SLP CFY Must Have Activities For Articulation Therapy

The other day I got a request on my YouTube Channel for a list of my must have items for new grads and SLP’s in their CFY. I instantly thought “That is genius! I need to get on that ASAP!”

Unfortunately, our scope is so huge, I couldn’t make a succinct list of all the things I think a CF should have in his or her toolbox. So, I decided to start by creating a list of the most engaging activities that I constantly go back to for articulation therapy. Each item on the list is affordable, and with a little creativity, can be used in infinite ways!

Before we get started though, let me explain how this post will work. First, I am going to give you a list of the items/activities. Then, I will go through and give you a few brief examples of how I have used these items in articulation therapy. I don’t want this to get too wordy for you, I just want you to be able to quickly skim through the post and get inspired to create your own sessions!

If you need some done-for-you ideas for using these materials, you will want to grab this free calendar that has 21 days of movement activities!

Must have articulation materials for new speech therapy CF's

Must Have Items for A New Speech Therapy CF: Articulation Therapy Edition

  1. Squigz
  2. Blue Painters Tape
  3. Velcro Ball and Mitt
  4. Magnetic Magic Wand
  5. Tongs
  6. Dabbers
  7. Jenga, Mega Bloks, Blocks
  8. Poppers
  9. Basketball Hoop
  10. Articulation Reading Passages

#1: Squigz

  1. Hide pictures around the room, students put a Squig by the picture and practice the word. Students practice the word again when they remove the Squig.
  2. Students race to use a suction hammer to hit laminated picture cards before practicing the words.
  3. Line up the Squigs on a white board. Each time they put a Squig on they practice the word. They go back and pull the Squigz off and practice the words again.
  4. Students use a Squig to make a selection of laminated pictures.
  5. Each color Squig represents a different word. Hide the Squigz around the room. When the students find the Squig they say the word it represents.

#2: Blue Painters Tape

  1. Tear off a piece, write/ say a word, connect the words to make a train.
  2. Tear off a piece, write/say a word, crumple the pieces into a ball, see how big of a ball you can make.
  3. Write target words on tape, hide it around the room.
  4.  Give student a long piece of tape. Set a time for 30 sec-1 minute and have the student tear the tape into as many pieces as possible. Say that many target words. Repeat a few times.
  5. Write a word on piece of tape and student puts it on their forehead. Students take turns giving clues and trying to guess the word on their forehead.

#3: Velcro Ball and Mitt

  1. Say a word (or 5) and catch the ball.
  2. Count how many times you can throw and catch the ball. The number you drop the ball on is how many words the student has to practice.
  3. Kids love this simple activity!  
fun articulation activities

#4: Magnetic “Magic” Wand

  1. Say a word, put down a chip, pick them up when the chips are gone.
  2. This works great for isolation, syllables, and words.
  3. Put the chips on smash mats instead of play dough
  4. Student says a word. If the production is good, it goes into a “good pile”. If the production is incorrect, it goes into the “needs improvement pile”. Student gets to pick them up at the end. This is great for self monitoring.

#5: Tongs

  1. Picking up picture cards out of sensory bins.
  2. Moving mini erasers onto picture cards.
  3. Stacking mini erasers.
  4. Moving pom poms onto picture cards.
  5. Say the word or sound. If the production is good, use the tongs to move a mini eraser into a “good production” container and if the production needs improvement, move the mini eraser into the “needs work” container.
  6. Picking up picture cards that have been hidden around the room.

#6: Dabbers

  1. Use on unlaminated smash mats.
  2. To “color” articulation words.
  3. Say a sound in isolation, do a dot.
  4. Use dots to “write” the letter of the sound being targeted in isolation.
  5. Say the word or sound. Use one color dot if the production was good and one-color dot if the production needs improvement. This helps the student self-monitor!

#7: Jenga, Mega Bloks, Blocks

  1. Student says a word and gets a block to add to the tower. See how you can build the tower.
  2. Student says a word for each block of the tower he takes down.
  3. Hide pieces around the room. Each color block represents one word. When the student finds that color, he practices the corresponding word.

#8: Poppers

  1. Great to use with this set of popper activities from Texas Speech Mom!
  2. Make your own targets on your white board and shoot the popper at the board.
  3. Shoot the popper at articulation cards.

#9: Basketball Hoop

  1. Throw the ball, say a word (or 5).
  2. Play HORSE, the student practices words when he gets out.
  3. Roll a dice, whatever number it lands on is how many times you throw the ball and the number of times you say a target word.
  4. Use it as a reward at the end of the session.
  5. Kids instantly think you are the coolest when they walk in and see you have a basketball hoop in your room.

#10 Articulation Reading Passages

These have quickly become one of my favorite articulation resources. They are perfect for supporting students who are moving from sentences to conversation with their sounds. I would be remiss to not mention them here! I find myself reaching for them over and over again and I think you will too!

The best activities for articulation therapy

Bonus Items to Always Keep on Hand:

  1. Dice
  2. Sticky Notes
  3. Crayons
  4. Glue Sticks
  5. Scissors
  6. Mini Erasers
  7. Pom Poms

There you go, friends! A quick and easy list of my top SLP CFY Must Haves for Articulation Therapy! If you can’t afford to buy everything at once, don’t worry! Your SLP toolbox will slowly grow over time, just remember to come back to this list the next time you want to add something new!

If you are looking for more CFY Tips be sure and check out my CF playlist on You Tube!

One more quick thing!

Do your students love to move as much as mine do? Yes???

Then your students will love this calendar with 21 FREE movement activities and you will love having 21 sessions planned for you!

If you and your students are like me and my students, these gross motor activities are going to be a huge hit in your speech room!

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