It’s starting to get cool outside, the leaves are changing into those picturesque bright reds and yellows and we are baking up crisp apple pies! That means FALL is here! Be sure to FALL-fill your November with these language-rich and engaging activities to meet all your students’ goals. (All to be found for free on https://www.teacherspayteachers.com ).
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Apples-Following-Directions-Game-2120170
Apple picking following directions game - Bring a classic fall activity into the classroom with a spin! This interactive game focuses on:
- Following directions (“pick a red apple with one bite” or “pick a yellow apple with a worm inside”)
- Descriptive language (colors, size, one bite)
- Turn-taking
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Apple-Play-Dough-Mats-1444339
Apple Playdoh mats- One of my favorites! Play-doh mats allow you to elicit so much language with an added sensory element. We know our students are always eager to reach for the Play-doh! Just print, laminate, and grab some red or green play-doh.
Use red or green play-doh to make apples and act out what is going on in the scene with them:
- “Roll, roll, roll”
- “more - let’s make more”
- “put in the tree”
- count the apples… “1,2,3…”
- “pick an apple”
- “put in the basket”
- (feed the boy in the picture) “eat apple” “yum yum”
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/What-Am-I-Thanksgiving-Free-Speech-Therapy-4162562
What Am I? Thanksgiving- Students will be learning and laughing with this one! Don’t peek, stick your face into a thanksgiving food cut out, and have your peers help you guess whether you are the pie or the potatoes?!
- Targets multiple goals in one activity: inferencing, attributes, wh- questions, and question formation
- Visual and question prompts included if needed
Would you Rather-Thanksgiving Edition- Students will enjoy answering questions like “Would you rather play football “or “watch football?” and “Would you rather cook the entire Thanksgiving meal for your family” or “volunteer at a homeless shelter on thanksgiving?” This activity is great for students with fluency goals to practice spontaneous speech. They can pick a fluency strategy they have been utilizing (slow rate, easy onset, deep breath) to answer the question.
- Choice making
- Expressive language
- Fluency opportunities
Balloons Over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy’s Parade-This book can be found on Youtube. I love this memorable story and your students will too as you can do so much with it.
- Wh- questions and sequencing
- It can be coupled with Youtube Videos from current Macy’s day parades where your students can search for their favorite characters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtbQaNJ7LYM
- You can ask students how they think covid affected the annual parade? And what solutions they can come up with to solve that issue.
- You can have students design and draw their own thanksgiving float and describe it
Turkey Hat craft- It’s always fun to have something for your students to take home and share with their families. You can keep this as the following directions craft or enhance to meet more goals with the following suggestions:
- Articulation-add each students’ target sounds using pictures/words to the feathers
- Categories- put all the foods on the yellow feather, all the clothes on the blue feather, etc.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have as much fun doing these activities with your students as I do!
Author: Amanda Mezzadri, MS, CCC-SLP
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. The content is based on the author's personal experiences, research, and opinions. It is always recommended to consult with a qualified professional or expert before making any decisions or taking action based on the information provided in this blog.