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I love working with my early intervention clients! I love watching these little ones learn and explore language right before my (and often time, mom's) eyes! The best part? Therapy involves lots and lots of toys! Recently I have noticed a lot of posts in Facebook groups where other SLPs are asking, "What's in your therapy bag?" or "What are your go-to items for therapy with early intervention kids?" I always end up following these posts because like other therapists, I want to know what you use. I am always looking for new, fun toys that will elicit more language! So, I decided to create a blog post about what I have in my bag. I am making this a linky party so you can link-up and check out what other SLPs have in their "Bag of Tricks," too!
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 early intervention materials. Make sure you link up at the bottom of this post and share!
First up, Shape Sorter
This colorful shape sorter can be used to work on so many concepts: colors, shapes, matching, same/different, stacking, in/out concepts, following directions… to name a few! I have also started co-treating with an occupational therapist on our team and learned how important toys like the can be to work on crossing mid-line and other motor goals. When this toy is a hit, I often pair it with this free Fisher-Price app: Laugh & Learn
Another must-have in my bag is, Baby Einstein books!
Books in general are good, however, there is something about these Baby Einstein books that just draw kids in. I received some of these books at my daughter's baby shower and by the time she was 3 months old, she was drawn to these books. I love using them for receptive and expressive vocabulary.
I haven't met a kid yet that doesn't love a good ole See 'n Say!
These are great for teaching animals and the sounds they make, but also great for imitation and sound discrimination.
Going along with the animal theme, I also love using a Farm House!
This doesn't necessarily fit inside my therapy bag well, but it's on my must-have list. These farm houses bring out a lot of language while you role play taking care of the animals, learn animal names, practice requesting, work on prepositions (the horse is "on" the barn, the chicken is "in the nest"), and more.
Another favorite of mine, although not always one of mom's, is Play-Doh!
My 2 year old daughter is in a giant Play-Doh phase right now, which is what inspired this to be a part of my bag. In addition to talking about the colors and how it feels, I love using the molds or baking tools to work on following directions. Play-Doh is another great tool to work on requesting with.
A huge fan favorite for most of my students, is Toy Food
I love the Melissa & Doug products, but any kind of plastic/wooden, fake food is fine. Again, this is a great tool to use for requesting, following directions, sorting, role playing, etc. I like to pair the fake food with Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head and have a picnic! I also love using this with my feeding therapy/food aversion clients. Letting them have fun with food, pretend cook, and feed other toys, helps take away the tension that meal time often brings for them.
These are some of my favorite toys to use with my early intervention clients! I hope you will link up because I would love to see what you use in your therapy sessions!
