Are you a preschool SLP looking for some fun, low-prep Halloween themed activities to target speech and language skills with your preschool students?
These engaging play-based activities will have your students laughing and learning for your entire Halloween themed session!
Using themes in therapy doesn't have to be time-consuming or complicated! I like to use a book, a toy, a sensory bin, a movement activity, and a game for my thematic therapy sessions. I am very picky with the materials I choose. They need to be low-prep, fun, and versatile enough to use with my entire caseload.
Here are my favorite Halloween resources for preschool speech therapy - they can be used to target SO MANY GOALS!
BOOKS:
Interactive Halloween Adventure Story: This story book allows preschoolers to create their own story by choosing an item to complete each page. You can use this with your entire caseload becuase it includes cheats sheets that list therapy ideas for each page! It is avaiable as a BOOM card or as a Printable Story.
The Spooky Wheels on the Bus by J. Elizabeth Mills: This story is the perfect Halloween story for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarten students! Students love acting out each page.
You can use this story to target: plural 's, concepts, describing,
s-blends, action words, and vocabulary. Don't own the book or are using teletherapy? No problem! Watch it on Youtube and simply pause when needed! (I do not own any rights to this book - I just love it!)
CRAFT: Draw (or buy from TPT) blank halloween character faces. Use Playdough, Dry Erase Markers, Googly Eyes, or Mini Objects to complete the faces. You can allow your students to create their own faces and incorporate their goals into the activity. In a group, give each student the same face and have them describe their face to their peers! Have one student direct the other students (or you) on how to complete the face. Pair with a Halloween Story and have the student try to make the face look like the character.
PLAY ACTIVITIES:
Trick or Treating: You can set up a trick or treating pretend play activity using Little People, a Melissa and Doug Wooden House, some pretend candy, and a Fisher Price Bus. I use it to target: grammar, speech sounds, following directions, vocabulary, phonological awareness, and play skills. Do you want to try this activity out but aren't sure where to start? I have created a play-based companion to help you get ideas for how to elicit a variety of speech and language goals. Don't own the toys? No problem! This Play-Based Companion includes all the pieces and instructions you need to use this activity!
Halloween Critter Clinic: This quick transformation will have your students engaged and learning for the entire session! Target all your goals in a fun and playful way!
GAMES:
Feed the Woozle: I cannot say enough about this game. I have never met a child that doesn't LOVE this game. This silly Woozle LOVES to eat yucky snacks. Not sure where to start? Grab Words Matter's FREE Game Companion in her TPT store. Don't own the game? Make your own with a paper bag, markers, constuction paper and some creativity!
Feed the Creatures: I also have created an Open-Ended BOOM card activity of feeding yucky snacks to Halloween Creatures. It includes a PDF with ideas how to target speech sounds, possessive 's, negation, describing, past Tense -Ed, first sound identification, following directions, spatial concepts, requesting, comparin/Contrasting, and Categorizing in a natural way!
VOCABULARY WORKSHEETS
These Themed Vocabulary worksheets are perfect for providing tonnes of exposure to new words! Many SLPs struggle finding themed words that aren't just nouns - that's why it includes verbs, adjectives and nouns in a variety of activities, so your students will be growing their vocabulary without even knowing it! Use this no prep speech therapy activity to extend the vocabulary taught in any Halloween book or game!
OPEN ENDED SCENES:
Kids love creating their own scenes using mini objects or mini erasers! Print off your own scenes or check out this massive bundle of Open Ended Scenes that includes dozens of theses (and loads of visuals) that you can use year round to target expressive language, receptive language, speech sounds and more! Simply print and go!
SENSORY BIN
Halloween Sensory Bin. This Sensory bin can be created SMALL or BIG! It's part of a HUGE bundle of themed sensory bins (over 30 themes!), which also includes pumpkins and monster. Use this October themed sensory bins for weeks! Check out how to use sensory bins in speech therapy here! .
ONLINE GAMES:
Baby Hazel Games has a tonne of FREE open-ended games that can be used to target a variey of speech and language goals. I am going to talk about my favorite two. Baby Hazel's Halloween Dress Up is a fun and engaging activity. In this game, your students can choose Halloween costuems and accessories for Hazel. This activity is perfect to target requesting, describing, possessive 's, increasing sentence length. In Baby Hazel Halloween Crafts, your student can help Hazel make a Halloween craft. This is a perfect alternative to 'hands-on' crafts. I like these games becuase there are visual supports built right into the games! There are many other games, so make sure to eheck them out!
Oh my Gourd is the cutest little pumpkin game! Students are able to design their own Jack-O-Lanterns which provides so much opportunities for language. This simple activity allows you target requesting, expanding MLU, spatial concepts, body parts, following directions, describing, and comparing and contrasting! This is also a great home to model during therapy and then encourage parents to use at home!
I hope this helps you plan an easy, fun, and play-based therapy month! Happy Halloween!
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