It’s that time of the year! Summer is coming to an end and the new school year will be here before we know it. As we enjoy our final days of summer break, we also need to start thinking about our students and fun, creative ways to kick off the school year. What follows is a list of various icebreakers, activities, and games to get your students acclimated and excited to start the school year. Enjoy!

Congratulations! You’ve earned another degree, passed the Praxis, and will be starting a new career- that’s reason to celebrate.  As a Speech- Language Pathologist, you’ve selected a career path that will change you and the way you view the world. Whether you’ve decided to work in a rehab facility, hospital, private practice, or school setting, you’ll have the unique privilege of helping others in amazing ways. You will be challenged in new ways, you will learn so much, and the reward of helping others will keep you going. Going into my fourth year of this amazing career field, I’ve come up with 10 tips I hope will carry you through your first year as an SLP. Best of luck, you’ll do great things!

August 25^th-31^st is Speech Pathology Week. The purpose of the week is to promote the profession of speech language pathology as well as bring awareness to the work being done by SLPs in Australia in the area of communication and swallowing disorders. This year’s theme is “Communicating with Confidence”. Although this event is hosted by Speech Pathology Australia, SLPs across the globe can use this week as an opportunity to increase awareness in their workplace and communities about the span of our scope of practice.

Are your kids bored this summer and just sitting on electronics? Do you need more learning websites to recommend to parents? Well, over the years and working at multiple schools, I have come across some really fun, exciting learning sites for all kids.

You may be asking, “Why does it matter that kindergarteners develop solid fine motor skills?” or “Why use fine motor boxes in the kindergarten classroom?” These are valid questions that I hope to clarify for you in this post.

Summer is almost halfway over and the stores are lining shelves with back to school supplies, but you haven’t practiced your child’s speech and language skills since the last bell. Don’t fret, it’s not too late to start practicing, refreshing, and getting back on track! If you can’t remember goal areas, it’s time to dig up that IEP, progress report, or if possible see if your kiddo remembers. No matter what the specifics are, most (not all) goals focus on specific sounds (articulation) or on words/vocabulary/sentences (language). Even if your child’s skill area is slightly different such as stuttering or social skills, these tips and tricks can be applied or modified slightly to provide a boost to all areas of speech and language. Here are some quick, easy, and fun activities with a language or sound-based focus to spruce up the last half of your summer!

Everything old is new again, including the trend of reading aloud to children. Teachers have continued this practice in early primary grades, and, as my own mother did for her last 10 or more years of teaching, struggle to keep the practice up in upper elementary classrooms. Over the past six months or so, I have heard buzzing about the importance of read-aloud and I was interested to hear more about what is going on. First, stop to get a pulse on this reading-aloud-like-it’s-new trend was Pinterest. Wow! What do you want to know? Pinterest, like always, has the latest and greatest. I knew when I saw the endless list of grade/age level books, how to’s, and read aloud strategies pinned for teachers, and parents, this is a legit revival! As a person who has fond memories of being read to and reading to children, this is a spark of happiness to see the interest in reading to children again at school and at home. Why is this so important? And why the interest in the topic? Years of research that often seemed to be shelved in favor of other techno-practices is still valid and has a fountain of positive benefits for the listener and the reader. Several of these reasons are evident in assessment data, such as listening comprehension, phonics, oral expression, vocabulary, as well as attention span measures. Here are my top reasons to celebrate and practice read aloud again:

The United States has experienced a significant increase in the number of students with cultural, linguistic, and diverse backgrounds in recent years. There are over 400 different languages recorded for these students. They bring with them new challenges for educators, many who are lacking knowledge or training on how to address the needs of these students. As a result, many of these children are referred to special education services. Without extensive knowledge of acculturation and language factors, educators rely on bilingual assessment specialists to intervene on their behalf.

By now your students are halfway through the summer, enjoying their freedom with pool parties, popsicles, and sunshine. With less than a month left before school begins again, it’s important to continue providing natural learning opportunities to incorporate language skills and growth. July 4th is, in my opinion, one of the best national holidays and just so happens to be a great day to focus on a variety of language skills. Traditional Fourth of July activities includes a ton of interactive activities such as BBQ parties, fireworks, parades, and picnics. Below are some ideas to incorporate articulation, receptive, and expressive language skills for a variety of age groups:

Sometimes I feel a bit late to the party.  The most recent party I have become aware of is Podcasts!  I know I may not be the only one who has joined into the auditory fiesta of podcasts, and the buffet is overwhelming with choices of what to tune into.  As someone who collects data as part of my job, I collected some polling data from special educators across the country to find what they are listening to.