Five Minute Speech

It has been shown that more learning occurs from short, frequent bursts of practice rather than long, irregular sessions.  The key to the generalization of learned skills is routine practice. Following a home exercise program is essential.  Below you will find several “five-minute speech” activities that you can complete at home.  They are fun and engaging, and provide short bursts of practice that are sure to fit into your family’s busy schedule.  Several of the activities even involve fine and gross motor skills.  Be sure to adapt each activity to your child’s skill level.

• Read a book: Have your child pick a book and target their speech goal(s) as you read it. You can target sounds, vocabulary, grammar…the options are limitless
• Play catch: Toss (or roll) a ball back and forth.  Each time a person catches the ball, that person gets to practice (or model) the target skill.
• Playdough smash: Get out a container of playdough and roll it up into small balls. Each time your child practices their skill, they can smash a ball of playdough into a pancake.  Practice until all of the playdough has been smashed, then smash it all into one big ball when you’re done.

• Trace a guide: Draw several lines or shapes. Have your child trace what you drew as they practice their speech sounds. One of my favorites is drawing long, squiggly lines to have a child practice their /s/ sound.
• Start a timer or wind-up toy: See how many times your child can practice their target before the time runs out or the toy winds down. Tally each trial and count them up at the end.
• Puzzle: Set out puzzle pieces. Each time your child practices their target they earn a piece of the puzzle.  At the end, put the puzzle together!

• Play red light, green light: Each time there is a red light have your child practice their skill.
• Simon Says: Simon says already requires receptive language skills to be able to follow directions.  Simon’s directions can include your child’s targeted speech skills.

For more information regarding your child’s development visit www.abcpediatrictherapy.com.