Best Summer Speech and Language Activities: A Complete Round-Up from 6 Speech Therapists
Summer speech therapy activities from 6 SLPs — bugs, pirates, camping, scavenger hunts, spray bottles, summer vacations and more. Low-prep ideas for preschool through elementary.
Summer is genuinely one of the best times to do speech therapy. Kids are in a different headspace. The pressure of the school year is off. They're outside, they're playing, they're talking about beaches and bugs and pirates and camping trips. The motivation is right there. We just have to meet them in it.
Which is exactly why I teamed up with five incredible SLPs to bring you this Summer Speech Blog Hop. Each of us put together a post packed with ideas, activities, and real resources you can use right now. There are freebies tucked in here, paid resources worth every penny, and more low-prep, high-impact activity ideas than you'll know what to do with.
(Fair warning: you may end up with a very long browser tab situation by the time you're done reading.)
Here's your full lineup!
1. 5+ Spray Bottle Activities for Kids
By Talking Mama Bears (Mandy & Kate)
Car wash, paint, spray and experiment
Okay, the spray bottle is officially the most underrated therapy tool of the summer. Mandy and Kate rounded up six water play activities that are low-prep, outside-ready, and absolutely loaded with language targets.
We're talking car washes that build descriptive vocabulary, spray painting with primary and secondary color concepts, science experiments with baking soda and vinegar (yes, really), and a floating objects bin where kids spray their guesses based on describing clues. Every single activity is designed to work with items you already have at home or in your therapy room.
Plus, there's a free Summer Vocabulary Card download that pairs perfectly with the activities and doubles as BINGO, memory, and more.
🎯 Goals you can target: descriptive language, following directions, sequencing, predicting, prepositions, expressive vocabulary.
Click the button below for all of the spray bottle speech and language ideas!
2. Bugs, Bees, and Ants: Creative Ways to Use Play Insects in Speech Therapy
By Speechie Trish (That's me!)
Fly swatters, headbands, picnic ants and spider eggs
I'll be honest: my therapy room has had a plastic insect problem for several weeks now. There's a fly swatter that has become the most requested tool on my shelf, and I'm genuinely not mad about it.
In this post, I shared some of my favorite ways to use bugs and all things creepy-crawly to target real speech and language goals, from fly swatter articulation that gets a little loud (fair warning) to spider egg sensory bins where core vocabulary just…happens. No drilling needed.
There are also book recommendations (including one written by a fellow SLP), a honey bee tree activity that targets everything from prepositions to reinforcement, and an ant picnic activity that hits "child will use prepositions in functional contexts" IEP goals beautifully.
Plus there are FREE Basic Concepts Visuals you can use with bugs!
🎯 Goals you can target: articulation, core vocabulary, prepositions, AAC, play-based language, descriptive attributes
Click the button below for all of the insect and bug speech and language ideas!
3. Pirate Speech Therapy Activities
By Laura at Pinwheel Speech
Treasure hunts, obstacle courses, sensory bins and maps
Ahoy, indeed. Laura put together a seriously thorough pirate-themed post that works for everything from a single session to a full pirate week. And yes, she mentions Talk Like a Pirate Day, which I am now adding to my fall calendar immediately.
The activity ideas here are creative and varied: treasure hunts with preposition and carrier phrase practice, sensory bins with coins and gems, obstacle courses perfect for co-treating with OT, and a "Captain Says" twist on Simon Says for receptive language. She also included a cooperative shipbuilding project for social skills groups that I am genuinely obsessed with.
There's a free pirate vocabulary activity at the end of the post, plus Laura's own Pinwheel Speech resources for articulation, including pirate wheel crafts and pirate hat activities covering a wide range of speech sounds.
🎯 Goals you can target: prepositions, following directions, articulation, vocabulary, social skills, sequencing, story retell
Click the button below for all of the pirate themed speech and language ideas!
4. Practical Ways to Use a Summer Vacation Theme in Speech Therapy
By Shannon at Speech Hamster
Planning, packing, building scenes and problem solving
One theme, multiple goals, and a setup simple enough that you can run it all session long without needing a totally different plan for every kid. That is Shannon's specialty, and this post delivers.
She walks through a full progression using a summer vacation theme: discussing destination options, packing a suitcase, planning activities, building a scene, and finally creating a vacation story or problem-solving scenario. At every stage, she layers in vocabulary, sequencing, following directions, WH questions, and expressive language in a way that feels totally natural.
There's a fill-in-the-blank story AI prompt included (love this), book recommendations, and links to Shannon's printable and digital resources including following directions cards, seasonal stories, and articulation color-by-number pages. Plus a free card game bundle!
🎯 Goals you can target: vocabulary, categories, sequencing, WH questions, following directions, narrative, problem-solving
Click the button below for all of the summer vacation themed speech and language ideas!
5. Using Scavenger Hunts in Speech Therapy
By Kayla SLP
Indoor and Outdoor Hunts for a seasons
A scavenger hunt is one of those activities that sounds like "fun thing kids do" but is actually a clinician's dream if you know how to run it. Kayla knows how to run it.
This post covers indoor and outdoor versions, the specific materials that make it work (clipboards, magnifying glasses, collection bags, and kids' sunglasses just for fun), and how to adapt the complexity for any student. She includes links to free spring and summer, fall, and winter outdoor scavenger hunt resources, plus back-to-school themed worksheets for indoor hunts that pair activity and clue-finding in one move.
Get outside, hand them a clipboard, and let the goals happen naturally.
🎯 Goals you can target: vocabulary, following directions, articulation, expressive language, receptive language, social skills, categorization
Click the button below for the scavenger hunt speech and language ideas!
6. Camping Themed Speech Therapy Activities
By Allison Fors
Camping is one of those themes that hits practically every language target you could ask for, and Allison's post makes that very clear. This one is thorough in the best way: vocabulary, descriptive language, prepositions, sequencing, storytelling, WH questions, following directions, categorization, articulation, AND conversation skills. She really did cover it all
What I especially love here is the camping-themed WH question list, which is ready to print and use, and the book list, which includes one of my personal favorites: I Hear Nature by Clay Hadden. The post also features Allison's own language scene and barrier game resources if you want a no-prep structured activity to anchor the theme.
There are camping toy suggestions too, including a Play-Doh Campfire Creations Kit that I'm pretty sure my kids would never want to put down.
Included in her post is a FREE list of camping themed Wh-questions
🎯 Goals you can target: vocabulary, prepositions, sequencing, WH questions, following directions, storytelling, articulation, social communication
Click the button below for all of the camping themed speech and language ideas!
The Bottom Line
Summer speech therapy doesn't have to be the chaotic scramble it sometimes feels like in June. When you've got solid themes and real ideas to pull from, the planning gets so much easier.
Spray bottles, bugs, pirates, road trips, scavenger hunts, camping trips. There's something in this round-up for every kid on your caseload, every setting you work in, and every goal on your list.
Start small. Pick one post. Try one activity. See what your kids respond to. And if you end up with a fly swatter in your therapy room because of this post? I fully support that.
Bugs, Bees, and Ants: Creative Ways to Use Play Insects in Speech Therapy
Creative Ways to Use Play Insects in Speech Therapy. Plastic ants on the table. Bees in the sensory bin. A fly swatter that has somehow become the most requested tool on my shelf. Bug-themed speech therapy is one of my favorite ways to target real goals all spring and summer — and kids lock into this theme fast.
In this post I'm sharing five creative ways to use play insects in speech therapy sessions, including fly swatter articulation practice, spider egg sensory bins for core vocabulary, bug sorting for attribute goals, and a pretend ant picnic that targets basic concepts beautifully. I'm also sharing my favorite insect-themed books for targeting prediction, play skills, and early sound imitation — including one written by a fellow SLP.
Whether you're working on articulation, prepositions, core words, or descriptors, bugs can target tons of goals without a lot of prep. Read on for all the ideas.
It's that time of year when the bugs are back outside… and apparently in my therapy room too.
Plastic ants on the table. Bees in the sensory bin. A fly swatter that has somehow become the most requested tool on my shelf. My kids are obsessed, and honestly? I'm not mad about it. Insects are one of those themes that kids lock into immediately, and that natural curiosity is exactly the kind of motivation we want to work with in therapy.
Here are some of my favorite ways to use bugs, bees, and all things creepy-crawly to target real speech and language goals.
and….. drumroll please….. After you finish this post, there are even more SUMMER-themed blog posts from fellow SLP’s, check out the list here.
🪲 Fly Swatter Articulation
This one gets loud. Lay your articulation cards face-up on the table (or floor, or a sensory bin lid), scatter some plastic bugs on top, and hand your student a fly swatter.
They swat the bug, say the word, done. The fly swatter is the star here. Dollar stores carry some really fun shapes right now, and I promise the novelty alone will buy you about 20 extra repetitions per session. Kids who "don't want to practice" somehow want to practice a lot when there's a fly swatter involved.
If you want a structured articulation activity with a bee theme already built in, my Bee Articulation Activities and Craft for Speech Therapy has you covered. It targets speech sounds AND prepositions, so you're hitting multiple goals without juggling separate activities.
🥚 Spider Egg Sensory Bin
Hide plastic spiders (or any bug) inside balls of playdough to make "eggs," then tuck them into a sensory bin. Students dig around, find an egg, squish it open, and discover what's inside.
The language possibilities here are wonderful. Core words like "open," "what," "me," "hide," "yuck," and "scared" come up completely naturally. You're not drilling them. They're just… happening. That's the magic of play-based therapy, and bugs make it feel just a little wilder than the usual sensory bin setup. Kids remember the day they found the spider egg. They don't remember the drill sheet.
Bug Headband Craft Activity for Articulation
🦟 Bug Headbands for Articulation
Headbands are such a hit in speech! We can work on target sounds in words, sentences and phrases and create a wearable, bug headband that kids wear out of the therapy room and into their classrooms and homes to work on carryover of the sounds. This Articulation Bug and Insect Headband Craft Activity is no prep and kids love to wear bugs on their head! They get to choose among 7 different insects.
🐝 Honey Bee Tree for Core Vocabulary and Reinforcement
If you don't have the game Honey Bee Tree , I want to talk you into it. The bees pop out when the leaves fall and kids absolutely love the suspense. But here's how I use it beyond just the game:
🐝 Pull the bees out and drop them in a sensory bin for preposition work (in, on, under, next to) 🐝 Use the bees as reinforcers during articulation practice. There are a lot of bees, which means a lot of repetitions 🐝 The gameplay itself naturally targets core words: "pull, out, fall down, uh oh, my turn, your turn, push, bee, leaf"
Digital Prepostions with Bees
For a fully digital preposition activity with a bee theme, my Digital Preposition Activity with Bees gives you three interactive activities you can pull up on a tablet or screen with zero prep. Great for teletherapy days or when your sensory bin is buried under the pile of stuff you keep meaning to organize. (No judgment. Same.)
🐜 Ant Picnic for Basic Concepts
If you have my 10 Hungry Ants Interactive Printable Story, here's a fun extension: use the printed ants from the story to set up a pretend picnic.
Grab a basket, some paper plates and cups, and pretend to spread out the food. Hide the ants "in, on, next to, under" the basket or around the picnic setup. Students find them, describe where they were, and you're targeting basic concepts in a context that actually makes sense. It hits those "child will use prepositions in functional contexts" IEP goals beautifully, and the kids think they're just having a picnic.
🪲 Bug Sorting for Attributes and Descriptors
Dump out a container of mixed plastic bugs and just… start sorting and describing.
This one is quietly one of my favorites for IEP goals targeting attributes. "That one is red and has wings." "This one is small and black." "Mine has six legs and yours has eight." You're hitting 2-3 attribute descriptions without it feeling like a target at all. It feels like playing. Which is because it is.
It doesn't need to be complicated. A bag of dollar store bugs, a table, and a few minutes is all it takes to get meaningful language practice out of this one.
📚 Books That Work Beautifully with a Bug Theme
Pairing a book with your bug theme pulls everything together. Here are three I reach for:
In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming — gorgeous illustrations, simple repetitive text, and the perfect opportunity to imitate early sound combinations (buzz, hum, crunch). Read it outside if you can. The experience is unmatched.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle — classic for a reason. Sequencing, counting, naming foods, predicting what comes next, core vocabulary. This book works with kids of all ability levels and honestly never gets old.
I Hear Nature by Clay Hadden — written by a fellow SLP, which already tells you it was built with therapy targets in mind. It's wonderful for exploring surroundings, imitating nature sounds, and building early sound combinations. If you haven't grabbed this one yet, add it to your cart.
All three of these are great for targeting prediction skills, play skills, and onomatopoeia (buzz, shhh, tweet). Take them outside sometime. Kids pay attention differently when they're not sitting in the therapy room. You get it.
Bugs aren't just a spring theme. They're a vehicle for real, meaningful language practice that kids actually look forward to. Start small, see what your kids respond to, and let the play lead the way.
From bugs to camping….. here is another amazing theme to use in speech this summer. My friend Allison Fors has put together tons of incredible camping themed speech therapy activities (including free wh-questions right on the post!)
A quick note: some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you. I only ever recommend products I use myself in my own therapy room.
SLPs Share Their Favorite Games for Speech Therapy (Organized by Season!)
SLPs Share Their Favorite Games for Speech Therapy (Organized by Season!). Despite the huge number of games available, many SLPs reported reaching for the same tried-and-true favorites again and again.
These are the games that:
keep kids engaged
work for mixed groups
adapt easily for articulation and language
and somehow survive years of therapy sessions
If you’ve been an SLP for more than about five minutes, you probably know this truth:
There are a lot of games out there.
Walk down the toy aisle or browse online and suddenly you’re wondering if you need twenty new therapy games.
But when I recently asked SLPs in my community a simple question —
“What’s your favorite game to use in speech therapy?”
— something interesting happened.
Despite the huge number of games available, many SLPs reported reaching for the same tried-and-true favorites again and again.
These are the games that:
keep kids engaged
work for mixed groups
adapt easily for articulation and language
and somehow survive years of therapy sessions
Below is a short (ish) list of SLP favorites that came directly from poll results and email replies.
Just to be clear — this is not an exhaustive list of therapy games. There are so many wonderful games out there!
Instead, think of this as a crowd-sourced list of the games SLPs say they reach for again and again.
To make it even more fun, I organized them by season.
Winter Favorites in Speech
These games tend to show up in therapy rooms when the weather gets cold and cozy.
• Pengaloo
• Don’t Rock the Boat
• Don’t Break the Ice
• Yeti in My Spaghetti
No surprise here — SLPs apparently love penguins and yetis in the winter months!
Spring Favorites in Speech
These games bring a little springtime silliness to therapy sessions.
• Funny Bunny
• Jumping Jack
Both of these are great for building anticipation, turn-taking, and language expansion.
Summer Favorites in Speech
These games feel bright, silly, and perfect for keeping kids engaged during the end-of-year energy boost.
• Shark Bite
• Let’s Go Fishin’
• Lucky Ducks
• Bar B Q Party
• Honey Bee Tree
• Pop Rocket
• Crocodile Dentist
These are fantastic for quick articulation turns and fast-paced language practice.
Fall Favorites in Speech
Fall therapy sessions bring out some adorable seasonal favorites.
• Sneaky Snacky Squirrel
• Beware the Bear
• Chompin’ Charlie
• Gobble Monster
These games are especially popular with preschool and early elementary students.
All-Year Therapy Favorites in Speech
And then there are the games that seem to live in our therapy closets all year long.
• Troll in a Bowl games on Boom Learning
• Greedy Granny
• Shoot the Poop
• UNO / card games
• Burpin’ Bobby
• Balloon and balloon launchers
• Pop Up Pirate
• Critter Clinic
• Surprise boxes
• Pop the Pig
• Wind-up toys
• Matchbox cars
• Marble runs
• Headbandz
• Gooey Louie
• Jumpin’ Monkeys
• Rattlesnake Jake
• Ned’s Head
These are the workhorses of speech therapy — the games that SLPs say they return to over and over.
Final Thoughts
If this list shows anything, it’s that speech therapy doesn’t always require brand-new materials.
Many SLPs are doing amazing work using simple, familiar games and adapting them to target articulation, vocabulary, sentence building, WH questions, and more.
Sometimes the real magic isn’t the game itself. It’s how we use it.
And if you’re anything like me, you probably already have several of these sitting in your therapy closet right now.