The BEST Gifts for New SLP Grads!

It's that time of year. Graduation is upon us. New SLP's are trying on their caps and gowns, completing resumes, and practicing their new name with 'CF-SLP' behind it! It's such an exciting time. But what do you get this new grad that will help them on their new and exciting journey they are about to endure? Here are some ideas!

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links for your convenience. This means if you purchase something from the links provided, I may make a small commission. 

Personalized Gifts! Nothing is better than showing of your new letters on all of your stuff. Bags, cups, notebooks... anything you can slap an 'SLP' logo on. I recently came across The Crafty SLP on Instagram. She makes some great stuff including tumblers with your name written in phonetics! No doubt an SLP would swoon over one of these! You can check out her Etsy shop, here! She also has tote bags and other fun goodies that would make great gifts!

A Good Planner! My planner is like my bible. I keep it with me all the time. It's color coded and is what keeps me sane and organized. But make sure it's a pretty planner because this new SLP will be using it a lot! One of my favorites is the Erin Condren Life Planner. The planner can be customized and personalized, too! Use this link and get $10 off your order! 

A Laminator. This is mostly the case for an SLP going into the school setting or that will be working with children. I use my laminator daily for therapy games and activities that I make or download. On second thought, you might want to add in some printer ink with this gift, too. You can find laminators for a very reasonable price on Amazon. Check out a bunch of them, here!

A Large Tote Bag. SLPs carry around a ton of stuff. A large, durable bag is super important. Sometimes I even carry around two! My favorite bags are the organizing totes by Thirty One Gifts. I have been using my bag for over 3 years and it's still in great condition! 

A Membership to ClinicalFellowship.org As a new grad, you are now left to complete all kids of paperwork, get your provisional license, create a resume, find a supervisor, and land your first job on your own. I was lucky enough to be a part of a new website called ClinicalFellowship.org that is an online class with so much information about surviving your 9 months after grad school as you complete your CF! I wish this was around when I graduated. This class is normally $49 but is offering FREE membership to the next 300 students to register. So go now! 

Peachie Speechie T-Shirts!

The Peachie Speechie is a fellow SLP blogger  that designs the cutest t-shirts. Any new SLP would love to have one (or 4) of these shirts to wear to their new job. They are perfect for casual Friday. Check out all of her designs, here.  The Peachie Speechie is offering free shipping August 15-19 with the code: SHIPLESS 

Gift Cards. You really can't go wrong with a gift card whether it be to Starbucks, Target, Amazon, iTunes (for all those fun, new speech apps) or to Teachers Pay Teachers (for a TON of great therapy materials made by fellow SLPs!) 

An iPad. Yes an iPad is expensive but it will possibly be the most used gift your new SLP will use (well, maybe a close second to their planner!) I use my iPad for emails, to keep data, to communicate with parents, and for a TON of speech and language interactive apps. An iPad mini may be even better for those traveling SLPs that will be toting their iPad around a lot. You can check some out on Amazon, here. 

Cute Notebooks! We SLPs write a lot! May it be therapy notes or to-do lists, we fill notebooks up quickly. One of my favorite ideas for a new notebook is to write down memorable moments or funny things that kids say. Erin Condren has some super cute notebooks that you can personalize. If you can't tell, I am a big fan of her stuff! Again, you can use this link for $10 off your order!

This is such a fun and exciting time in a new grads life. Let's all celebrate together the people who will be making a huge impact on other's lives. Happy graduation class of 2016!

FREE First Day Posters!

Today was the first day of school. My baby is in pre-k and will be on to kindergarten next year. I am not one of those moms that cries when they drop their child off at school. Instead I am just as excited, almost like it's my first day at school! Today was no different. I love how much she loves school!

Before we hit the road and headed off to school I took a traditional "first day of school" photo out in front of the house. I absolutely love all of the first day signs that have taken over Pinterest the last few years. So of course I made some of my own. 

I even made one for the first day of speech. It's so much fun to see how much a child grows from the first day of school to the last. What's a better way to document it than with a fun photo?

I added these signs to my store for all grades preschool-5th. A speech one is in there too :)

You can download them for free in my store by clicking on the image below. 

Have a happy first day of school!

2017 Hanen Calendar Giveaway!

Can you believe it's already August? This year is flying by. I rely on my planners and calendars to keep my life in order so I am super excited about this giveaway from The Hanen Center. The Hanen center is a non-profit organization who's mission is to provide parents, caregivers, and educators the training and knowledge to help children with language, social, and literacy skills. Trying to keep school, dance practices, soccer games, and speech sessions on a schedule is hard enough. Throw in some one on one time with your child to enrich their language skills and you have a full day. The Hanen Center created a wonderful calendar with language tips and ideas that can easily be tied into your busy day! Let me show you more...

Each month has a theme that focuses on a specific skill that children need. A few examples are: following the child's lead in conversation, expanding he child's message, and building their everyday vocabulary. There is also a research based description explaining why that skill is important. 

Within each calendar month you will see tips and activity ideas that can be applied at home or in the classroom to enrich the child's language. 

As speech therapists we know the importance of taking advantage of every teachable moment. Good language skills need to be carried into the home and not just practiced during therapy sessions. Often parents think they need fancy articulation cards and expensive toys to help their child. I love how this calendar makes it so easy to tie these skills into daily life.

The Hanen Center has so kindly offered to send a calendar to two of you! This is the perfect calendar for back to school!! 

Enter below, I will announce a winner Friday! Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway