5 Fun Play-Based Ideas for Preschool Speech Teletherapy

As a play-based pediatric speech therapist, I remember feeling totally overwhelmed when I first had to switch to teletherapy.
All I could think was, “How on earth am I going to provide playful, engaging learning opportunities to my preschool and early elementary students through a screen?”

Here’s the truth — not every speech therapy activity works well for telepractice. Over time, I experimented, adapted, and discovered a handful of strategies that kept sessions interactive, built language skills, and worked beautifully online. These are my top five play-based activities for teletherapy that preschool SLPs can use right now — no special pandemic context required.

1) Hide-and-Find with Mini Objects

Kids love the element of surprise! Hide everyday items, mini erasers, or small toys inside fillable eggs, under cups, or behind objects. This activity is fantastic for targeting:

• Core vocabulary

• Requesting skills

• Describing and spatial concepts

It’s simple, interactive, and works across ages and goals.

2) Same Toy, Same Play

Choose a toy that both you and the child have — playdough, cars, animal figurines — and mirror each other’s actions and words. Use the “add one” strategy (adding a word or action to what the child does) to:

• Model verbs and action words

• Demonstrate turn-taking

• Show parents how to use toys they already own for language learning

3) Tell Me How to Build It

This works beautifully with Lego, Duplo, Magformers, blocks, or Mr. Potato Head. The child tells you step-by-step how to build something — and since they can’t physically touch the pieces, they must use clear, precise language. Great for:

• Sequencing

• Spatial concepts (on, under, next to)

• Temporal concepts (first, then, last)

4) Pretend Cooking Recipes

Plan a recipe together using pretend food, then have the child “cook” by giving you instructions: cut, stir, put in the pot, serve. This play-based teletherapy idea is perfect for:

• Vocabulary building

• Verb tense practice

• Sequencing and following directions

5) Play-Based BOOM Cards

One of my favorite teletherapy tools! Each set has warm-up play ideas plus open-ended scenes for interactive storytelling and language practice. With 10 themed sets, I could rotate through them all year - and they became some of my most-used digital resources.

Kristen, an SLP, shared:

“This resource is FANTASTIC. It captures such a variety of ages and goals, and my patients never get tired of it. I’ll keep using it even in-person!”

 Why These Work
These activities aren’t just screen fillers — they’re research-informed, play-based strategies that make virtual speech therapy effective, engaging, and fun for preschoolers and early elementary students. Whether you’re doing full telepractice or occasional virtual sessions, they’ll help you keep the play alive.

Want to try out one for free? Check out the Hairdresser BOOM Card here!