Bugs, Bees, and Ants: Creative Ways to Use Play Insects in Speech Therapy

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.

🪲 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.

🐝 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"

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.

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.

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! 🌞🌊🏕️

Camping Themed Activities for Speech Therapy

Summer is in full swing, and whether you're soaking up the sun or planning your back-to-school therapy ideas, a little camping theme goes a long way in keeping sessions playful and purposeful. From sticky s’mores to pretend campfires, this theme is perfect for targeting a variety of speech and language goals with minimal prep.

In this post, I’m sharing some of my favorite camping-themed speech and language activities that work well in summer or even during those first few weeks of school. These activities are ideal for preschool through 2nd grade and are easy to adapt for a range of learners and goals.

🍫 Articulation Around the Campfire

My S’more Articulation Camping Activity is a sweet and simple way to target speech sounds while building a pretend s’more! Students practice their target words as they build their treat with printable graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate pieces. You can use the included word cards or add your own targets with sequencing cards and a craft, this hands-on activity is great for:

• Repetition-based practice (drill with a purpose!)

• Sorting by initial, medial, and final sounds

• Play-based speech sessions during summer or camp-themed weeks

Bonus tip: Bring in real mini marshmallows or use pom-poms for extra sensory fun!

🔥 Sentence Expansion with Campout Scenes and S’more Sensory Bins

Set up a simple camping-themed background scene (felt board, printable scene, or a tray with mini items like tents, logs, and animals) and encourage students to create detailed sentences. Try using picture supports or sentence starters like:

• “The raccoon is…”

• “I see a ___ under the ___.”

• “The marshmallow is on the stick.”

You can gradually expand their sentences from 2 words to full 5+ word phrases depending on their level. Use visuals to scaffold and model expanded utterances.

My S’more sensory bin (pictured above) includes:

• Cotton Balls (for Marshmallows)

• Sticks from the backyard 

• Card board square cut outs (for graham crackers)

• Brown felt squares (for chocolate)

• Clothes pins with paper cut out flames (for fire)

🍃Nature Scavenger Hunt

Target “where questions” and using attributes to describe the finds by going into the back yard, woods or local playground and hunt for nature items. Bring a bag (or an egg carton) to put your natural treasures into. Click for free 4 season nature scavenger hunts resource that has the pictures of the items that kids can look for. 

🏕️ Core Words in the Wild

Camping offers the perfect setting to practice core vocabulary! Set up a pretend play session where students get to pack for a camping trip or pretend to roast marshmallows. Some easy-to-target core words and concepts include:

• In / out – “Put the marshmallow in the bag.” “Take it out.”

• On / off – “Put it on the stick.” “Take it off the fire.”

• Open / close – “Open the cooler.” “Close the tent.”

• Yummy / yucky – Use real or pretend food to describe likes/dislikes.

Pair these concepts with a simple communication board or AAC system to support all communicators.

📚 Camping-Themed Books for Language Goals

Books are a natural fit for summer speech sessions. Here are a few camping-themed titles that work well for targeting WH questions, verbs, vocabulary, and more:

• “Pete the Cat Goes Camping” by James Dean
  Great for sequencing events, describing actions, and answering WH questions, Pete needs to overcome his fears about Bigfoot!

• “Maisy Goes Camping” by Lucy Cousins
  Simple text and bright illustrations make this perfect for describing actions and targeting positional concepts and for inferencing.

• “I Hear Nature” by Clay Hadden
  This interactive flip book for toddlers and babies by a Speech Language Pathologist develops early language, prediction, sensory engagement, and interaction skills.

Pair reading with a follow-up retell activity using character cutouts or sequencing cards for comprehension and narrative language.

🐻 WH Questions and Verb Use by the Fire

You can turn just about any pretend play or book activity into a WH-question practice moment. Try using a camping scene to ask:

• Who is in the tent?

• What is the bear eating?

• Where is the marshmallow?

• When do we sleep at camp?

• Why do we need a flashlight?

Encourage students to respond in complete sentences and expand with supporting visuals or sentence stems.

You can also have students act out or label verbs during camping play: roasting, hiking, eating, sleeping, building, running. Use props like flashlights, sticks, and toy animals to make it active and fun!

Wrap-Up: Language Learning That’s S’more Fun!

Summer therapy doesn’t have to feel like summer school. With a fun theme like camping, you can target a wide range of goals while keeping your sessions light, hands-on, and engaging. Whether you’re working on articulation with a s’more in hand or building language through pretend play and stories, these activities are designed to keep kids communicating.

If you’re looking for a no-fuss way to bring this theme to life, check out my Camping S’mores Articulation Activity—it’s a hit with my students and a great addition to your summer therapy toolkit.

Want more summer speech therapy activity ideas for your kids?

Check out these summer themed ideas including mermaids, sharks and camping from Panda Speech

OR

Check out the ULTIMATE summer themed list of ideas, activities and freebies for speech therapy

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