The Best Articulation Activities for Speech Therapists

Have the MOST Fun with the Least Prep!

Here are 10 Ideas for fun and engaging articulation therapy with little prep work!

Dot Art
Feed Me Games
Make it Take it Crafts
Books
Digital Games
Print & Go Games
Card Games
Sensory Bins
Pair with Games
Visuals

Using Dot Art

Kids absolutely love dot art. You can use these activities in so many different ways (crayons, bingo markers, mini objects, stickers, magnetic wand and chips, etc)…and send them home for carryover!

Print and Go Dot Art can include 100 trials for lots and lots of practice. Pair this with articulation cards and you have a fun and easy way to get a LOT of trials in during a short amount of time.

Other dot art might have seasonal themes…and pictures/word lists embedded into the page! This makes an easy way to print and go with no need to bring along target cards or words.

You can find a HUGE set with over 700 pages of no prep printable pages in my TpT store. Grab a free sample of dot art right here! If you need articulation cards…check out my articulation bundle.

Using Feed Me Games

Talk about enaging and giggle filled! Kids are engaged and laughing when they play “feed me” games. You can easily pair articulation cards with any “Feed Me” printable for hours of fun with lots of trials built in. Your students won’t realize they are working!

My students love using the “Old Lady” paired with the book series…and articulation cards. This is an easy way to work with mixed groups (language and articulation)…and to add variety to your sessions. You can read the book then engage in play with the Old Lady! I used a tissue box on the back of this easy printable…and we had a blast! You can find the Old Lady Book Companion and “Feed Me” head right here on this website or in my TpT shop.

Using Make it Take it Crafts

You can combine “Feed Me” games and make it take it crafts for your students who love art projects! We used paper bags to make these easy summer characters. I had little picture squares they could feed to the characters. All of these came in print and go black and white…so the kids could take these home afterward. This meant they wanted to practice at home…and they now had the resources to do this!

Materials Needed:

Paper Bags
Printed Characters
Printed Artic Squares
Crayons
Glue, Tape, or Stapler
Scissors- fine motor practice AND articulation…yes please!

Parents love stuff like this! It shows you care about including the family in the goals and progress.

Using Books

I love incorporating books into my sessions. This is an easy way to increase a love for reading…and a great way to model sound productions before you start practicing or drilling.

For specific book ideas, check out my blog posts with “tips and tricks” for various sounds.

Using Digital Games

Whether you’re in teletherapy, in person without access to many physical resources, or working with a student who loves technology…digital resources can really help your articulation sessions.

There are a lot of great apps on the market. One of my favorites is Articulation Station. I like the real photos and options for sounds in a variety of positions and length of practice (word level to story).

Boom Learning is my favorite website for digital practice. My only complaint is the reliance on good internet access to use. If you’re in someone’s home and you don’t have internet access on your own device…you can’t play these games. Other than that, this is by far the easiest way to find a LOT of different games for TONS of purposes.

One of my favorites on Boom Learning is The Big Box of Articulation. This brings the traditional card decks to a digital format…to allow you to practice drilling words one at a time or playing Memory online!

Using Print and Go Games

My students have absolutely LOVED playing print and go games this year. I’ve also won over several parents by sending home copies for them to use at home. This has engaged students who never want to practice for their parents. I heard “oh my goodness…she will play this game for HOURS and she never practices otherwise!” We used frogs to flip with the one below…but we could also have done a magnetic wand and chips, dot markers, erasers, stickers, etc!

Using Card Games

Traditional card games are a great way for elementary aged students to engage in articulation practice. I like using articulation cards to play Memory, Go Fish, and other childhood games. I store my set in colorful photo boxes. You can find the box at Michaels or on Amazon.

Using Sensory Bins

Confession: I do not love a sensory bin. Haha! Unfortunately for me, nearly all of my students do! I see a lot of SLPs using things like beans, rice, and other fillers with their articulation cards, mini objects, and other targets buried inside. I do not have those photos to offer you…because I just can’t do it. 😉 However…I have found I could tolerate making a frozen sensory bin. This was a lot of fun. We froze toys in a box and used tools to excavate them out. You could do this with well laminated cards or objects that represent target sounds.

Using Cards Paired with Store Bought Games

Mrs Elizabeth is the queen of games. I think I love playing them just as much as the kids do. Some of my favorite store bought games are:

I like to pair whatever easy printable I have on hand with store bought games to increase engagement…and to send home for carryover! Parents love having something to put on the fridge for practice later. Kids love showing off what they’ve learned.

Using Visuals

I am such a fan of visuals for nearly all of my students. I find it engaging to have visual cues in place to cue how the mouth should look…and what position of the word the target is in.

This set has both of these types of cues: 1) how the mouth looks, 2) what part of the word. Best of all…it is FREE! You can snag it by signing up for my email list below.