If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for the speech therapy must haves. Here are a few staples I have collected over the years that have been worth their weight in gold!
In this 2 part series, I’ll talk about what I always have with me in my therapy bag bags (we all know there’s no way you’re leaving the house with just one…). Today I’m going to share with you the items I always have in my car- for the days when things don’t go as planned…
Please note: this post contains affiliate links- this means if you purchase from the posted links, I earn a small commission.
Busy Books
I LOVE these because they target a variety of goals and objectives.
These books are entirely open ended. They were created to target a wide variety of concepts including: Categorizing, Answering WH questions, Same/Different, What doesn’t belong?Yes/No Questions, Turn-Taking, Conversational Skills, Attribute+Object, Prepositions, Verbs, & Imitation. Talk about a must-have! I for sure have the preschool concepts book with me all the time. It’s been such a therapy session saver so many times.
It’s actually not just for preschool concepts. There’s actually a whole set of them! Busy Book of Animals, Busy Book of Shapes, Busy Book of Colors, or you can check out the bundle here!
My Busy Book of Preschool Concepts is completely free!
Stickers & Pop-Its
There’s always a pop-it for those littles who are able to do some trials. Doing trials with toddlers can be tricky, but it can be done! We will talk about in a later post, though. Another great addition to your speech bag: sticker books! You can find them just about anywhere (Walmart, target, dollar tree…) My recommendation is hit up your local dollar tree for a nice collection of sticker books ranging from farm animals to unicorns!
I also have loved loved loooved using my CVC and multiple syllable words matching games. They have proven to be a quick and easy way to practice word productions. In addition to phonology, use them to practice turn-taking and attention to task! You can also make these more engaging by hiding the cards around the room and playing hide and seek (and guess what, by doing that you’re also targeting “where” questions and introducing prepositions without even trying!)
Wands & Chips, please!
Now, this next item I discovered working as an SLP-Assistant back in 2012 (which feels like such a long time ago) ….the magnetic wand and chips! They’re not just for Super Duper activities AND you can buy them separately from, you guessed it; Amazon. Full disclosure, I don’t use these with all my littles. Only the ones who can tolerate it (i.e. do not mouth objects) use it. Aaand if there are small infants in the house, I don’t even try it.
Markers, Daubers, & Crayons – oh my!
Dot markers! Well, markers and crayons in general. Nothing makes a toddler happier than seeing you pull out a bag filled with coloring markers and dot markers (except when there’s also glue and stuff to glue on). I use these with my CVC words dot and say worksheets and they are always a hit! To keep the mess to a minimum, use a cookie sheet to contain the coloring!
The final thing I have with me at all times; my iPad. Controversial or not, there are actually several iPad apps I use quite frequently during my sessions. Stay tuned for more information on that!
Where’d you get that bag?
I’ve got 3 go-to ride or die bags…. my LL Bean Boat Tote (the bag in the main picture) this tote comes in a variety of sizes, is an extremely durable canva bag, and can be zipped closed! I’ve had it for years and still use it almost daily. In case you haven’t heard- backpacks are aaaaaamazing for carrying a lot of things in a smaller bag. I wouldn’t recommend them for carrying toys but I do recommend them for days when you’re just planning on using cards and coloring pages! I re-use the diaper bag we had for B, but there are a million varieties out there! Most recently, My Speech Bag by Help Me Grow Speech has also been amazing to use! It comes with an insertable organizer that is amazing! This bag holds a tremendous amount of things and is really easy to carry- it’s definitely worth checking out!
Want to know more of my faves? Check out part 2!
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