Must-Try Summer Activities for Speech Therapy: Engaging and Fun Ideas for Young Children

Summer is in full swing—which means longer days, a slower pace, and the perfect chance to shake things up in your speech sessions! Whether you're working ESY, seeing private clients, or just want to tuck a few fun ideas in your back pocket, now’s the time to make therapy feel like play (while still targeting all those important goals).

Whether you're camping under the stars, diving into ocean adventures, or braving shark-infested waters (in the safest, speechiest way!), these summer therapy ideas are your go-to guide for fun and functional sessions.

I’ve teamed up with a few amazing SLP bloggers to bring you creative, summer-themed, speech therapy ideas and activities that will keep your students engaged and progressing all summer long. Each post is packed with hands-on ideas and includes a freebie you can use right away.

CAMPING THEMED ACTIVITIES

FOR SPEECH THERAPY

1. Camping-Themed Activities for Speech Therapy – from (me!) Speechie Trish
A little camping theme goes a long way in keeping sessions both playful and purposeful. In this post, I’m sharing ideas for using sticky pretend s’mores for articulation, a hands-on articulation s’more craft and readily available materials to a build-your-own s’more sensory bin. Ideas and targets for working on core words and wh-questions are included! Your kids will love pretending they’re around the campfire and won’t even realize you are firing up their speech goals! Plus, find camping-themed book suggestions and grab a free camping scavenger hunt printable to send home or use during outdoor sessions!

SUMMER SPEECH THERAPY IDEAS

(MERMAIDS, SHARKS and CAMPING)

2. Summer Speech Therapy Ideas (+ Freebies!) – from Panda Speech
Get ready to dive into summer with mermaids, sharks, and camping themes that are sure to hook your students’ attention! This blog post is packed with creative ideas for sensory play, like making a summer-themed sandbox or building a cozy pretend campfire. You’ll also find great suggestions for themed books, crafts, and low-prep articulation activities. Best of all, Panda Speech includes a few awesome freebies you can download instantly to make your therapy sessions easy and exciting.

SHARK WEEK SPEECH THERAPY ACTIVITIES

3. Shark Week Speech and Language Activities – from Pinwheel Speech
Shark Week isn’t just for the Discovery Channel—it’s a perfect hook for summer speech sessions! This post is swimming with engaging ideas to target articulation, vocabulary, social language, and more. Kids can play shark-themed games, sing shark songs, and even move like sharks during gross motor activities. There’s a fantastic list of shark books and crafts included—and don’t miss the Feed the Shark freebie that turns snack time or object sorting into a speech activity kids will love.

OCEAN SPEECH THERAPY ACTIVITIES

4. Ocean-Themed Speech Therapy Activities – from Allison Fors
Ocean themes are endlessly versatile, and this post has everything you need to build a week (or more!) of purposeful, themed sessions. You’ll find targeted activities for Wh-questions, prepositions, sequencing, and describing—all wrapped in one immersive underwater theme. Allison also shares ocean-themed barrier games that are ideal for generalizing concepts in mixed or social skills groups. Bonus: there’s a handy list of ocean-themed books and apps, AND a free “What Doesn’t Belong?” ocean scene printable that’s perfect for vocabulary and reasoning skills!

This summer, whether you’re working indoors or taking your therapy outside, themed activities can make a big difference in engagement and carryover. These blog posts are full of creative, ready-to-use ideas that will make your sessions feel like summer camp—without the bug spray!

Click through to each post to grab the freebies, explore new ideas, and get inspired to make this your most fun (and functional) summer yet! 🌞🌊🏕️