Fun Fall Activities to Improve Engagement in Speech Class

Fun Fall Activities 

By this time in the school year, hopefully your speech schedule is (mostly) finalized, you’re building rapport with your students, and you’re getting into the swing of the new school year.

• “Apple Trouble” by Ragnhild Scamell
• “How To Make An Apple Pie” and See the World by Majorie Priceman 
• “When The Leaf Blew In” by Steve Metzger 
• “The Golden Acorn” by Katy Hudson 
• “We’re Going On A Leaf Hunt” by Steve Metzger 

While you read the book, have your older students go on a “Word Hunt” to find vocabulary or target words from the text.  Your language students can work on sequencing events from the story and retelling the story using transition words. Then, continue to build off the theme with more fun activities, such as hiding leaves around the speech room, which is also a great way to incorporate gross motor into your sessions.  One of my favorite materials is the “Learning Resources Alphabet Acorns Activity Set” from Learning Resources.  It comes with mini objects you can use, or you can fill them with your own target cards for students to practice.  

 
Fall-Themed Sensory Bins to Address Articulation and Language Skills 

Sensory bins are great to use in therapy because you can create them by using things you might find in nature or things you already have set aside in a bin of seasonal household decorations.  Items for your bin might include acorns, leaves, and my personal fall favorite – gourds!  Using different types of gourds is a great way to work on descriptive words, like big, shiny, smooth, soft, and bumpy. 

For The Crafty SLP 

If you’re a crafty SLP (or even if you’re not), a really simple activity to make with your students is a torn paper craft.  Have your students tear pieces of colored construction paper and glue those pieces onto a printout of a fall item/object, like an apple, acorn, or leaf.  It’s a great way to incorporate fine motor into your sessions, and it is easy to pair with individual communication boards if needed. 

I hope these ideas inspire you to have some fall-themed fun in the speech room! 

Author:  Kelly Leis, M.Ed., CCC-SLP