Toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary students alike love using games for speech therapy! Lucky for us SLPs we often have a collection of games for speech therapy that we use. Over the years, I have collected a variety of speech therapy games and I have compiled a list of the best games for speech therapy.
These games are all quick turn taking games and can be used to get a tonne of trials while targeting a variety of speech therapy goals, such as: articulation, phonology, apraxia of speech, grammar, Wh questions for speech therapy, expressive language goals, and more! Games are also great because they inherently teach skills such as turn taking, winning/losing graciously, and team work!
I love pop up games because they have an element of surprise, which students LOVE! Essentially, you take a turn by pushing a part of the game or taking/putting back an object and the animal/object does something. I have listed what each game does for your convenience!
Pop the Pig: This adorable pig loves to eat burgers! Each person chooses a burger, which has a number on the bottom, and then pushes the pig’s head. Careful - his pants will pop when he gets too full!
Rattle Snake Jake: You take gold from Jake and put it back! One wrong move and he will lunge and you have to put half your gold back! The goal of the game is to have the most gold at the end of the game.
Beware of Bear: This bear doesn’t like to share! Open the door and poke the bear’s tummy to make sure he’s asleep. If he is, you can take one of his goodies. If he wakes up, he’s going to jump and you’ll have to give back your goodies. But, if you are able to catch him when he jumps, your goodies are safe! the game!
Shark Bite: Use the fishing rod to pull out one sea creature at a time. Be careful - he will snap up if you grab the wrong one!
Greedy Granny: As Granny snoozes, spin the treat wheel to see which treat to take! Be careful - her teeth will fly out if you aren’t careful. The first player to collect one of each of her treats wins the game!
Jumpin’ Jack: Take turns grabbing a carrot from Jack! The right carrot will make him jump. Catch him to win!
Dragon Snacks: Magic Spells, glowing horns, and treats make this game such a fun one for students!
Puglicious: This cute little pug loves snacks! Lay the treats face down. Pick a treat, stack the treats on his nose, and then push his paw as indicated on the bottom of the snack. When the pug is hungry, he will open his mouth and eat the treats!
Pop Rocket: Pull the string on the Rocket to start the countdown, and roll the die. Then move your color star catchers to where you think the stars will land. Soon, the rocket will blast off! The stars will explode in the sky and land in your star catchers. Be the first one to collect enough stars to fill your constellation to win!
Banana Blast: Pull bananas from the monkey until he jumps! The player who has the most bananas when he jumps, wins! Bonus points if you catch the monkey.
Catch the Fox: Each player puts chickens in the Fox's pockets. Then press down on his head. When his pants disappear, the chickens will scurry! Be the first to fill your coop to win!
Pop up Pirate: This pirate likes to sit in his barrel. Take turns placing swords in the barrel. Whoever has the most swords in the barrel when the pirate jumps, wins!
The next set of games are quick turning games which allow for a tonne of trials. They keep children engaged (without getting distracted). Simple games are often the best for therapy so kids don’t get so focused on the game that they forget about their goals!
All of these games can be modified to suit yours and your student’s needs. I always change the rules in my speech therapy sessions!
Sneaky Snacky Squirrel: Spin the spinner to see if you take an acorn, lose acorns, or steal an acorn. The first player to fill their log with acorns, wins! Includes an adorable squirrel tong which kids love!
Connect Four: Take turns placing chips into the game board. The first person to get four in a row, wins!
Don’t Spill the Beans: A game of skill and balance! Take turns placing beans on the pot. The player who knocks the beans over, loses.
Jenga: A classic building game of taking one block from the bottom and putting it on the top of the tower. Don’t knock it over or you’ll lose!
Honey Bee Tree: Pull out one stick at a game and see how many bees fall out. The player with the most (or least!) bees wins!
Don’t Break the Ice: Take turns hammering ice blocks. Don’t break the ice or the penguin will fall!
Shelby’s Snack Shack: Use the puppy tongs to collect the most bones.
Let’s go Fishing: A motorized game where the goal is to be the first to collect all of your coloured fish.
If you're on the hunt for any of these games to use in speech therapy, just do a quick google search! They're often available to purchase at Walmart, Amazon, and Target
I love these games so much that I made a Speech and Language Therapy Companion to go with them! It includes all of these games (and waaayy more- over ONE HUNDRED) as well as some of my favorite toys!
There are over 60 speech and language goals for speech therapy included 9 (as well as ++ common preschool themes).
Goals include:
final consonant deletion
s blends
cluster reduction
verbs
vocabulary
and much more!
Simply cut the strips and pair with ANY of these games. You’re able to make any game an articulation game!
So if you own 2 or 20 of these games - you can start using this product right away to use in group speech therapy, early intervention, or send as a home speech therapy activity!
Interested in more play based therapy ideas, access to freebies (like the ones below) and special offers?
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