speech exercises for 4 year old

Speech Therapy Activities: 14 Articulation Exercises for Kids

If you’re looking for speech therapy activities you can do at home, in a clinical setting, or within the classroom, you’ve come to the right place. From fun and exciting articulation exercises and games to help develop and teach proper articulation, fluency, and voice regulation, to targeted speech therapy exercises geared toward developing a child’s ability to understand and express emotions through language, this collection of speech therapy activities offers a great way to help children learn and develop through play!

What is speech therapy?

Most people assume speech therapy is focused solely on the development of proper articulation and the correction of speech challenges like stutters and lisps, and while speech therapy certainly helps with speech issues such as these, the work of speech therapists and speech and language pathologists (SLPs) goes much deeper.

In addition to improving speech, speech therapy can also help an individual understand and express themselves through language, which in turn can help with things like reading comprehension, writing, and spelling. Speech therapists can also help develop communication in individuals who are non-verbal, and help treat those with swallowing and feeding disorders.

At home speech therapy

While there are many at home speech therapy games, activities, and toys children with speech challenges can benefit from, you must consult with a trained speech therapist or speech and language pathologist first to determine the scope of your child’s challenges and put together a proper treatment plan. Once that’s in place, there are HEAPS of ways you can help support your child’s speech therapy sessions at home, and we’re excited to share some of our favorites with you!

Note: I am not a therapist or a doctor, I do not have a background in childhood education, and I do not endorse the use of any of the therapies, activities, games, or toys discussed on this website. If you suspect you or your child has a developmental delay or other underlying medical condition, please consult with a trained professional before trying any of these ideas at home.

Speech therapy activities

One of the things I love about Pinterest is that it is FILLED with all kinds of fun activities for kids that help them practice certain skills without them even realizing! There are lots of brilliant speech therapy activities you can do at home to help develop your child’s articulation, language development, reading comprehension, and writing skills, and you don’t need to purchase fancy speech therapy toys to enjoy them. You can improvise with games and toys you probably already have lying around the house, and we’ve even found printables you can download for free.

Learn with Mr. Potato Head. There are so many toys and games that can be adapted for speech therapy, and this post on The Dabbling Speechie will inspire you to get your hands on a Mr. Potato Head set if you don’t already own one!

Read. Repetitive books are a great way to practice articulation, and there are heaps of great children’s books that focus on particular sounds to help with speech therapy, including:

• Silly Sally
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
• The Cat in the Hat
• Fancy Nancy
• One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
• Chick Chick Boom Boom
• Llama Llama Red Pajama

Fun with Straws. Drinking different textures through a drinking straw , or blowing air through a straw to move objects like pom poms are both great ways to develop a child’s oral muscles.

Mini Golf. Grab a set of kids’ golf clubs and set-up this Speech Put Put Game by The Speech Girls !

Duplo Letter Sound Matching. This beginners phonics activity by This Reading Mama offers a great way to practice different sounds with your child. All you need is a pack of LEGO Duplo Basic Bricks , and you can adjust this activity to target all kinds of tricky sounds and words!

Voice-O-Meter Voice Chart. If your child struggles to regulate his or her voice, and can’t distinguish between what an ‘indoor’ and ‘outdoor’ voice sounds like, this Voice-O-Meter Voice Chart on Teachers Pay Teachers is a great place to start!

Sing Songs. All of those silly songs your kids sing in preschool like ‘Row Row Row Your Boat’, ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Start’, and ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider’ aren’t just for fun. They also help develop language skills! Don’t be afraid to make up your own words and melodies to help practice the sounds your child struggles with most, and remember to keep it fun and engaging so it doesn’t feel like practice.

Poetry. Yes, you read that right. Poetry can help teach things like decoding, fluency, and sight words, and this post on Create Dream Explore will teach you exactly how you can turn poetry into speech therapy activities!

Hot Chocolate Articulation Craftivity. This free printable on Teachers Pay Teachers offers a fun way to practice 20 different S-blend words!

Articulation Bowling. Grab a plastic bowling set and make this Articulation Bowling Activity I found on Consonantly Speaking . It’s one of those easy-to-make activities that keeps kids interested and motivated, which is a win-win in my book!

Roll and Retell. An Apple for the Teacher has a great Roll and Retell activity that helps children discuss and summarize the things they read before putting their thoughts on paper.

WH-Questions Pizza Party! Another freebie, this speech therapy game on Teachers Pay Teachers targets basic WH- and How-Questions to help with language development, reading comprehension, etc.

Play-Doh Mats. Play-Doh offers a calming sensory activity to do both in the classroom and at home, and these Free Digraph Mats by Playdough to Plato can be used to teach tricky sounds to kids who struggle with articulation. Playdough to Plato also offers a Digraph Activity Set, which includes 10 motivating digraph activities to learn the most popular digraphs in words: CH, CK, KN, NG, PH, QU, SH, TH, and WH. Get your copy HERE .

Mega Fluency Pack. If your child struggles with fluency, this Mega Fluency Packet for Speech and Language Therapy on Teachers Pay Teachers helps kids who struggle with things like repetition, interjection, prolongation, and circumlocution.

Whether your child struggles to articulate certain letters and sounds, needs help with fluency, has difficulty with voice regulation, finds it challenging to understand and express himself through language, or is completely nonverbal, these speech therapy activities offer a fun way to help develop the skills he needs for ongoing success.

Remember to practice often, to keep it fun, and to remember these inspiring words by Peter F. Drucker:

‘The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.’

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A website dedicated to helping SLPs use PLAY-BASED speech and language therapy so they can save time and have fun!   

50 fun and easy articulation activities for speech therapy.

Articulation cards are a staple in Speech Therapy rooms. Articulation Flash Cards can be used in so many ways with preschoolers and elementary students... buuuttt sometimes they can get boring and repetitive. Check out these articulation card ideas to bring some new and exciting speech therapy activities into your therapy room! You can use these ideas in group therapy or in one-on-one sessions or even send them home for easy articulation homework ideas!

WHAT’S THERE?: Place 5 cards around the room. Ask the child to find and label the card in a particular place. For example, “What is beside the lamp?” -> “ Bee!”

MAKE A ROAD: Place target cards on the floor around the room. Drive cards over the cards. If you have a toy tractor, you can load the cards into the tractor.

FEED THE PUPPET: Feed a puppet the target cards.

FLASHLIGHT HUNT: Pin the cards around a room. Turn the lights off and give the child a flashlight to find the cards.

IS IT A ___?: Ask the child if a card is an item. For example, “Is it a cat?”. You can use the carrier phrases, “No! It’s a ____” or “Yes! It’s a ___.” Have the child complete the blank.

MUSICAL CHAIRS: Place cards on the floor. Play music and when it stops, have the child find a card to sit on.

TAKE PICTURES: Use a camera/phone to take pictures of the cards. Kids find this incredibly motivating!

BOWLING: Put the cards in paper bags. Take turns rolling a ball to knock over the ‘pins’. Say the word when you knock over a bag.

OBSTACLE COURSE: Make an obstacle course out of items that you have. Make sure to go under, over, and between objects! Place cards throughout the obstacle to practice along the way.

‘BUY’ THE CARDS: Play store! Use pretend money and have the child ‘buy’ the cards.

BEAN BAG TOSS: Place cards on the floor. Have the child throw a bean bag on the cards. For more trials, the child can also tell you which card they are aiming at.

BALL POPPER: Stand the cards up using binder clips, or stick them to a wall. Use a ball popper (or bubbles) to aim for the cards.

HOPSCOTCH: Make a hopscotch board out of tape on the floor. Place a card in each square. Say the word when you land on it.

SENSORY BIN: Place the cards in a bin filled with cotton balls, pom poms, and cut up straws - or anything you can think of! Have the child find the items using tongs or tweezers.

JENGA: Place cards between the layers of blocks.

FLY SWATTER: Place the cards around the room. Give the child a fly swatter and have the child ‘swat’ each card. Kids love running between the cards!

TELL SOMEONE: Bring the cards to show the child’s teacher/friend. Ask the student to label each card.

WHAT AM I DRAWING?: Place the cards face up, in front of you and the child. Take turns drawing one of the items. See if you can guess what it is!

HIDE UNDER CUPS: Hide the cards under plastic cups.

SNOWBALL FIGHT: Place the cards upright using binder clips. Use scrunched up paper balls to knock the cards over.

HIDE IN BOOKS: Hide cards in books. You can use Sticky Tack (or hide under flaps!) to stick the cards to the pages. Say the word when you flip to the page the card is on.

HANG AND CATCH: This activity takes a little more prep but it is so fun! Hang string with paper clips from the ceiling. Attach cards and have your students pull the cards off the string.

PLAYDOUGH: Smoosh play dough on the card each time you say the word (make sure your cards are laminated!).

TIC TAC TOE: Print a few copies of your articulation cards and play tic tac toe! Give each player 6 copies of a card.

MAKE A SHAPE: Make different shapes with your cards (square, circle, triangle).

HOPPING: Place the cards around the room on the ground. Hop from one card to another.

SIMPLE DRILL: Pair your card with a drill card and cover each number with a token or a mini object.

ROLL AND SAY: Roll a dice. Say the word the number of times indicated on the dice.

MEMORY: Print two sets of cards and play memory.

GO FISH: Use two sets of cards to play Go Fish.

MEMORY GAME: Place several cards face up on the table. Have the child study the cards. Flip them face down and see how many card the child can remember.

FISHING: Use a magnet and paper clips to create a fishing game.

WHAT’S MISSING: Put 2 or 3 cards on table, face up. Let the child take a quick peek and then close their eyes. Take one card away or turns one card over. Ask the child to guess which one is missing.

MAIL CARDS: Make a mailbox out of a tissue box. “Mail” the cards to family and friends.

EGG CARTON TOSS: Place one card in each section of the carton. Have the child toss a coin into the carton. Say the word on the card where the coin landed.

TELL A STORY: Use several cards to create a story. (This is best for conversation level).

SILLY SENTENCES: Make a silly sentence with each card.

POP IT: Use a Pop it fidget toy and have the child push one section each time they say the word.

USE CLOTHESPINS: Have the child place a clothespin on the card each time they say the word.

COLOR AND CREATE: Use black and white Articulation Cards. Allow the child to color and create their own set that they can use and take home! (My Articulation cards come in black and white and color for this purpose!)

BURY AND FIND: Bury cards under pom poms, cotton balls, or sand. Have the student use a shovel or tongs to find the cards/

BUCKET TOSS: Place cards in buckets. Throw crumbled paper or a ball in to the bucket.

MINI OBJECTS: Lay your cards on the table and cover them with mini objects. Simple but effective!

BUBBLE BLOW: Place cards on the wall using sticky tack or Painter’s Tape. Blow bubbles onto the cards. Say the word when the bubble lands on it.

MICROPHONE/TELEPHONE: Say your words into a telephone or toy microphone. You could also use paper towel rolls.

HOLE PUCH: Print Black and White Cards and hole punch the cards each time you say the word.

MAGNET WAND: Use a magnet wand and magnetic chips. Place a chip on each card the you say the word. Use the wand to pick up all the chips when you are done!

BLOCKS & CARDS: Place a block ad then lay a card on top. Continue until the tower tumbles. See how high you can build the tower before it falls!

SPOON RACE: Place the card on a spoon and see how fast you can make it across the room. Say the word when you place the card on the spoon.

FEED ANIMALS: Use toy animals and have them ‘eat’ the cards. Kids think this is hilarious!

I hope you find these articulation therapy ideas helpful. I know I am always looking for ways to mix it up and keep my students engaged.

The key to all sessions (in my opinion) is to allow a LOT of choices. If you want an Articulation Activity Choice Board (it includes 30 of the no-prep activities listed here ), sign up for my email list (link below) and you’ll get instant access!

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!

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How to use Movement Cards in Speech Therapy

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Games For 4 Year Olds

Develop speech & language skills.

By 4 years of age, speech and language skills are becoming more and more complex and the building blocks for reading, writing, and math abilities. They also allow children to share ideas, make friendships, and solve problems. Therefore, it is crucial to foster these skills NOW through PLAY. These functional games for 4-year-olds will accomplish just that! These games are for 3-4-year-old children and those children who haven't reached the milestones listed below.

Speech/Language Milestones: 3-4 Years of Age

Language Games for 4 Year Olds: Speaking & Listening

Unlike other pages, I am not going to break up games based on expressive (speaking) and receptive (listening) skills. At this point, the two are so intertwined, there really is no point.

Instead, the language games for 4-year-olds listed here will target both speaking and listening skills. 

Honey, How Was Your Day?

How To Play 

Before bed, talk about the day using the past tense.

In this activity, the use of past tense verbs happens very naturally. However, be aware that open-ended questions (i.e., How was your day?) can be difficult for some children, especially young children. There are more specific questions below to try at first.

After you ask a question, wait for your child to respond. If the response is correct using the regular past tense verb form, offer praise and ask another question. If your child doesn’t use the correct grammar, say the correct response and ask for a repetition. Then, move on to a new question.

Example Questions

• What was your favorite part of the day?
• What TV show did you watch?
• What did you like at dinner?
• What did you do at the park?
• Who did you play with today?
• Try to make this game fun and enjoyable.
• Don’t turn it into a quiz!
• Don’t over-correct or your child will start avoiding it. After a few nights of the same routine, your child will start to pick up on the correct answers! 
• Take turns yourself so your child hears a lot of correct past tense grammar. 

What You Are Working On

• Vocabulary development
• Grammar development
• Taking-turns
• Creating sentences

Color Laundry

Needed Materials

Dirty clothes

How To Play

Have your child help during laundry and talk about colors

Ideas To Try

• Organize socks into colors
• Make a red pile, blue pile, green pile of clothes
• Name the colors as you fold clothes
• Have your child name what color to find next to fold and vice versa

Language Skills Targeted

• Categorization

Playing Farm - Possessive S

A house, farm, or any toy with little people, animals, or cars

Get on the floor or sit at a table with your child. Start to play with the house or farm. While playing, have the little people or animals take or play with something. 

For example, you may give a bottle to a baby. Ask your child “whose bottle is it?” Hopefully, your child will respond with “the baby’s bottle.” 

If your child does not respond with the correct response, say the correct answer and ask your child to repeat it. Then, move on!

• Make playing as fun and as natural as possible. Don’t turn it into a quiz.
• Turn-taking

WH Questions During Playtime

Play with your child and ask “what” and “what doing” questions while you play. This may already be happening naturally. Adults tend to ask “what” questions quite frequently. If not, be aware of them and make sure to ask them!

Make sure to ask both “what” and “what doing” questions.

• If your child does not answer a question correctly, model the correct response and ask your child to repeat it. Then, keep playing
• Be careful not to make playtime into quiz time
• Asking/answering WH questions
• Simple story structure

Read, Read, Read!

Reading is one of the best language games for 4-year-olds or any child of any age for that matter!

• Ask some comprehension questions "who," "where," "what," "why," and "what doing" questions
• Ask prediction questions (i.e. "What do you think will happen next?"). If your child doesn't know the answer, answer the question and talk through your reasoning. 
• Talk about how characters feel and why
• Retell the story and/or share your favorite funny/scary/silly parts
• Relate events from the story to real life

Don't forget your  free eBook!  There are lots of great tips in it to make the most out of your reading time.

What You Are Working On:

• Answering WH questions
• Early narrative structures

Function Day

Pick a day to focus on the function of vocabulary words. Throughout the day, while in the car, shopping, playing, eating, etc…., ask your child about the function of different objects. 

• What does ____(vocabulary word) do?
• What do you do with _____(vocabulary word)?

The great thing about this “game” is that your child is exposed to and challenged with a variety of different vocabulary words. Also, your child is thinking about what things do or what you can do with them in their natural environment. The goal is that he/she will start to think in this manner about all new vocabulary concepts...forever 🙂

TV Show Fun

Time to watch an episode of your child’s favorite show with your child

With your child, watch an episode of one of your child’s favorite shows. 

While watching, pause the show if you can or wait for the commercial and ask your child to re-tell what is going on.  Make sure your child includes:

• Person (who)
• Place (where)
• Event (what happened)

If your child misses a component, ask a needed question such as:

• “Who is in the show”?
• “Where are they?”
• “What happened?”

Once all parts are identified, ask your child to say the story again. 

• Story structure

Want more language games for all areas of development?

All the games listed here are from our  Preschool Talk 2.0  language guide. If you want more language games for 4-year-olds like the ones listed here, this affordable resource might be just what you are looking for. 

What's Included:

This eBook is divided into the  following chapters:

• Introduction and review of developmental milestones
• Learning colors
• Grammar games
• WH questions
• Simple story structure (SOOO Important!)
• Phonemic awareness
• Vocabulary learning (Crucial!)

This eBook is  for children who :

• Aren't talking in full sentences
• Having trouble answering questions correctly
• Have a low vocabulary
• Are in speech therapy
• Have a speech-language delay
• Have delayed grammar skills
• Uses only 1,000 words consistently
• Is anywhere from 3-6 years old. Your child may be older than 4, and that is OKAY and NORMAL! 
• Need to work on expanding vocabulary
• Need to work on telling stories
• Need to work on colors 
• Who may have been a late talker and is still trying to catch up to peers

Where to Buy:

You can buy this language guide  here!  Easy!

ENTIRE YEAR of FREE Language Materials

Fill out the form below, and I will deliver my favorite materials right to your inbox EVERY MONTH for ONE YEAR! 

This is an excellent opportunity to sample the materials available at Speech Therapy Talk Membership and add a touch of joy to your inbox.

One YEAR of FREE speech and language materials!

For 12 months, a new material will be delivered right to your inbox.

About the Author

Bridget giraldo, ms  ccc-slp .

Hi, I’m Bridget! I’m a speech-language pathologist from Elmhurst, Illinois USA. I’ve worked with children and adults of all ages in schools, preschools, hospitals, rehab facilities, and now in my own private practice. My expertise is my ability to create effective, research-based materials and speech therapy techniques that streamline and simplify our professional lives!  I graduated from University of Wisconsin, Madison with my masters degree in Communication Disorders. 

• General Speech Language Games: Learn Multiple Skills at the Same time
• FREE Speech & Language Games For 4 Year Olds

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Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development

Birth to 2 years.

• Say sound like "ma," "da," and "ba." Try to get your baby to say them back to you.  
• Look at your baby when they make sounds. Talk back to them, and say what they say. Pretend to have a conversation.
• Respond when your baby laughs or makes faces. Make the same faces back to them.
• Teach your baby to do what you do, like clapping your hands and playing peek-a-boo.
• Talk to your baby as you give them a bath, feed them, and get them dressed. Talk about what you are doing and where you are going. Tell them who or what you will see.
• Point out colors and shapes.
• Count what you see.
• Use gestures, like waving and pointing.
• Talk about animal sounds. This helps your baby connect the sound and the animal. Use words like "The dog says woof-woof."
• Add on to what your baby says. When your baby says, "Mama," say, "Here is Mama. Mama loves you. Where is baby? Here is baby." 
• Read to your child. You don't have to read every word, but talk about the pictures. Choose books that are sturdy and have large colorful pictures. Ask your child, "What's this?" and try to get them to point to or name objects. 

2 to 4 Years

• Speak clearly to your child. Model good speech.
• Repeat what your child says to show that you understand. Add on to what they say. Use words like, "Want juice? I have juice. I have apple juice. Do you want apple juice?"
• It's okay to use baby talk sometimes. Be sure to use the adult word too. For example, "It is time for din-din. We will have dinner now."
• Cut out pictures of favorite or familiar things. Put them into categories, like things to ride on, things to eat, and things to play with. Make silly pictures by mixing and matching pictures. Glue a picture of a dog behind the wheel of a car. Talk about what is wrong with the picture and ways to "fix" it. 
• Help your child understand and ask questions. Play the yes–no game. Ask questions such as, "Are you Marty?" and "Can a pig fly?" Have your child make up questions and try to fool you.
• Ask questions that include a choice. "Do you want an apple or an orange?" "Do you want to wear your red shirt or your blue shirt?" 
• Help your child learn new words. Name body parts, and talk about what you do with them. "This is my nose. I can smell flowers, brownies, and soap."
• Sing simple songs, and say nursery rhymes. This helps your child learn the rhythm of speech.
• Place familiar objects in a box. Have your child take one out and tell you its name and how to use it. "This is my ball. I bounce it. I play with it."
• Show pictures of familiar people and places. Talk about who they are and what happened. Try making up new stories.

4 to 6 Years 

• Pay attention when your child talks to you.
• Get your child's attention before you talk.
• Praise your child when they tell you something. Show that you understand their words.
• Pause after speaking. This gives your child a chance to respond.
• Keep helping your child learn new words. Say a new word, and tell them what it means, or use it in a way that helps him understand. For example, you can use the word "vehicle" instead of "car."  You can say, "I think I will drive the vehicle to the store. I am too tired to walk." 
• Talk about where things are, using words like "first," "middle," and "last" or "right" and "left." Talk about opposites like "up" and "down" or "on" and "off."
• Have your child guess what you describe. Say, "We use it to sweep the floor," and have them find the broom. Say, "It is cold, sweet, and good for dessert. I like strawberry" so they can guess "ice cream." 
• Work on groups of items, or categories. Find the thing that does not belong in a group. For example, "A shoe does not go with an apple and an orange because you can't eat it. It is not round. It is not a fruit." 
• Help your child follow two- and three-step directions. Use words like, "Go to your room, and bring me your book."
• Ask your child to give directions. Follow their directions as they tell you how to build a tower of blocks.
• Play games with your child such as "house." Let them be the parent, and you pretend to be the child. Talk about the different rooms and furniture in the house.
• Watch movies together on TV or a tablet. Talk about what your child is watching. Have them guess what might happen next. Talk about the characters. Are they happy or sad? Ask them to tell you what happened in the story. Act out a scene together, or make up a different ending.
• Use everyday tasks to learn language. For example, talk about the foods on the menu and their color, texture, and taste when in the kitchen. Talk about where to put things. Ask them to put the napkin on the table, in your lap, or under the spoon. Talk about who the napkin belongs to. Say, "It is my napkin." "It is Daddy's." "It is Tamara's."
• Go grocery shopping together. Talk about what you will buy, how many things you need, and what you will make. Talk about sizes, shapes, and weight. 

To find a speech-language pathologist near you, visit ProFind .

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Free Speech Therapy Activities for Toddlers

• allisonfors
• November 1, 2023
• One Comment
• Early Intervention , Preschool , Speech Resources

Download free speech therapy activities, printables, and handouts for preschoolers!  Work on critical communication skills and language development whether you are an SLP, educator, or parent working with your child at home.

Click on the title to view and download these free activities!

FREE SPEECH THERAPY ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS

Free farm interactive book.

The interactive book contains 3 scenes (the farm, inside the barn, and the farm at night) with 10 farm-themed pieces. The book allows you to flip through the scenes and move the pieces onto the pages. Use to work on vocabulary, prepositions, increasing MLU, wh- questions, inferences, categories, and more.

Behavior Social Story

A social narrative mini-book on how to handle frustration with calming strategies. A great way to discuss feelings and appropriate ways to express them!

Category Match Up

Practice categories and associations with this NO PREP resource! You may also open on your device for a NO PRINT option. Directions included on how to draw on PDFs on your tablet or computer.

Articulation and Phonology Minimal Pairs Smash Mats

Includes 5 sets- Gliding, Fronting, Stopping, Cluster Reduction, and Final Consonant Deletion.

Speech Sound Cue Cards

This packet contains speech sound cue and prompt cards for 21 consonant sounds and 14 vowel sounds (including 4 diphthongs). On each card is a picture of a mouth showing how to produce the sound, as well as a picture to help remind your students what sound they are working on! 

Sound Loaded Book Lists for Articulation

A list of my favorite sound-loaded books to target articulation of specific phonemes.

Birthday Party Language Scene

Use the scene and activities to target -wh questions, following directions, answering open-ended questions, formulating sentences, and conversation skills. Send home for homework, and use as no prep or no print activity. And perfect for celebrating birthdays in speech or the classroom!

Caveman and Dinos Barrier Game

Barrier games for speaking and listening skills in speech therapy, ESL, and more! Target many skills: expressive skills (giving directions), receptive skills (following directions), social skills, basic concepts, vocabulary, categorization, sentence formation, and storytelling. Premade directions page included!

What Doesn’t Belong? Scenes

Practice negation, association, and categories with this 5 page, no-prep activity!

WH Question Pizza Party

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Speech Therapy Handouts

Developmental norms and milestones handouts for toddlers.

Language Strategies List

Download a 3-page download including 18 strategies with definitions and examples on how to elicit language development in children! This is a summary reference list of effective language stimulation and modeling techniques. Perfect handout for parents of late talkers or language delayed children.

Read this post to find ideas for speech therapy activities for toddlers, including toys, games, and books!

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10 speech therapy ideas to do at home (support your therapy with at-home practice)

By Becky Mansfield

Jan 15, 2024

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy .

I wanted to give you 10 speech therapy ideas to do at home because you, as the parent, are your child’s best teacher.   I am a play therapist  (not an SLP), so I work with many speech-delayed children, in conjunction with their speech-language pathologist (birth-age 3) and these activities work great with them in the home, in between therapy sessions.

These ideas do not replace therapy and should not replace therapy.  These are EXTRA ideas to do when you are home, playing with your child.  I have included my favorite affiliate links in this post to take you straight to my favorite toys and products.

NOTE:   BEFORE YOU DIVE INTO THIS LIST of 10 speech therapy ideas to do at home: If your child has speech delays, call a local speech pathologist to have your child assessed.  Work on a plan to help your child reach success.  You can find a speech pathologist through your pediatrician or your local Early Intervention Program.

1.  Do Not Have the TV on in the Background. 

The background noise can actually make it harder for a child.  Contrary to what many think, TV in the background does not enhance development.  According to JAMA Pediatrics, “children with frequent television viewing…would have delayed development of meaningful word speech.”

 In  one study , American children between ages of 6 and 12 months were exposed to native Chinese speakers in person and to the same native Chinese speakers on video. The infants who had real people interacting with them recognized and responded to specific phonemes, and those exposed to the video did not. What this seems to show is that human interaction appears to be critical in the complex process of language development. However, when the TV is on,  parents tend not to talk as much to their children . And given that babies learn language from live people—particularly their parents!—having the TV on could be detrimental to that process. ~Expert Michael Rich, MD, MPH, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston.

2.  Teach Sign Language. 

There are studies to show a correlation between sign language and speech.  If nothing else, it stops the huge frustration that children are feeling.

I focus on the biggies: more, mine, help, Mommy, Daddy, please, thank you (please & thank you are added in there just to teach your little one good manners!)   However, instead of simply teaching “more” teach him or her “ball” (or the name of what you are playing with) each time he wants “more ball”. If he’s hungry he could request eat or the specific food. This motivates children more.

Typically when children first begin to talk it’s by requesting the actual item or action such as a ball, milk, blanket, momma, daddy, car, doll. Requesting things they can see will be easier to learn and understand in the beginning. “More” may be over-generalized a

3.  Make Printable Magnets for Your Refrigerator.

Add magnets that have his favorite things  (juice, cereal…) and when he wants something, he can bring that to you. (make sure he can’t choke on them.

How to make them:  I use a large flat magnet paper .   I glue a white sheet of car d-stock on it and cut it into squares.  I then draw pictures onto them with the things that your child might need: cup, food, bed, favorite toy, etc…  We are trying to ELIMINATE frustration because kids with a speech delay often become frustrated easily.   (wouldn’t you?)

4. Spend 40 Minutes Just Playing with Him. 

Use simple words “Car fast!” or “Red ball”.  To see all of the benefits of playing, check out this post on how & why we need to play with our kids.

5. Work with Simple Flash Cards

I love this touch & feel flashcard set   because kids aren’t just auditory or visual learners.      Say the name of the object & have them repeat it.   Labeling is HUGE for a child with a speech delay.  ps- You might want to get a flashcard app for babies or toddlers- they are free).

6. Get a Cotton Ball & Straw

Put the  cotton ball down on the table or on the floor.  Now, take a straw & let him blow through it to make a cotton ball move (have the cotton ball on the table). This will help with the oral muscles needed for speech.

(As a therapist following the guidelines of evidence-based practice, it is important to understand that non-speech oral motor exercises (e.g. sucking and blowing through a straw) have not been shown to be completely effective or ineffective.  Their use must be considered experimental. Lof provides a great overview of the existing evidence and the citation is as follows: Lof, G. L., (2009). Nonspeech oral motor exercises: An update on the controversy. ASHA Convention 2009, 1-9.)

7. Drink with a  Straw , but Not Just Liquids.  

Change it up a bit and use the straw to drink many different textures (water, milk, applesauce, pureed fruits, milkshakes)…  This will help to strengthen the muscles in their mouth, making speech easier when they are ready.

8. Use  silly stra ws for Drinking

I use these curly/wavy straws.  These are great because they take a little more muscular strength and work than the average straw.

9.  Put Some Things Out of Reach

I do this with something that you know your child will want (a favorite book or favorite toy) and they will have to ask you for help when getting it. Teach them to come and get you and take you (by taking you the hand) to what he/she wants OR by getting you the magnet off of the fridge (did you read that tip above?)  Show your child the sign for help and say “Help” when they are asking you.  You are modeling this behavior for him/her.  Children are more likely to talk when they want something.

10.  Praise Their Efforts

These are just some things that I practice with my speech delayed clients & that I have done with our own children.   Praising your children has a profound effect on their success, because of the increase in self-esteem and self-worth.

FREE PRINTABLE CHART:  

I have also posted about the  different   nutrition supplements that have been recommended for speech delays.   Ask your doctor before starting them, but they helped our son.   Our neurologist said that he suggests them for anyone suffering from a developmental delay because nutrition profoundly impacts learning, speech, and development.

FOR MORE INFORMATION on speech delays, please contact your local early intervention office.   You can always start with  Play Therapy.

Products that might be helpful:

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Categorized as: Kids , Staying Healthy! , YourModernFamily

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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49 Comments

These are great ideas! I would love to invite you to link up at our Share It Saturday linky party. We have lots of creative ideas submitted each week and you would fit right in! http://www.sugaraunts.com/2013/02/share-it-saturday-7-and-our-week-in.html

We also are inviting all contributors to join us on our Share It Saturday Group Pinterest page as a collaborator. It is a great way to have your posts seen by new viewers! The link for the Pinterest page is on our post. Hope to see you there!

Colleen at Sugar Aunts

Sounds great- thanks! I’ll be there. 🙂

Wonderful ideas! As mama to a 25 weeker that had huge speech delays for various reasons, one of which having a trach for 3.5 years and unable to utter a sound, we focused heavily on sign language. This was a HUGE asset when the trach finally came out. She is now 9 and still relies on sign language, along with voicing. But that was one of the best decsions we ever made!

I’m so glad she’s doing well now. Signing is so great for helping children with speech delays.

I recommend contacting your local early intervention agency. The evaluation is FREE and all states have the program. Most pediatricians don’t use screening tools and often take the “let’s wait and see” approach. In the meantime, there are plenty of books out there that are parent-friendly, including The Cow Says Moo Ten Tips to Teach Toddlers to Talk (McErlean), Let’s Talk Together (Poland), and My Toddler Talks (Scanloon) are a few. Try Amazon.com; they have everything.

🙂 I work through Early Intervention, as well. 🙂 I completely agree!

Any ideas on how to get them to actually respond or do anything to help? We’re a one income family and after having my eldest evaluated when he was 18 months and still not using a sign word (not even Mommy or Daddy) but signing perfectly I was told it was my fault for teaching him ASL and that it was not actually a delay so they had nothing to do with helping me. Now at a month shy of 3yrs he has a 50 word vocabulary and still struggles and cries because he cannot get his point across to adults or other kids. He’s extremely bright, can figure out basic math problems, count, and has had his hearing checked at two different testing centers but out Child Development Services still claim it is not their problem to get him any sort of help. Since we’re on state medical insurance they are our only option for assitance and so far have told us if he still is having a problem by school age they might see fit to help by then.

I would keep working with him and actually move his mouth yourself when you are telling him to say words. Does he babble (make sounds?) I would wait to start speech therapy until 20 months & then call Child Dev. Serv. again. They often will not refer a child for play therapy or speech therapy until 20 months. (I start to see most of my clients between 20 months & 24 months, I’d say … and then I work with them until they are three and they are transferred to the school system.)

Hi. Can you believe that in Germany (and other countries in Europe as well) they don’t evaluate children until they are 5-year-old? They don’t have developmental pediatricians here or licensed speech therapists. Any kind of assessment is done by regular pediatrician. Their motto is every child develops differently and starts speaking at different age. They disagree with providing any kind of therapy for children who are younger than 5. ASD and PDD are not popular here or I should rather say people (parents) do not speak much about it. If their child doesn’t walk until 3-year-old or doesn’t interact with you until he/she is 3-year-old, it’s okay, they don’t see any problem with this because their pediatrician said so. I have ten years of professional experience from US so what’s happening in Europe for me it’s unacceptable and a big disappointment.

I am a PhD speech-language pathologist with 10 years of clinical and research experience. I strongly encourage families who have children with communication delays to pursue an evaluation by a licensed speech-language pathologist. Early intervention is incredibly important and an actual communication professional can recommend targeted strategies for your unique child. Communication is the foundation of literacy and academic skills, and speech-language pathologists can get your child on the right track!

I am also a speech therapist, and completely agree with the above post. A thorough history, coupled with a comprehensive assessment by a qualified, credentialed professional are essential. The earlier, the better.

My 4 year granddaughter can’t pronounced later c, s, z, q…..I think she has articulation problems

My granddaughter is 2 yrs 5 mon old. She will repeat what you say to her. If you say “do you need to poop”? She will say “do you poop”? she will not answer a question only repeat the question. Is this normal. Her doctor says she is a little behind in speech skills.

Hi there! I came across this site while looking up information on my son’s speech delay (due to hypotonia). I bought the Balanced Essentials liquid multivitamin and was curious as to how much your neurologist recommended giving him? He’s 30 months.

Thanks in advance!

He told us one ounce was a safe dose (as they state on the package), but I always fill it to the first line in the cap- its exactly one teaspoon. Hope that helped!

What age is that the dose for? A two or three year old? My son is 17 months and I know our pediatrician won’t like the idea of giving adult vitamins to him, so I’d like more of a point of reference to start the conversation.

I would talk to your doctor. This was for our toddler, but every child is different. Our doctor said that Animal Parade (for kids) was another great, natural option. I’d bring up both to your doctor. 🙂

My son is 3 and had a vocabulary of 20 words 3 weeks ago. I started him on Balanced Essentials and in 10 days he was starting to say words he never had before. He continues each day to add multiple words to his vocabulary and already speaks more words than I can count. It is absolutely remarkable. He has speech apraxia, hypotonia, and limbic system problems (neurological). Why are Dr’s not prescribing this stuff??? It is nothing short of miraculous!

That’s amazing!! I know – our pediatricians had never even heard of it when I took it to them to double check it before we started. We ended up giving it to all 4 of our kids.

Where i can get that ??? My son is 4 strouling with speech …. We r talking 2 language he isnt fulent in mother tounge or english

Wonderful page and ideas!

A little of our story. My son is 10 years old today. But he was born premie, and had Global Delays from the start. I started ASL with him around 1 year old and it was a life saver! We only did basics, and added things as needed or that he was interested in as time passed. But at one point, when he was 2 1/2-3, he said the words, “water” and “doggy” the same way; he said “goggy” for both of these. So if he didn’t sign “water” to me, I would have had a heck of a time knowing he wanted a DRINK, and wasn’t telling me about a doggy!

Today, at 10, most of his development is that of a 2 year old. He has plenty of vocabulary; enough to get his needs met, thankfully. But we are currently working with a program that will be able to get us a communication assistive device. It may take some time, but it will be covered by insurance, so it will be well worth it!

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for these suggestions! My 20 month old son has a moderate expressive speech delay and we cannot currently afford treatment… it is so difficult to find things online that I can do to help him while we wait for the public service! These all sound great!

Good! I’m glad they were helpful. Good luck!!

Great ideas! Thank you and we’d be looking forward to more help on children with speech delay…

Awesome- I hope these help!

Thanks you for a wonderful advice.

Of course!! 🙂

I am a Master’s student in speech language pathology and am learning from the most current research. If anyone has or knows a child with a speech/language delay, it is recommended that they see a licensed speech-language pathologist. Some SLPs specialize in early intervention (children ages 0-3) and will know how to best assess and treat communication delays.

Can you recommend some activities for kids older than 3? My son is 5. I think some of these tips are great, but he already did most of them. He has an IEP at school and I can see his progress is very slow.

I would have him look in a mirror and practice his sounds. It was like a lightbulb went off for our son! Do it every day and go through ALL of the sounds: La Le Li Lo Lou

Ma Me Mi Mo Moo

Great ideas.

Wonderful ideas.. These advice were very helpful especially to those people who cant afford paying expensive speech theraphy in private school.

My son is 2 and he has speech therapy. He eats anything you give him, not a picky eater but would giving him the balanced essentials help him? I will ask his pediatrician also at his next appointment but just wanted to ask here. Thanks!

Nice to see.I totally agree with you…Noted.thank you so much 🙂

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Speech-Language Pathology SLP

| 1 December 2020

15 Speech Therapy Activities and Games for All Ages

Do you have a child, family member, or student who faces challenges with speaking or communicating? Speech therapists use fun activities, from vocabulary games to board games and beyond, to help their clients practice language production. As a layperson, you can try out the same activities with your loved one or student.

The speech therapy ideas in this post are geared toward parents, family members, and teachers who are looking for language games to play at home or in the classroom. Speech therapists, also known as speech-language pathologists , and speech-language pathology assistants may find these suggestions useful for planning therapy sessions. Whether the person in your life needs practice with pronunciation, sentence fluency, or speaking in turn, these activities may help them improve. You can tailor the games to be more or less challenging depending on the person’s age and abilities. Check out the link to printables for some free therapy materials!

Speech Therapy Games for Preschoolers

These fun preschool games are perfect language activities for younger kids.

1. Hopscotch Word Fun

Draw a hopscotch on the sidewalk or driveway and write target words in each box. Then have the player say the words out loud to practice speech sounds as they skip through the game.

Helps with: Pronunciation

One player chooses an item in the room that all players can see, then offers clues so that the other players can guess the item they are thinking of. The player who guesses correctly has to use the word in a sentence.

Helps with: Speaking in turn, sentence fluency

3. The Alphabet Game

While driving in the car or walking around your neighborhood, have the player try to find all the letters of the alphabet on signs. Older players can record each letter they find on a piece of paper. See how long it takes to get all 26! For an added challenge, have them say a word that starts with each letter they find.

4. Bury Objects or Picture Cards

Hide objects or speech cards in a sandbox at the playground or under a pile of leaves, and have the player find them. When they do, have them pronounce the object’s name or the word on the card. To add another element to this game, have them use the word in a sentence.

Helps with: Pronunciation, sentence fluency

5. Word Search

Find a word search that is appropriate for the player’s age, as there are many difficulty levels. When they find a word, have them say it aloud. Download our easy printable word search activity below. It’s perfect for ages 5 to 7.

6. Hide-and-Seek with Words

Have the player find word cards you place around the house. When they find a card, have them pronounce the word on the card. For those who can’t read, use cards with pictures.

7. Articulation Station App

The Articulation Station app by Little Bee Speech is designed for kids ages 4 and up. The app offers practice at the word, sentence, and story levels. It features six activities, including flashcards, matching, rotating sentences, unique sentences, and two levels of stories.

Helps with: Word finding, sentence fluency, pronunciation

Speech Therapy Games for Adults

8. Heads Up! Smartphone Game

Heads Up! is a smartphone app game that combines trivia and charades. (You can download it from the Apple App Store or from Google Play.) The player who will be guessing the word or phrase holds the smartphone on their forehead, revealing the word or phrase to others, who act out clues.

Helps with: Learning to speak in turn

9. Yoga Speech Therapy

Combining speech therapy with yoga can double the fun. Have the yogi practice different sounds and sentences while holding yoga poses.

Helps with: Wor d finding, sentence fluency, pronunciation

10. Opposites Attract

In this game, one player makes a list of words that have a clear opposite, such as “yes,” “down,” “happy,” etc. The player reads each word aloud and the other player states the opposite.

Helps with: Word finding, speaking in turn

11. Group Chat

Set a topic, such as a movie or current event, and create a safe space for players to discuss. This is a great way to practice more natural communication.

12. Name Game

This activity involves naming items within a certain category. The best way to play is with cards that have written directions on them, such as “Name five fruits.” In turn, each player picks a card and responds to the directions. Download our name game activity below.

Helps with: Word finding

13. Journaling

Because reading and language development are interconnected, writing in a journal can help people improve language production and comprehension. Provide a list of writing prompts that the player can choose from. Have them write without stopping for 5 or 10 minutes.

Helps with: Word finding, sentence fluency

14. Name Ten

Similar to the name game, the player is given a category and is asked to name ten things that fit within that category. For example, you can ask the player to name ten colors, fruits, animals, or sports.

15. Sound-Focused Game

Players choose a sound they want to target, such as an “S” or “T” sound. Then they take turns saying sentences aloud using as many words as possible that include that sound. For example, if players are targeting an “S” sound, one player might say, “My sister Sally sat sideways in the seat.”

Helps with: Pronunciation, word finding

Speech therapy activities are a fun way for people of all ages to develop the skills they need to communicate better and gain confidence. Check out our other resources for speech therapists as well.

For those who need more guidance, it may be helpful to work with a speech-language pathologist (SLP), who will create a custom treatment plan based on their client’s unique needs. SLPs earn their Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) degree, in which they are trained in assessing and treating disorders of speech, language, and swallowing. At the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, our MS-SLP program features online coursework and hands-on clinical practice, preparing graduates to positively impact the lives of others.

The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) offers a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP). Designed for working students, the MS-SLP is an online program with four required on-campus residencies on either the USAHS Austin or Dallas campus. The program offers two intakes per year, in January and September. Prepare to make a difference in the lives of clients across the lifespan with a meaningful career in speech therapy!

Accreditation Status*

The Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology education program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is a Candidate for Accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700. Candidacy is a “preaccreditation” status with the CAA, awarded to developing or emerging programs for a maximum period of 5 years.

*The candidacy status includes the MS-SLP program offered at Austin, TX and Dallas, TX locations.

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Parent's Academy › Activities for Kids › Language Activities › 4 Kids’ Oral Motor Exercises for Muscle Weakness

4 Kids’ Oral Motor Exercises for Muscle Weakness

Stacie bennett.

Speech-Language Pathologist , Trenton , New Jersey

Feb 14, 2022 Parents asked: "My son started to babble like he wants to have a conversation with me. I noticed he doesn't use his tongue. What kind of kids' oral motor exercises should I do?"

Are you starting to think that your child has trouble speaking? Ok, stay calm. If you see your child not using a part of their mouth that they need to use, especially at around 2–3 years old, you need to get them evaluated by a speech pathologist to rule out any type of oral-motor disorder. Articulation issues are just one sign that help may be necessary.

The good news here is that a child who is babbling is attempting to communicate. Babbling is a precursor for language, so if your child is doing that, they are on the track to communicating more through words.

What is an Oral-Motor Disorder? 

Oral motor disorders can fall into three main categories:

• Oral or verbal apraxia : the inability for the mouth to do what the brain tells it to do due to motor planning difficulties;
• Dysarthria: the inability to eat safely or speak clearly due to muscle weakness or sluggishness;
• Delay in the development of musculature for eating .

Causes of Oral-Motor Disorders

Oral motor disorders can be caused by incorrect motor programming of the muscles of the mouth – the brain sends a message to the mouth muscles, but the muscles either don’t receive or misinterpret the message.

Then the muscles don’t move or move in the wrong way, making it difficult to manage food in the mouth and to produce intelligible speech.

Some children may have difficulty remembering the movements, which then makes it difficult to make the sounds automatic.

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Low muscle tone of the lips, tongue, or jaw can be another cause. I don’t know the details about the child in question, but if your child is showing issues with movement of certain parts of their mouth, watch them eating, as well.

If it’s a true issue, they will have difficulty moving food around in their mouths. They may also have issues drinking from straws if they have lip or tongue weaknesses. 

Get Evaluated for Speech Therapy 

If you suspect an oral motor disorder, your pediatrician can refer you to a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who can properly diagnose your child.

The therapist will interview you to see what you are noticing at home, but will also perform an assessment on your child.

This assessment may include the following: 

• Checking for signs of weakness or low muscle tone in the lips, jaw, and tongue.
• Seeing how well the child can coordinate mouth movements by having her imitate non-speech actions such as moving the tongue from side to side, smiling, frowning, and puckering the lips.
• Evaluating the coordination and sequencing of muscle movements for speech while the child performs tasks such as the diadochokinetic rate, in which the child repeats strings of sounds such as puh-tuh-kuh as fast as possible.
• Testing the child’s skills in “real-life” situations , such as licking a lollipop, and comparing this to skills in “pretend” situations, such as pretending to lick a lollipop.

If therapy is recommended, the therapist will instruct you on what movements and exercises you can do based on your child’s weakness.

4 oral-motor exercises for speech clarity to try at home

Here are four toddler activities that include articulation and other speech exercises:

• Blowing bubbles . This is for lip and cheek weakness, but it’s fun and kids will play with bubbles without even knowing it’s therapy.
• Using straws to drink. This works on every aspect of a child’s mouth. Children should be using straw cups by 1 year of age.
• Making funny faces. Have your child look in a mirror and imitate funny faces. Again, these faces will depend on what weakness your child is displaying. Also practicing chewing exercises for toddlers will help!
• Lollipops. Yes, they can be used in therapy. Your therapist will have your child lick the lollipop or different candies using their tongues in different positions so that the tongue gains strength. Doing tongue exercises for speech therapy is very important.

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The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Blub Blub Inc. All content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgement, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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6 Free Online Speech Therapy Resources For Kids

As parents, you know there are many ways to enrich your child’s speech and language skills, including games, books, and language modeling activities. Online speech therapy resources offer your child a way to refine and practice their speech and language skills at home. Sometimes your child needs a little extra speech therapy, whether it is to refine certain skills they are learning on at school, reinforce what they are working on with their SLP, or just an extra resource to help build speech sounds. When looking to enhance your child’s speech therapy using online resources, we have located a few favorites that won’t take a bite out of your wallet.

Looking for Virtual Speech Therapy?

Speech Buddies Connect is the first online network for parents to find and book appointments with top-quality, certified & local speech professionals. You can filter your search to find Speech-Language Pathologist that offer virtual therapy in your state.

The Best Tools & Games for Speech Practice at Home

Speech Delay Book Bundle:  This Speech Delay Book Bundle encourages first words. Memorable songs and silly questions entice children to express themselves and help speech delay. These books are great for children ages 1 year to 6 years old and are perfect for any child learning to talk.

6 Favorite Online Speech Therapy Websites:

StoryPlace.org :  StoryPlace.org is a website that has a number of online stories and interactive activities for preschoolers and elementary-aged students. Each theme includes an online story, online activity, printable “take-home” activities and suggestions for parents. A booklist that corresponds to each theme is also offered.

FunwithSpot.com  is a cute website for preschoolers and young children. Children familiar with the Spot book series will love the fun language-based games. There are also parent and teacher resources.

FunBrain.com ;  This website offers a number of free online games for kids. Games touch upon a variety of topics, including vocabulary, grammar, reading, math and some that are just for fun! Check out Plural Girls, Grammar Gorillas or click on the reading tab for some great language activities.

Scholastic.com :  Scholastic.com’s Family Playground is a great website for preschool and school-age children and their parents. This website includes a variety of games and activities for children related to popular characters and children’s books such as Clifford, Magic School Bus, Walter Wick, and I Spy.

Articulation Games (by Tracy Gefroh Boyd) :  This is a great site where children plan a variety of games to practice r’s, s’s, l’s, sh’s and ch’s.

The Tongue Twister Database:  A fun collection of tongue twisters to practice speech sounds and giggle at the same time!

Tell us some of your favorites! We’d love to build our collection!

Looking to Put Your New Tablet to Use?

An important part of using online speech therapy tools is to interact with your child while he or she is online. The best online speech therapy sites are not intended to engage your child passively, (think staring at a video game on tv), rather they are to be used as a tool to engage your child and get his brain making connections. Making learning fun is also a crucial component to get your child engaged. Playing online speech therapy games should not feel like homework for your child, rather, a fun activity that you can do together. Here are a few of our favorites, what are some of yours?

Update: The Speech Buddies Team just added some boards to the FREE Bitsboard app !  It’s easy to download and play speech games today on your iPad or iPhone! Bitsboard is a revolutionary app that allows anyone (educators, education companies like Speech Buddies, and even parents) to customize fun, visually pleasing, and versatile games around a given theme.

We share belief that iPad/tablets in general will revolutionize children therapy. We created comprehensive tool for children with development or behavioral disorders, it’s called DrOmnibus.com Feel free to check it out, each of our games focus on one particular skill (also speech skills!). Right now it’s available on Android, but we aim to launch on iPads in June :)

Thanks for the tip Simon, we’re looking forward to checking it out.

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10 Speech Therapy Activities You Can Do at Home With Your Toddler

Believe it or not, your child’s speech development isn’t confined in a speech therapist’s office. In fact, speech therapy activities are best done at home, where your child is comfortable. After all, where else would your child want to be than at home with you?

Even if you don’t have a speech therapist yet, nothing’s stopping you from encouraging your child to talk. Here are some recommended speech activities and routines that you can do together at home.

Speech and Language Activities While Bonding with Your Toddler

1) read books or magazines.

One of the best toddler speech activities goes back to the basics: reading. Reading aloud to your child will help them listen to how you form words and develop their vocabulary. Learning through reading may even lead your child to be an avid lover of books. They might even request their favorite book from time to time.

When they are already able to form words, encourage them to repeat the words from the book after you. This will help strengthen their articulation and literacy over time. Eventually, you can leave out some words and pause so that your toddler has a chance to speak up and fill in those words.

For the reading materials, you don’t even have to limit yourself to books. Some educational and children’s magazines can also be a good source of reading time. Magazines that are full of pictures are great for looking at together. You can also point at the pictures and ask them “What’s that?” to get them to engage.

2) Play With Your Child

Extra perks come with learning through a fun activity. Some of them include motor skill development, enhanced imagination, and better social skills with less pressure to speak up.

Toys are an amazing way to facilitate play. But, steer clear of battery-operated ones when choosing toys. You want your child to make sounds, and having toys that do it for them will not help with their development. This is especially true for those experiencing speech delays. Stick to toys that encourage:

• social interaction and communication
• usage of motor functions
• imagination and creativity

One classic way to play is using flashcards and blocks. Images and colors printed on these materials encourage word association.

You can also have your child group the cards or blocks together by various categories (animal, fruits, etc.). This will introduce the idea of related words. Plus, moving cards and blocks around will improve your child’s motor skills too.

Don’t forget to let your child lead during playtime. You will help them be confident with making choices on what to play with. It will also be easier to start conversations with them when they are having fun with it.

3) Use Hand Gestures and Sign Language

At around 8 to 9 months of age, children should start using gestures. Teaching them gestures or signs won’t cause a language delay, especially when you link them to spoken words. In fact, it is an effective tool for late talkers to start communicating .

You can start with waving and saying ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ for simple gestures. You can also create gestures for actions that your child loves doing. For example, you can say “hug” and wrap your arms around you to connect that word with the gesture.

One of the things you can also do to take this further is to teach your child sign language. Focus on words that are easy and functional, like more, help, please, thank you, and even Mom or Dad. Think about which signs would help your child the most.

Signs that are functional to them will encourage your toddler to use them daily. They can start using it to request items they want or need like milk, blanket, or even their favorite toys.

4) Singing and Rhyming

Nursery rhymes and songs can help improve your toddler’s language skills. Singing stimulates a different part of the brain, and the rhythm of songs helps your child remember words better. Some classic nursery rhyme songs you can use include:

• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
• Row, Row, Row Your Boat
• Old MacDonald Had a Farm
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider
• Mary Had a Little Lamb

Songs accompanied by gestures are also excellent for motor skills. Don’t even worry if you’re not a good singer, what’s important is facilitating this interaction with your toddler.

If they can already sing along with you, leave out some of the words, pause and wait for your child to sing the missing words. It gets even better when they can already sing the entire song on their own.

Day-to-Day Speech-Language Practices

Speech learning needs a parent’s support during learning and playtime. But what about other times around the house with your toddler?

You can incorporate many things in your daily lives that can help your child develop their language skills. Here are a few of them:

5) Speak Slowly and Clearly

You can help improve your child’s speech skills when you practice speaking to them slowly and clearly. With the proper articulation, they will pick up on the right sounds to make from the get-go .

Eye contact also helps with communication. Making a proper facial expression helps too, as children also pick up on this and they will imitate it.

6) Introduce New Sounds and Words

As your toddler grows, so does their ability to learn new words. By gradually introducing them, your child won’t feel overwhelmed in remembering them.

You can do this by pointing or picking up items and saying what they are, like lifting a toy ball and saying “ball”. Pointing to yourself and saying “Mommy”/”Daddy” works too, so they can associate the words with the person.

You can also help them learn new words by adding them to learned ones . For example, adding the new word “big” to the learned word “ball” will help them link the words together. Use two to three variations with the same word (“soft ball”, “green ball”) to build further vocabulary.

7) Tell Them What You’re Doing

Whether it’s cleaning the home or even getting dressed, tell your toddler what you are doing . The most ordinary things to you are absolutely new to a learning child. You can also talk about how something looks, tastes, and feels. This will improve their listening skills as well.

When you describe what you are doing, keep it short . You want to speak in phrases that are as long as they can manage to say. Speak and repeat when necessary. It will take patience, but children learn best with repetition.

8) Turn Off the TV

Prevent slow learning by turning off your TV especially when your toddler is in the room. Much like battery-operated toys, it will not help when your child is not repeating what they hear.

TV doesn’t only affect your child: it can also draw your attention away from them. That means less time for you to communicate and bond with each other.

In a study published on JAMA Pediatrics, each hour of TV exposure with sound resulted in fewer vocalizations in children. The study discouraged Tv viewing for children under 2 years in the conclusion. They instead suggest that parents focus on creating an interactive play environment.

Remember: Children are in their best learning state when they are talking to real people at home.

9) Teach Them to Ask For Things

Your toddler most likely wants a lot of things. Whether it’s food or toys, start teaching them to ask for it by letting you know what they want.

One of the ways to get your child to start communicating is to put things out of reach. Place their toys on a shelf or food on an unreachable counter. This will prompt them to call for your help.

Remember to reinforce and enhance the interaction when they do ask for something. If they ask for a banana by pointing, you can confirm “Do you want the yellow banana?” and introduce “want”, “yellow” and “banana” into his vocabulary.

There will be times that your toddler is unsure of what they want, or is having a hard time using words to describe what they want. In cases like this, you can help them with the process by giving them a choice (“Do you want a red apple or a yellow banana?). That way, you make it easier for them to think of words especially when they can imitate what you just said.

10) Repeat and Expand

Earlier we discussed how to introduce new words by linking them with already learned ones. You can also use a similar method to help with new words, which is repeating and expanding.

Repetition is crucial to language learning. Repeat what your child says, and expand on the topic. For example, if your child says, “Dog run!” you can reply with “Yes, the dog is running. He is running very fast.”

Try to keep the expansion sentences as correctly as possible. Like we said earlier, it’s important to speak clearly for your child to learn the words right from the get-go.

What if your child is using baby words? There’s no harm in starting with baby words but you should expand on what they are saying and say the correct word. If your toddler says “ba-ba” while pointing at their bottle, you can repeat (“Do you want ba-ba? Yes, here’s your bottle.)

Nowadays, speech-language pathologists can also be accessible online at home. If you’d like to learn more about how online speech therapy can help your family at home, get a consultation from us. No commitments, no contracts!

Related Post:

Why Your Voice Cracks

How to pronounce the th sound (and how speech therapy helps), is depression a sign of dementia.

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41 Free Online Speech Therapy Activities

There are many online speech therapy activities that you can do with your student or child to help them develop their language skills.

These online games and exercises are perfect for the online slps doing teletherapy and will not only be fun for both of you, but they will also provide great benefits for your child’s speech pathology goals and help improve their speech delay!

Fun Games for Online Speech Therapy Activities

In this article, we’ll highlight 41 online resources – including PBS Kids interactive games, Boom Cards, and Pink Cat Games. We hope that these online tools will encourage children to learn about social skills, vocabulary words, communication skills, and more.

The following section is a list of educational games that are great for any speech language pathologist to use during their therapy services.

Collection of Interactive Online Games

Enjoy this list below of online speech therapy games to work on your student’s or child’s speech goals and make your speech therapy session even more fun this school year.

Online Speech Therapy Activities

1. pbs kids.

One of our favorite online resources for speech therapy is the PBS Kids website. This online destination has a variety of fun, interactive games that help children work on their language skills.

Some SLP favorites include: “ Curiou s George Pop the Bubble “, “ Meatball Launcher “, and “ Daniel Tiger Bath Time Helper “.

Do you have students who love to build things? Be sure to check out this list of games: “ Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Sandcastle “, “ Hero Elementary Treehouse Trouble “, “ Hamster Run “, “ Ready Jet Go, Builder “, “ Animal Home Builder “.

All of these games are perfect for children who are in the early intervention stage or those who have autism spectrum disorder. They are also great for helping to build vocabulary skills , story telling , feelings and life skills, such as empathy, respect for others, labeling feelings, as well as others!

2. Boom Learning

Another online resource that we love are Boom Cards.

This online program makes it easy to access educational games that can help your child work on auditory processing skills, receptive and expressive language development, articulation practice, and more!

This online resource is perfect for practicing speech sounds with articulation games, vocabulary words, social skills, and following directions – all of which are important for speech development.

If you’re on the hunt for barrier games be sure to check out Boom Learning then!

SLP favorite free downloads can be found in my list of 917+ free boom cards for speech therapy !

3. pink cat games.

If you’re looking for online resources that are specifically designed for younger children, we highly recommend checking out Pink Cat Games.

This online website has a variety of great games and activities that focus on different language skills, including vocabulary development, following directions and more.

Some of our favorites include: “ Build a Monster “, “ Smarty Pants Animal Race “, and “ Quiz Wheel Game “.

All of these online resources are perfect for children in early intervention or with autism spectrum disorder, as they help to build vocabulary skills, language comprehension abilities, following directions, social communication, and more!

4. Fun Brain

This website has many online activities and games that work on vocabulary, reading comprehension, memory skill development, etc.

These online games are perfect for children who have already developed some language skills, but still need to improve their vocabulary or reading comprehension abilities.

Some of our favorite things on this site are “ Reading “, “ Games “, Grammar Gorillas , Plural Girls to work on plurals , and Simon Sees .

5. Educational Games

If you’re looking for online resources that focus on educational games, we highly recommend checking out Educational Games.

This website has a variety of online activities and games that work on different academic skills, including math, science, grammar, etc.

This online website is perfect for younger children who are just starting to learn their letters and sounds. It has a variety of online games and activities that focus on teaching the alphabet, phonics skills, vocabulary words, etc.

Some of our favorite online speech therapy activities on ABCya! include: “ Make a Cupcake “, “ Make an Ice Cream “, “ Make a Cookie “, “ Make a Pizza “, “ Make a Gingerbread House “, “ Make a Robot “, and “ Let me Grow “.

These online resources are perfect for children who are just starting to learn their letters and sounds, as well as those who need extra practice with their phonics skills. They also work great with younger children in the early intervention stage!

More reinforcement games, such as Happy Clicks, the Game of Battleship, and an Interactive Mr. Potato Head can be found in my list of 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy !

7. Sesame Street Games

This website offers a variety of educational games for children ages two to five. The games are designed to help with skills such as letter recognition, counting, vocabulary, and more.

Here is a list of fan favorites: “ Cooking with Cookie “, “ Ready Set Grow “, “ Brush Those Teeth “, “ Dress up Time! “, and “ Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck “.

There are several possibilities for targeting requesting, commenting and extending utterances.

8. Match the Memory Game

If you’re on the hunt for memory games then this online memory game is a great way to help your child work on their short-term memory abilities.

9. Baamboozle

This online website is fantastic since it offers pre-made games and activities created by other SLPs that you may utilize or develop your own free games.

Simply search the games using the search bar.

Some of our favorite online speech therapy activities on Baamboozle include games with target words: “ Speech Articulation S Sounds ” by lindseycav, “ Articulation of Two or More Syllables Words in GIF ” by Susan Tourdot, and the “ /ch/ Initial Articulation ” by MG.

These online resources are perfect for children who need extra practice with their vocabulary skills or articulation. They also work great with younger children in the early intervention stage!

10. Meddybemps

If you’re looking for online speech therapy activities, look no further than Meddybemps.

They have a great selection of interactive games and activities that are perfect for helping kids with language skills.

Their games are ideal for children with autism spectrum disorder, communication delays, or other speech-language needs.

11. Jeopardy Labs

Jeopardy Labs is a great online resource for speech therapy activities. The website includes interactive games and vocabulary games that are perfect for teletherapy sessions and helping children develop their language skills.

The interactive games on Jeopardy Labs are a great way to help younger children learn new concepts in a fun and engaging way. The games are also a great way to help improve communication skills.

12. Language Play Room

The language playroom is an online learning center for children to help them learn about language.

They have activities that cover a wide variety of concepts, including reading comprehension and phonemic awareness.

13. iSL Collective Video Lessons

If I had a top pick this website would be it! I personally love using videos to make therapy more fun and interactive.

The iSL Collective is a great online resource for speech-language pathologists.

The website includes a variety of video lessons that cover topics such as grammar skills, vocabulary development, body language, and more!

If you also love using more videos in your therapy to make learning more fun then be sure to check out my list of 31 Best Wordless Videos to Teach Problem Solving .

14. Owlie Boo

This website is really easy for parents and therapists to use.

It offers several excellent games for toddlers and reinforcement games, which are also great for practice.

Poki is a great website with activities that are fun and interactive, and the games can be used as reinforcement while your students work on their specific skills or areas of development.

Poki is a great resource for parents, family members, and therapists looking for fun and digital games to use during therapy sessions.

Some favorite board games include: “ Tic Tac Toe “, “ Connect Four “, and “ Snakes and Ladders “.

16. Toy Theater

It has several free interactive games that you can use with your students. They can play along with you if you share your screen and let the student control (Zoom).

If you’re looking for multiplayer be sure to check out the Goose game and Snakes and Ladders game at Toy Theater.

Some of our favorite online speech therapy activities on Toy Theater include “ Stack ” and the “ Classroom Timer “.

17. Room Recess

Room Recess is an educational website that offers educational games and activities for children.

The site is free, easy to use, and provides educational online resources for kids of all ages.

Room Recess has a large library of educational games for early learners from preschool through middle school including a math tab, reading tab, word tab, lab tab, extras tab, and themes tab.

18. Mystery Animal

The Google Mystery Animal is a 20-question quiz. It’s free and very entertaining for all ages and fun for a variety of goals.

Kahoot is a perfect website for high school students or older students and a great way to review material with a class or as a family.

It is an interactive quiz game that can be used for educational purposes. Kahoot offers many different types of games, including vocabulary and grammar exercises.

SEE ALSO: 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy / Teletherapy

20. quizlet.

Quizlet is a website that has a variety of resources for all grade levels, including interactive flashcards and vocabulary games.

Quizlet also offers a great way to study for exams with its “learn” mode. This mode helps you memorize information from a provided list of terms, definitions, and examples.

21. Cookie  

This site has 13+ great language activities that help students build vocabulary in an engaging way.

22. Global Allied Health

This site is divided by goal area.

These online resources are perfect for teachers who have older children in the school-aged stage!

23. Highlights Kids

This website is jam-packed with secret pictures, making it ideal for vocabulary practice or as a fun reinforcement game.

The website is also a great resource for parents and family members who want to help their children with language development or those that are working on improving communication skills.

The types of activities available on Highlights Kids will keep children entertained while they learn at the same time!

There is something for everyone on this website. It is a great resource for parents and speech-language pathologists alike! Check it out today!

The website Quia.com is an educational website that allows you to create online lessons and quizzes for free. This can be a great resource for finding educational games and activities to supplement speech therapy sessions.

Quia offers a variety of different types of educational games and activities, including vocabulary games and interactive activities for younger children.

The website is easy to use and can be accessed from any computer or mobile device.

Here is a fun game for working on multiple meaning words !

25. Wheel of Names

The Wheel of Names is a fun game that is perfect for using it as a spinner.

For example, you can use it to choose who goes next. Or put vocabulary words in the boxes and then spin and have your student define their vocabulary words.

Another idea is to work on synonyms or antonyms. Place different words, such as big or tall in the spinner and then hit spin. The child then says the best synonym or antonym for that word. 

SEE ALSO: 279+ Free Speech Therapy Digital Materials

26. kids national geographics.

The Kids National Geographic website is a great educational resource for children of all ages.

It features interactive games and activities, educational articles, and videos from the popular magazine.

Children can learn about everything from dinosaurs to space exploration on this website. There are also puzzles and quizzes to help reinforce what kids have learned.

This is a great way to keep children engaged and entertained while learning educational topics.

27. Bou n cy Balls

This is a fun way to manage classroom noise or visualize music.

You can choose from a variety of themes that will help your students visualize the noise in the room!

28. Sheppard Software

This website has a great variety of educational games and activities for younger children.

Their website has hundreds of free, online, learning games for kids.

But anyone interested in online learning can use this site with access to activities in many subjects – (geography, math, animals, science, language arts, creative activities, health).

29. Mr. Nussbaum  

Here is an educational website that features many free resources to help kids.

It offers dozens of interactive games designed to reinforce essential concepts taught in elementary years, and themes that make learning enjoyable.

30. Arcademics

Arcademics is a website that offers educational games for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.

There are over 50 games to choose from, and students can practice math, reading, science, social studies, and more.

The educational games are separated by grade level and subject, so students can easily find what they need.

31. Junior Brain Pop

One educational website that is great for speech therapy activities and games is Junior Brain Pop.

This website includes a variety of interactive games and videos that target a range of skills, including language. The games are all engaging and provide a fun way to work on important skills.

32. Splash Learn

Splash Learn has a variety of educational games to choose from that provide practice in vocabulary, phonology and grammar skills.

It also offers educational lesson plans and ideas, tips on how to use the site, FAQs and more!

33. Turtle Diary  

This site offers a large, free collection of educational games and activities to help children learn. These tools can be helpful for speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, parents and teachers who are looking for ways to support language skills in young children.

The site includes many different types of educational games that will engage your child: vocabulary building games where kids match terms to definitions, interactive short stories that teach grammar and syntax, educational quizzes, math challenges and more.

One of the best features of Turtle Diary is that many of the games are designed for specific age groups. You can easily find activities tailored for preschool students, elementary students or older students. This is a great way to target your child’s specific educational needs.

SEE ALSO: 917+ Best free Boom Cards for Speech Therapy

34. learning games for kids.

This site includes educational games for kids to make learning fun with math facts, language arts, and more.

Want educational games that make learning fun for your students? You’ve come to the right place!

35. Time for Kids

The website ‘Time for Kids’ is a great educational resource that provides articles and videos geared towards children of all ages.

Time for Kids is a great resource for educational activities, making it the perfect place to find digital resources for speech therapy.

It’s also a great way to keep younger children entertained and engaged while practicing their language skills.

Scroll down to the latest articles and stories for the free resources.

36. The Kidz Page   

Here is another educational website that provides free educational games and activities for children.

There are hundreds of free kids games, puzzles, activities, fun coloring pages, clip art & more.

You are sure to find something on this site that will help reinforce what you’re teaching your students in the classroom.

37. Disney Now Games

Disney Now has a great selection of educational games for children.

The games are designed to help kids learn math, reading, and science skills.

There are also games devoted to social skills development.

38. Word Wall

A great way to help young children learn new words and their definitions is by using a word wall.

A word wall is a collection of words, usually posted in a designated area, with each word printed or written on a separate piece of paper or card. The definition of the word can also be included.

This is a great visual aid for children and can help them learn new words in a fun way. It is also a great resource for parents and family members who want to help their child with their language development.

39. Birthday Song

Does your child or student have a birthday coming up?

Then be sure to check out this website where you type your child or student’s name and you can sing the child happy birthday with their name!

40. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Their website also has a few articles of ideas for using online speech therapy ideas that might be worth checking out.

41. Book Trust

If you want your child or student to listen to a free book then be sure to check out this website where your child or student can watch and listen to the interactive children’s books and then play a game, such as the Jigsaw Puzzles , Coloring Pages , or Faces and Feelings .

Conclusion : Online Speech Therapy Activities

Here is a list of 41 online speech-language therapy activities and games to help your child work on their language skills!

These resources are a great way to use online technology and are perfect for children with autism spectrum disorder, communication delays, or other speech-language needs.

They are a great way to improve vocabulary skills, phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, and more. Try out these online resources today!

Want Even More?

• 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy
• 261+ Free Ideas for Digital Therapy
• 917+ Best Free Boom Cards for Speech Therapy
• 11 Free Articulation Games for Speech Therapy
• Learn How to Turn any Static PDF into an Interactive PDF.

Want the Best of the Bests?

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Saturday 18th of June 2022

Thank you for this freebies! God bless your good heart!

Melissa Berg

Hi Ela! Aw, thank you so much. I'm happy to know you like this resource! Wishing you all the best, Melissa

speech and language therapy and resources

Have fun with these 15 awesome toddler speech delay exercises that are designed by a Speech and Language Pathologist and will help your toddler to talk before you know it!

Exercises are a fantastic way to teach language and to get your toddler talking! These exercises are fun and motivating for your child, and they provide a focus for you to teach your child new skills.

If you find these 15 exercises helpful, why not check out my big book of 50 easy exercises to get your toddler talking?

Repetition is important in learning these new skills, so don’t worry about doing your child’s favorite exercises over and over if that’s what they want. Feel free to pick and choose the ones that work best for you, your child and your family.

These exercises are designed so that you can easily adjust the level to the level of your child.

If your toddler is not yet talking, these speech delay exercises will help your toddler to talk, especially when you use language strategies as well. If your toddler is already talking, these exercises will grow and develop their language skills.

Above all, these exercises are designed to be fun! That’s how children learn best!

STRATEGIES IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Children learn language from listening to language. They absorb the language spoken by their parents, siblings and the other people around them.

Children need to hear language over and over again for months and years before they will start to use it for themselves.

As a parent, you are the single most important person in your child’s language development. The strategies you use in everyday life to build your child’s language will have the biggest impact on their speech and language development.

Using language strategies will make a big difference and can be used as part of everyday life in all of your interactions with your child.

Want a little more?

Grab your free copy of the Speech and Language Strategies Essential Cheat Sheets. Print off and use to help alongside the toddler speech delay exercises to boost your child’s speech and language. Enjoy!

15 TODDLER SPEECH DELAY EXERCISES

The exercises are based around the following key areas:

• Exercises to build listening skills
• Exercises to encourage first words
• Exercises to build vocabulary
• Exercises to build understanding
• Exercises with flashcards
• Exercises to build grammar
• Exercises for early reading skills

EXERCISES TO BUILD LISTENING SKILLS

This first section of speech delay exercises to help your toddler talk are designed to build listening skills . Attention and listening is a foundational skill for language. We watch babies develop this as they start to focus on their parents’ faces, respond to sounds, and start to respond to their own name.

In a few years they will be able to listen attentively to stories, listen to their friends, and because they are able to listen, they will know how to respond. Language isn’t possible without a strong foundation of attention and listening.

1. Find the Sound

Find the Sound is a fun way to build listening skills. Get a toy or piece of equipment that makes a noise. Wind up or musical toys can work well for this, or even general household items such as an egg timer or metronome. Ask your child to close their eyes, and hide the item somewhere in the room- e.g. under a cushion, behind the door.

This helps children to learn to listen. To make it more challenging, try turning the sound down so it’s even quieter. This is a game for younger children and is great for building attention and listening which are foundational skills for language.

You can even use this with babies- put the object somewhere around the room and see if they turn their head to find the sound. If they don’t, you can make it obvious and point at it saying, “ Wow! Can you hear the music? It’s there!”

2. Stop and Go

Stop and Go is a fun active game for kids. The basic principle is that when you say ‘go’, they can run around. They have to listen out for the word ‘stop’ which means they have to stop and freeze in place immediately.

To make this game even more beneficial, why not give them different variations when you say ‘go.’ You might say, ‘ok this time when I say ‘go’ I want you to walk like you’re tigers/ ballerinas/ hop on one foot/ walk backwards,’ or anything else you can think of.

When you say ‘stop’ you could walk around to check that they are being perfectly still. If you are playing with a group of kids, you could eliminate anyone who moves or wobbles.

EXERCISES TO ENCOURAGE FIRST WORDS

These speech delay exercises for toddlers are focused specifically on first words. They are designed to engage your child, and motivate them to say their first words.

Your child’s first word is a moment all parents are super excited about! As understanding of language grows, your child’s use of language will start to develop.

When you are encouraging first words, pick ones that are motivating. Also pick words where there is the opportunity to use it in lots of ways throughout the day. Aim to repeat it lots and lots in different contexts all through the day.

3. Catch the Gap

Catch the Gap is a clever game to help your child to say their very first words. Understanding comes before talking, so teach your child lots of nursery rhymes. Don’t be afraid to be very repetitive.

The Catch the Gap exercise is when you say the Nursery Rhyme that your toddler is now familiar with, but then stop just before saying the last word in a line.

Look at your toddler and show on your face that you’re encouraging them to finish the line.

For example, you could say: Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the waterspout/ Down came the rain and washed the spider…. (out)

If your child doesn’t say the last word, pause for just a few seconds, and then say it for them and continue with the rhyme. Don’t be put off- persist with this strategy.

Rhymes are engaging and fun and toddlers become very familiar with them easily so it’s a lovely easy way for them to say their first words.

4. Phrase Completion

Phrase Completion is another easy, low-pressure way to help your child say their first words.

It’s a little like Catch the Gap but without the rhymes.

Simply say a phrase (pick one that your child is familiar with) and stop before saying the last word.

For example, you might say:

• Go to (bed)
• Let’s brush your (teeth/ hair)
• Open the (door)

Use phrases that you find yourself saying everyday to your toddler. Use phrase completion in context (e.g. while holding the item) and make it very obvious with your voice.

Make your voice rise at the end so it’s clear that another word is coming and give lots of eye contact and smile to show your toddler you want them to finish your sentence.

EXERCISES TO BUILD VOCABULARY

A strong vocabulary is needed for great conversations, to engage with friends, and for learning across all subjects in school. Remember that vocabulary is not just made up from naming words.

To expand your child’s vocabulary, choose lots of different types of words- action words, describing words, location words and emotion words. Your child will need all of them to be able to engage in conversations.

Building vocabulary is a big focus of toddler speech delay exercises.

5. What’s My Man Missing? (Body Parts)

This is a great game that’s fantastic for teaching body parts. Draw two men side by side. On one drawing, leave out a body part such as an arm or the head. Ask your child, ‘what’s my man missing?’

They might know the word, or if they don’t they can point at the first man to show. When they do this, feed in the language of the body part. Repeat it two or three times so they really hear it and will start to remember it.

Don’t be afraid to make your missing body parts more and more obscure once your child is confident with basic body parts. You could leave out the elbow, the knee, an eyebrow- get creative!

Initially, your child will give the general area such as ‘leg.’ You can say, ‘that’s right. He’s missing part of his leg. That part is called the knee. He’s missing his knee! Can you show me your knee?’

6. Shopping Game

This shopping game will build your child’s vocabulary and also help them to understand categories.

Get lots of pictures of shopping items. The best way to do this is to get a shopping leaflet from a supermarket and cut out lots of the pictures.

Tell your child you’re going to ‘put away the shopping.’

You could draw out a fridge, a cupboard, a freezer and a fruit bowl- whatever is appropriate for your house. Then sort out the shopping together. Describe the items as you go. For example, ‘ oh look- ice cream! That’s really cold! Where should we put it?’

Be careful not to turn this game into a test for your child, but to model as much language as you can. Feed in, don’t squeeze out!

7. Photo Diary

Making a photo book works especially well to teach location words such as: under, beside, in, on, behind.

You can also use it to teach action words such as: jump, skip, run, hop, stand, stretch, roll.

Have fun with your child when you’re making the photobook- get them to go ‘under’ the chair- show them what this means. Then, take a picture to demonstrate each word.

You can print the pictures off with the words underneath.

For example:

• Molly is under the chair
• Molly is behind the chair
• Molly is stretching

Staple or ring-bind them together so they are in one book. Then read through the book with your child, reading out the words and emphasizing the new words.

The book will be very motivating for your child. After all, it contains pictures of them! They are likely to go back to the book again and again. Remember that as you look at the pictures together, keep feeding the words in.

You can use this idea to teach lots of other new words, too. This is a great way to teach colors.

EXERCISES TO BUILD UNDERSTANDING

With a strong foundation of attention and play, your child will be developing their understanding of language. Children need to be able to understand words well before they will start to use them for themselves.

It’s like learning a foreign language as an adult- you can’t open your mouth and communicate until you understand the words you can use.

Generally, children also understand more language than they can say, and the more they understand, the more they will soon say!

The next toddler speech delay exercises are focused on their understanding of language which is a foundation for their talking.

8. Barrier Game

A Barrier Game is a fun way to give your child practice in both giving and receiving instructions. The basic idea is to have matching pictures or objects in front of each of you with a barrier in between so you can’t see each other’s things.

It might be that you each have an uncolored picture of a house in front of you, or you could each have a few toys: a teddy, a spoon and a bed. The barrier might be a hardback book standing up, or even a piece of cardboard.

Take turns to give each other instructions. For example, you might say, ‘color the door of the house red.’ Or, if you have toys you could say, ‘put teddy under the bed.’

Then, when you are ready, take away the barrier and see if your pictures or toys match.

Depending on your child’s age and stage of development, you might need to make your instructions very simple, and check after each one. You might even need to give cues (such as showing ‘under’ with your hand). As you practice, you can start to reduce these.

If your child is older, try giving a series of instructions before checking to see if it matches. Also give them a chance to give you the instructions to follow.

9. Object Hunt

An indoor hunt for kids doesn’t have to be a full-scale Scavenger Hunt which takes a big amount of preparation. A simpler idea is to make a list for your kids of things to find and then let them head off to hunt the objects.

These could be texture related (something smooth/rough), color (something that’s dark blue/ something that has two colors on it), sound related (something that’s begins with the ‘sss’ sound) and even function related (something that you use to stick things). It can be anything that you choose.

You could reward your child for finding everything on the list.

EXERCISES WITH FLASHCARDS

Flashcards are a fantastic tool to use in toddler speech delay exercises. They allow you to choose the words you want to teach, and to play lots of different and fun games. They are great for teaching games with turn-taking and simple ‘rules’, such as ‘Go Fish’ or ‘Snap.’

When you are choosing words for your flashcards, choose a variety of words. Try to choose words that are interesting and meaningful for your child.

However, flashcards are just one piece of the puzzle in learning new words. Children learn best through real life experiences. It might be helpful to jot down the words used in your flashcards, and then use them in a variety of contexts throughout the week. This will broaden their understanding of a word. When children understand a word really well, then they will start to use it!

10. Bottle Cap Game

The Bottle Cap Game is another variation on the flashcard games. To play this game, have about three flashcards picked out with words that you want to teach. Remember that it doesn’t have to be just naming words but it can be any words- action words, or description words work well.

Have three bottle caps and stick the cards to the tops (smaller works better). Alternatively, you could stick the cards to jam jar lids. Find something to hide under the bottle caps or lids- this might be a coin or even paperclip (be careful with small objects if you have a younger child as they are a choking risk!)

Ask your child to close their eyes, put the object under one of the caps, and then let them guess where it is. Teach them to say the word on the flashcard before lifting up to check.

For example, if you are teaching action words and have flashcards of sitting, eating and running, they might say ‘eating’ and then look under to see if they’re right, or they might say, ‘is it under eating?’ if their language is at a higher level.

Your child will need help to do this as they will just be excited to guess and won’t name the card unless you teach them the ‘rules.’ They can then have a turn at hiding the object and you can model, ‘hmm is it under eating?’

11. Fishing Game

To play the fishing game, simply attach a paper clip to each flashcard you are using. If you want to be fancy, you can make fish pictures to stick to the backs of the cards. Then make your ‘fishing rod’- use any length of material and tie a string to it that has a magnet on the end.

Strew the cards around on the floor and then go fishing to catch the cards with your rod. Remember that when they ‘catch a fish’ they need to name the picture on the card.

This is a motivating game that kids absolutely love. You can also turn it into a turn-taking game and teach your child these early social skills. Model the words: ‘my turn’ and ‘your turn.’

EXERCISES TO BUILD GRAMMAR

These speech delay exercises will help your toddler use the correct grammar when they talk.

Grammar is the way in which we use words to say exactly what we mean. If we don’t use the correct word ending, tenses, and pronouns, we will change the meaning of what we say. For example, ‘I walked’ vs ‘ I am walking ’.

Grammar is crucial for kids to develop and use correctly. However, it is a little like icing on the cake.

There are so many skills that need to be in place before grammar can develop. These include: attention and listening, play skills, understanding and use of language. The stronger these foundational skills are for your child, the more opportunities they will have to fine tune their grammar.

However, if these foundational skills are already strong and you want to give your child’s grammar development an extra boost, you can do some focused practice with exercises like these. These exercises are for the earliest stages of grammar- pronouns, plurals, and basic past tense.

12. He is/She is

Pronouns can be quite tricky for kids to develop. Initially, they might say, ‘boy walk’ instead of ‘the boy is walking.’ While a top tip is to model back the correct version naturally without correcting your child, this pronoun game is also a good way to give your child some extra practice.

Look through a sport, gardening or children’s magazine and cut out lots of pictures of males and females. Then sort them into two piles, the ‘he is…’ pile and the ‘she is’ pile. Teach your child to say, ‘he is swimming’, or ‘she is walking.’ Take a turn in the game yourself and model this grammar- let your child hear it lots of times.

Remember to also use it in real life whenever you get the chance- point out and comment about ‘he’ and ‘she’, emphasizing the words a little.

This also helps your child to practice the –ing verb endings.

This exercise alongside practice in everyday life will help your child to develop these grammatical structures in no time!

13. Before and After Cards

Use the internet to find before and after pictures or take your own photos! Make sure the photos demonstrate both the before and after with the grammar for each. You can make these into a photo-book with the target grammar in the words underneath.

Start with regular grammar rules before moving to irregular.

The before and after cards could include:

• Past Tense- (Teach the –ed ending first). Example: I am jumping- I jumped/ I am walking- I walked.
• Plurals – (Teach the –s ending first). Example:  one cow- two cows/ one horse- two horses.

Some irregular grammatical structures could include:

• I am eating- I ate
• I am drawing- I drew
• I am driving- I drove
• One mouse- two mice
• One tooth- two teeth
• One person- two people

EXERCISES FOR EARLY READING SKILLS

As parents, we want to know how to teach our toddler to read. We want them to start off school on a strong foundation to have every advantage for academic success.

Literacy is more and more important in the modern world. Even in a job that doesn’t revolve around it, we still need to be able to fill in forms, read instructions, and generally have enough literacy to get online or to deal with banks and other organizations.

These exercises will help you to develop early reading skills for your child.

Related : 5 Surprising Skills to Build Before You Teach Your Toddler the Alphabet

14. Sound Hunt

Go on a ‘Sound Hunt’ in the house or garden- how many things beginning with ‘mm’ can you find.

Remember that the sound of a letter and the name of the letter are very different things. You can raise your child’s awareness of this by finding opportunities to highlight it.

“oh, a spider- that starts with a sssss- sssspider. That sound is called S.”

Or “t hat starts with a letter M- that letter makes the sound- mmmm. ”

However, be aware that finding something beginning with a sound is more difficult that listening to a word and determining if it begins with the sound.

15. Create a Collage

Create a collage of pictures with just one sound. Cut things out from magazines and papers that have the sound you want.

Have fun using the target sound during a craft. If your target sound is “S Blends”, you could build a crafty snowman. Target sounds could include: snow, snowball, scarf, scary, smile, sparkles, stick, stones, stars, slippery, and stomach.

50 Easy Exercises to Get Your Toddler Talking

If you enjoyed these speech delay exercises for toddlers, check out my big book of 50 easy exercises to get your toddler talking!

Available as a paperback or an eBook, you will have an huge choice of exercises to help your toddler talk in the way that’s best suited to them and your family.

Grab your copy and get your toddler talking!

You might also enjoy:

• 8 Essential Strategies to Boost Speech and Language for Busy Parents [+printable]
• 5 Easy Tips from a Speech Pathologist- How to Encourage Toddlers to Talk
• 5 Surprising Skills to Build Before You Teach Your Toddler the Alphabet
• The Ultimate Guide to Help Your Child Speak Clearly
• Words to Describe Someone: The Ultimate Guide

The Best Speech Delay Exercises and Activities for Toddlers

By Lori Ennis, M.S. Ed

You want to know how to help your toddler with speech delay. It’s what parents do best—helping their children in areas where they need help. And, you’ve of course consulted a speech-language pathologist to ask how to deal with speech delay in toddlers so your little one can continue to grow and develop in speech and language. Your next step? Finding the best speech delay exercises for your toddler .

Are there speech delay exercises for toddlers that you can do at home? Absolutely, and we’ve asked clinicians for how to help your toddler with speech delay. Check out these speech delay exercises for toddlers and feel empowered in helping your little one’s speech and language blossom.

How to Help Your Toddler with Speech Delay

Take it from the experts, best tips to help speech delay in toddlers, real life brings about real speech.

You recognize that there is a speech delay with your toddler . Whether it’s an articulation issue, an enunciation or pronunciation issue or something in their motor planning that may be preventing typical speech development (or something completely different), you find yourself googling “Tips for speech delayed toddler” or “How to help your toddler with speech delay.” We know because we’ve been there. If you’re the parent of a toddler with speech delays, how to help them communicate effectively is one of your main concerns. Effective communication helps eliminate frustration on your end and theirs while preparing them for preschool, school and life. 

So really, are there speech delay exercises for toddlers that you can do at home? Do they really make a difference in how to help your toddler with a speech delay ?

The answer is a resounding, “YES!” and we’ll share them.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is a wealth of resource when it comes to ways you can encourage development when you have a toddler with speech delays. When it comes to how to help your toddler with speech delay, they recommend some of the following activities to encourage word development, proper articulation and enunciation and auditory processing/comprehension:

• Model good speech. Be clear and precise in your speech to and around them. 
• Make sure you use the appropriate word for a baby-talk word as well. You don’t have to stop saying the baby-talk word; just be sure to give them the correct word. (“You’d like your yogi? Sure, here is your yogurt.”)
• Help your child create catalogs of categories for words. “Look, there’s a dog. It’s an animal. What else is an animal? Yes, a cat is an animal. So is a lion. So is a cow.” 
• Have them develop speech with the ‘Yes/No’ game. “Do cows eat at the dinner table?” “Am I your mother?” “Do you have four ears?” “Are you wearing a red shirt?” This can be a fun game for your toddler to try and trick you.
• When asking questions of your toddler with a speech delay, give choices. “Do you want to eat spaghetti or grilled cheese?” The more words they hear in context, the better their vocabulary base is.
• Sing songs and tell nursery rhymes and read, read, read to your toddler. The more words they’re exposed to, the better. A recent study suggested that children who were read to each night were exposed to more than a million words more than their peers who were not read to. 

Will Oral-Motor Exercises Make a Difference? Dr. Gregory Lof is an Assistant Professor and the Associate Director of the Graduate Program in Communication Studies and Disorders at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. He has suggested that oral-motor exercises may not be as beneficial to speech and language development in toddlers as some might believe.

Dr. Lof believes and offers additional research that suggests oral-motor exercises like blowing bubbles or whistling or chewing on a talking tool may be exercises in futility as they don’t strengthen necessary muscles, and goes one step further in suggesting that strength is not necessarily crucial for speaking anyway. 

So what do Dr. Lof and so many other clinicians he cites suggest as tips for speech delayed toddler help? He advises working on speech tasks that will actually relate to speech production. In this, you can over pronounce early sounds and be sure to pronounce them very clearly. 

Typically sounds that toddlers with speech delays struggle with are /p/, /b/, /m/, /n/, /h/ and /w/. You can help your toddler by being sure (particularly when beginning and ending consonants) to really enunciate the letters. ‘B’ in ‘bubble’ has a lot of opportunity for over pronunciation and enunciation, but any time you use words with those consonants, be sure to give them definition clearly. 

Additionally, making eye contact with your child when you are speaking to him or her is important. Not only does eye contact culturally build bonds and relationship, but it also allows your toddler to look at the way you’re forming your letters as you make sounds and words. This is something she can copy as she’s working on developing her own speech.

Most importantly, use everyday situations to help your toddler with speech delays. By this we mean spend a lot of time talking to your child, and through your day. When he gets up in the morning and you’re helping him get dressed, name his clothes—“This is your shirt! Those are your pants! Now it’s time for socks.” When you’re at breakfast, discuss how you’re preparing it, what it will do for your brain and your body—“This is orange juice, and it will help build your bones and keep you healthy!” “I had to crack this egg open before I could cook it. This what cracking your egg open looks like.”

Especially if your child’s responses are challenging to understand, allow them to respond to you and converse with you so they have the practice with not just speech, but speech that is contextually appropriate and meaningful to them. There’s often little fun in ‘speaking’ words only to speak or to learn, but when speech and language acquisition occurs naturally, it makes a more permanent impact. 

If you’re looking for more tips on how to help your toddler with speech delay, thankfully there are lots of additional resources to which you can turn as well. If you’re unsure as to whether your toddler’s speech is typical for her peers, or you’re interested in any more tips and information, you can check out the Toddler Speech Boost site and download their free milestone assessment guide.