It's hard to believe that it's already July! Summer is flying by, but time flies when you're having fun, right? Summer time is always a fun time for therapy for me. It just feels different. The kids are out of school and in the mood for some fun. It motivates me to think outside of the box and get creative with some new summer themed activities. Some of my favorites are DIY activities (look for a future post about those!) but many are board games and hands on fun. I wanted to share a post with some of my favorite summer time therapy games! I want to know what your favorites are as well.
So, to link up, write an original blog post that includes the linky graphic below. Make sure the graphic links back to this blog post so others can find it and link up, too. In your post, list your favorite summer therapy materials. Make sure you link up at the bottom of this post and share!
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What's a better way to beat the summer hear than with some ice cream? I love this lego ice cream set- and so does my daughter! Let's be honest, who doesn't love legos and who doesn't love ice cream? This is a fun way to target following directions, role playing, descriptive words, and just overall expressive language through play!
BBQ's are a summer staple. If your students love Jumping Jack or Pop the Pig, they will also be fans of this game. I like to use this game during articulation therapy sessions. Have your student(s) practice target words before a turn in the game.
Let's go fishing! This game is a hit with my younger crowd, especially those working on following directions, turn taking, colors, and counting!
I cannot get my daughter away from our water table. She has a blast splashing in some sensory fun. Throw in some plastic sea creatures for vocabulary enrichment and watch the expressive language unfold!
PlayDoh is also a hit with my students. In the summer, I love using cookie cutters or food molds to create a picnic. Grab a basket, a blanket, some plates, and some cans of playdoh and head outside for your therapy session!
Another popular summer theme is camping. These Spot It games are so much fun, especially one with a fun theme. These games are perfect for targeting vocabulary, visual skills, attention to task/focus, and turn taking.
Keep the camping theme going with a camping play set. Role play going on a camping trip. What things do you need to go camping? What is a lantern used for? Lots of fun while targeting answering questions, vocabulary, and more! Want to really win therapist of the year award? Pitch a tent in your therapy room (or go outside for therapy that day.) Kids LOVE getting inside a tent and working!
Ocean animal puppets are tons of fun. There is something about puppets that elicit so much expressive language. I am also alway amazed at what little ones are willing to do if a puppet asks them to do it. Seriously, my daughter will clean her dinner plate or brush her teeth with no protesting if a puppet tells her to! There are so many ocean themed books out there that using puppets to interact with a story adds some extra fun.
