (3 Part, 4 part), Read Mark Do, etc
2) Binder Size and Task Box Size for Visual Schedules
3) Digital Visual Schedule: Boom Cards
4) Language Visuals Task Box: categories, colors, shapes, virtual learning cues, behavior cues, yes/no questions, /wh/ questions, and more!
5) Virtual Learning Cues for teletherapy, online learning, hybrid instruction, home schooling, and face to face therapy and school
6) Feelings page: emotions, pragmatic language
7) I Want or I Need Page: sensory integration items
8) Instructions for Assembly and Use
Dot Art
You can use dot art for articulation 100 drill practice reinforcement (using bingo chips and a magnetic wand, dot markers, crayons, or stickers).
Interactive E-Book: School Tools
Digital Circle Time & All About Me
Articulation Games
This articulation set of Boom Cards is one of my best sellers. It covers 83 sounds, phonological processes, and speech sound targets.
You can grab a free sample here:
Language Games
Zingo
V-Tech Alphabet Bus