Preschool speech therapy is so fun because it can include a huge variety of different activities- fine motor, gross motor, play based activities and so much more! Not to mention preschoolers are the CUTEST!
But, when you are a new graduate - or a new to Preschool SLP - it can be overwhelming knowing what you need vs. what you want.
I am a true believer that less is more! I have bought LOADS of resources and materials that I have never used.
Today, I am sharing my favorite resources that I consider to be "must haves" for any preschool SLP because:
They can be used in every session.
They can be used with most kids on your caseload.
They can be used to target or support a HUGE variety of speech and language goals.
They will simply your life.
I have been VERY selective and truly wanted to give you something that is feasible to put together quickly and without breaking the bank (you can snag ALL these resources for a HUGE savings total in this MONEY SAVING BUNDLE!)
For your convenience, I have sorted them into four categories: visual supports, assessment resources, printable resources, and toys/games.
VISUAL SUPPORTS
SPEECH THERAPY VISUAL SCHEDULE:
I created the Visual Schedule for Speech Therapy to be PERFECT for speech therapy! It includes all the 'hard to find' icons, like pop up games, interactive books, and oral mechanism exam. It includes over 140 icons and can be printed three different sizes to fit your specific needs. Grab yours here.
The low prep visuals bundle is perfect to support your students in any speech therapy activity, including play based speech therapy and drill activities! These are the one thing I always have with me in my sessions because I know there is a visual for EVERYTHING - including receptive language, expressive language, and positive behaviour.
You can print them FULL page of 4/page for easy transportability! Check them out here!
SPEECH SOUND CUE CARDS: Use these adorable speech sound cue cards to give your speech sound students verbal, visual, tactile, and metacognitive cues! These are suitable for Apraxia of Speech, Articulation Disorders, and Phonological Delays! The backside of each card features a name for the sound, a placement cue, a hand cue, and a picture cue, making them perfect to send home or share with teachers to promote carryover! Check them out here!
PRINTABLE RESOURCES
ARTICULATION CARDS: Love them or hate them - articulation cards are used in most therapy rooms! If you're looking for some bright and colourful (and black and white) articulation cards, make sure to check out my Articulation Cards for Speech Therapy! The clipart is all cohesive and the words are all functional and meaningful!
NO PREP SPEECH AND LANGUAGE ACTIVITY BINDER: This binder includes over 30 highly motivating activities for your preschoolers! Choose from the 30+ gross motor activities, fine motor activities, and games and pair with the 100+ goal strips for endless options! The best part is that your students can pick ANY activity they want to do and you can just grab this binder and target allll the goals!
PLAY BASED SPEECH THERAPY GOAL ACTIVITY SHEETS: These included over 35 handouts that include LOADS of ideas for targeting common goals in speech therapy, like answering wh-questions, concepts, phonological awards, and more! Each handout includes ideas for play based therapy, cueing hierarchy, typical age of acquisition! These are perfect to help you grab ANYTHING and target the goal. They are also great for sharing with parents and school staff to help promote carryover!
ASSESSMENT RESOURCES
Informal Speech and Language Therapy Assessment This speech therapy assessment includes everything you need to assess articulation and phonology! There are informal assessments for specific phonological patterns, specific articulation sounds, as well as general speech sound screeners, 30+ sound loaded scenes, and even a play-based speech sound assessment! You can choose which one is best suited for your situation. This is an all-in-one speech sound assessment kit.
Informal Play Based Language Assessment for Speech Therapy This assessment is perfect to get information about your student's language skills in a natural and meaningful way. You can get multiple trials and use a variety of cues to provide a dynamic assessment for your student and choose goals! The pet theme is also highly motivating for students and keeps them engaged the entire time! (no wiggly bums!) You can check it out here!
Preschool Speech Therapy Goal Bank: This MASSIVE Preschool Speech and Language Goal Bank includes IEP goals for speech and language, including: receptive language, expressive language, social language, early language, play skills, classroom participation, speech sounds, wh questions, language processing, rhyming, and behaviour. It is editable, customizable, and can be used over and over with all of my students. It has completely changed my (and other SLPs) goal-writing game! Check it out here!
This bundle includes ALL of these resources for a MASSIVE savings!
FREE ASSESSMENT RESOURCES
FREE PLAY BASED SPEECH SOUND ASSESSMENT:
Snag this free articulation assessment and use play to assess your student's speech sounds! Includes manipulatives, norms, and instructions. You will be able to figure out the production of every English sound in each word position - all through playful farm themed activities!
The farm themed assessment is sure to be a hit in your therapy room!
The free play assessment for is perfect for assessments, reviews, and parental report! A big part of preschool speech therapy is PLAY so this form will help you figure out what your student enjoys, how they like to play, and what level of play they are at.
This easy to use speech therapy form takes only a few minutes to complete and will give you invaluable information about your student!
You can grab both of these (and more!) by signing up for my email list
(link below).
TOYS/GAMES
If you want bigger lists of resources/ideas, please feel free to check out the following blogs (But be warned - you might get overwhelmed if you're just starting out!)
BONUS IDEA!
I also suggest taking the Play Based Speech Therapy Course. The Ultimate Play Based Speech Therapy Course is a comprehensive step-by-step program where you'll learn to use play based therapy with children of all ages, look at anything as a therapy tool, and develop connections with your students through play. It was created by two SLPs who combined all their knowledge and experience so you don' have to use trial and error (like we did!).
If you want to learn more about Play Based Therapy, make sure to follow us on IG @playbasedspeechtherapycourse and hop on our email list for LOADS of free and easy therapy ideas!
Interested in play based therapy ideas, access to freebies (like the ones below) and special offers?