As SLPs around the world are embarking on delivering services via telepractice for the first time ever, one of the main sources of anxiety is related to finding appropriate materials.
With so many materials available online, it can seem EXTREMELY OVERWHELMING! Regardless of what age group you work with, you may feel like you are starting at square one when it comes to building your toolbox of materials. Well, this is not so! Take a moment to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and try to relax. Now grab your pen and prepare to take notes. I’m going to be sharing a list of my favorite sites to use when working with children in PreK through 12th grade via telepractice. This blog will help you streamline your materials list and shorten your planning time.
First, let’s take a look at my top sites for some of the most common goal areas when working with school-age children.
Articulation
Woo Jr Ad Libs: Suitable for 3rd grade and up. Students create their own stories. Can use for articulation, fluency, or language. Students start by selecting the words that will be plugged into the story. This is the perfect opportunity to have the child select words with their articulation sound targets. Within the story, there are a lot of opportunities to practice many sounds while reading.
Articulation and Language
Quia: Suitable for K-12th grade. With free access, you can use the “shared activities,” or you can purchase a paid subscription to create your own activities. There are currently 726 activities for Speech Therapy. I like using shared language activities, such as synonyms, antonyms, vocabulary and multiple meaning words. Some of my favorite articulation activities include battleship, challenge board (similar to jeopardy), and word search.
Pragmatics
Do2Learn: Suitable for preK-12th grade. Free language and social language games, activities, and downloads. I especially like the emotions color wheel and feelings game.
Fluency
Super Teacher Worksheets: Suitable for 1st-5th grade. This site has worksheets with a variety of ELA activities. I like to use the reading comprehension worksheets to practice fluency techniques at the reading level. There are a few free downloads for each grade level, or you can purchase an annual subscription.
Now you may be thinking, that’s it? I need more! Don’t worry. Remember that we’re talking about getting started and simplifying the planning process. I’ve found that the best way to simplify is to keep a short list of materials that you can cycle through. Also keep in mind that many SLPs already have an arsenal of physical materials (e.g., toys, games, workbooks, etc.), so you may not have to look any further than your closet or tote bag to find materials that you can easily adapt to telepractice. With an array of online games, apps, and videos available for reinforcement, you can pair your existing physical materials with a reinforcing digital activity. For example, you can open your /r/ word list while playing “Four in a Row” (an online version of Connect 4) from www.primarygames.com. This site also has classic games such as Snakes & Ladders and Chinese Checkers, pictured scenes that can be used for “I Spy,” and even puzzles.
But what if you didn’t get a chance to grab your favorite materials before your school or clinic closed its doors indefinitely? Don’t fret! There are plenty of word lists posted for free online. One of my favorites is Home Speech Home. This site includes a variety of resources, but I love it for the WORD LISTS for all speech sounds. Also includes vowels, nonsense syllables, and some sentences.
Once you pair the stimulus items- either from your existing workbooks or lists that you’ve find online- with a reinforcing game from a site like www.abcya.com, the possibilities are endless. Some of my favorites to do year round are the Make a Pizza or Make an Ice Cream activity for your preschoolers. You can also choose one of the themed activities to work on language or articulation for those in third grade and up: Christmas Crossword Puzzle, Thanksgiving Word Search, and Easter Egg Hunt are just a few options. Themed activities such as these can be used for addressing a variety of goals at the word or sentence level. In your videoconferencing platform, you can choose to give students control of your screen, or have them use their expressive language skills to verbally make their requests.
If you want to see how this all comes together, consider enrolling in my Materials for Telepractice course. With over one hour of video demonstrations, you will be well-equipped to keep your clients motivated and engaged without breaking the bank. If you do want to purchase some digital materials, I provide recommendations for a few of my favorites.
Now that you have a list of ideas, simplify your planning even more with my Telepractice Materials Planning Guide. Download it for FREE! If you have more suggestions for your favorite materials, feel free to comment below.
