In school-based settings, speech language pathologists are tasked with implementing engaging activities that target individualized goals.
Creating interesting activities based on student interest supports rapport building with students. If you are looking for teletherapy-based activities that will promote language development and increase peer engagement, these strategies and book activities can help grow your clinical toolkit.
Usage of Story Reading in Speech Therapy
Short stories with pictures can be used to target a variety of goals in speech therapy. A few examples are as follows:
Expressive language:
Answering ‘Wh’ questions, story retell, development of syntax structure, sequencing, and demonstrating usage of functional vocabulary.
Receptive language:
Following one-step directions, targeting spatial concepts, and receptive comprehension of descriptive and qualitative (e.g., size, color, shape).
Fluency and articulation:
These areas can also be addressed by selecting books that include target sounds or by retelling the story using taught fluency strategies.
Selecting and Adapting Books for Teletherapy
Many local libraries offer e-book editions of popular children’s books. There are also academically based websites, such as ReadWorks, that provide selections of readings. When selecting books for teletherapy, it can be helpful to find texts that work alongside other engaging, hands-on activities. Books with engaging pictures or descriptive storylines that include vivid details are useful for targeting multiple goals.
One such book is Old MacDonald’s Things That Go written by Jane E. Clark. Below are a few ideas for implementing this book—and others—in teletherapy. An in-person facilitator or teaching assistant can assist students with completing the activities listed.
Corresponding Activities
Draw three pictures representing three events in the book. Students can create a flipbook out of the three pictures and retell the story.
Practice articulation sounds by imitating the sounds of vehicles in the book (e.g., “crash,” “beep beep”).
Listen to a song that aligns with the book and sing along (e.g., “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”).
Complete a craft for the book. For example, print out a blank outline of a vehicle and allow the student to use stickers and construction paper to design their own vehicle. This activity targets requesting, initiating, and following multi-step directions.
Books to Explore That Promote Language Development
- Mooncake by Frank Asch
- Cat Up a Tree by Ann Hassett
- School Is More Than a Building by Kelley Donner
- Big and Small by Elizabeth Bennett
- Roaring Rockets by Tony Mitto
Author: Klarissa Grissom, M.S., CCC-SLP
