How to Use Open Ended Activities for Speech Therapy Groups

Using open ended activities and games in speech therapy can make planning sessions so much easier! Here are a few suggestions that worked well for me.

Do you remember the first time you were faced with a mixed group and were realllllllllly unsure about what to do? I do… picture it, St. Augustine 2007 😅 I was a CF working in THREE schools and had no idea what was going on. It was then I discovered the power of open ended activities. And I'm not just talking board games.

Crafts

Crafts are such an easy therapy activity and I've always been a big fan. And I'm not talking about crafts with tons of parts and pieces, cause that can be a headache for everyone. But really simple craft activities can be so engaging and a great time filler when working in groups.

Some of my favorites are paper strips that you can turn into a chain and make into something like this snake! Or ripped paper crafts. Whatever you choose, just ensure that the craft doesn't become the focus.

I usually keep the pieces of paper, and as each child practices, they ‘earn' another part of their craft to add while I'm working with the other student(s) in the group.

Bingo

Bingo has always been a favorite of mine and I really like to use black/white versions so that the kids can color the picture instead of just covering it up. I usually do a quick drill, then the student picks one of the bingo calling cards out of a bucket to announce to the group.

Dot Pages

Dot pages are a favorite because of their versatility. Not only can you utilize dot markers, but you can fill the circles with ANYTHING. One week you can use markers, next crayons, one day stickers… the possibilities are endless.

You can use dice or a spinner to determine the number of circles to mark, or just mark off trials.

Dice Worksheets

Speaking of dice… kids love them! I prefer the foam dice since they don't make a bunch of noise when you roll them. With dice games, the rules are usually pretty laid out and they just take their turn after practicing. They also make good independent activities.

Cards

This one can get competitive but it's always fun! These card games are point games, so after taking a turn, students choose a card. You can have them set up in a deck or spread out all over the table. Then whoever has the most points at the end, wins! I usually say they ‘win' a high five… I never do prizes.

Another variation would be to choose the card first, and then that's how many trials they do for a word… but you'd probably want some higher numbers on your cards for that!

Counting Games

Counting games can be used with a paperclip and a pencil (or you can add a real one) and then it's just a tally game to color the number of pictures you spin. You can also make this a game by saying whoever fills it up or gets to a certain number first wins.

So as you can see in the end, open ended activities were the power play I needed to not stress about planning for these groups, that it gave a cohesive tie to my therapy sessions and I didn't feel so out of control. The trick was to have a bunch of these activities ready to go in my toolbox.

If you're looking for a set all put together for you for the entire year, make sure you check out this bundle! There are 8 themed activities for each month with many of the above included… a total of 92 activities you can use all year long, year after year. Check them out HERE.