Summer holidays are the perfect time for relaxation and fun, but that doesn't mean you have to put learning on hold! For children who are receiving speech therapy, the summer break provides an excellent opportunity to incorporate enjoyable activities that can help improve speech and language skills. These interactive and engaging speech therapy activities will not only boost communication abilities but also make learning a delightful experience. So, let's dive into some exciting activities that can be easily incorporated into your summer holidays.
1. Nature Scavenger Hunt.
Head outdoors for a nature scavenger hunt to explore the beauty of the summer season whilst working on their speech and language skills. Create a list of items for them to find (e.g., red flower, smooth rock, tall tree). For a child who is working on their speech skills, you can create a list of words beginning with a speech sound that they are working on, for example ‘b’ and practice these words. For a child that has difficulties with language, encourage the child to describe what they see using sentences that include descriptive words, e.g. ‘I see a fluttery butterfly’ or ‘there’s a shiny silver car’. This activity promotes vocabulary expansion and encourages communication through observation and description.
2. Beach Ball Articulation
Grab a beach ball and write different speech sounds or words containing target sounds on to its sections. Toss the ball to each participant, and when they catch it, they have to say the sound or word closest to their thumb. This interactive game makes speech sound practice enjoyable and can be done at the beach, in the park, or even in the garden.
3. Summer Themed Board Games
Board games like "Beach Ball Bingo," "Ocean Adventure Charades," or "Summer Charades" can make speech therapy more exciting during the summer break. These games incorporate speech and language therapy activities in a playful and fun-filled way while also keeping children motivated and engaged while they practice their communication skills.
4. Water Balloon Phonics
Combine water play with phonics practice! This game can be used while playing with children who are just learning phonics. Write letters or words on water balloons. When tossing the balloons, the children have to say the sound or word they catch. For added fun, use water guns to pop the balloons and then create sentences with the words they have collected.
5. DIY Storybooks
Encourage children to create their own summer-themed storybooks with colourful illustrations and narratives. Using this activity, children can work on speech and language skills by writing stories and narrating the plots that they've come up with. This activity fosters creativity and storytelling skills
6. Summer Recipe Book
Create a summer recipe book together. This is a very fun activity and can be done with small groups of children and will have to be led by an adult. Let each child contribute a favourite ingredient, recipe or a description of a summer treat they enjoy. You can create new recipes by having each child choose an ingredient or use a well-loved summer recipe. Create a list of ingredients and follow the recipe based on the instructions. This activity encourages thinking skills, following instructions, sequencing skills, and expressive language. It also creates a multisensory learning experience for the children.
7. Picture Postcards
During summer vacations or outings, encourage children to take photos or draw pictures of their adventures or things or places they have seen. Later, they can turn these images into picture postcards and write short messages on the back. You can also use this opportunity to talk about the various things that you see in the postcard for example, Name all the colours you can see on the postcard. This activity reinforces thinking skills, creativity and writing skills.
8. Outdoor Story Chain
This is a super fun activity to have while at a picnic or camp and can be done with a group of children. Sit in a circle outdoors and start a story with a single sentence. Each child then takes turns adding a sentence to continue the narrative. The larger the group of kids, the better the story gets. This activity promotes creative thinking, turn taking skills, and storytelling skills.
Summer holidays don't have to be a break from speech therapy progress. By incorporating these fun and interactive activities into your summer break, you can continue to work on speech and language skills while having a blast. Whether it's playing with beach balls, going on scavenger hunts, or creating DIY storybooks, these activities will not only enhance communication abilities but also create lasting memories. So, let this summer be an exciting journey of learning and growth for speech therapy participants of all ages.
If you have any queries about using these activities, please contact your child’s speech therapist. They will help you to use these activities to support and individualise these activities based on your child’s needs.
