Summer Time Speech!

Your children (or students) work on their speech and language skills throughout the entire school year.  Then, summer comes and they don't receive speech therapy for a couple of months.  So, as parents, what could you do to help your children keep up their speech and language skills?  I want to let you know that it isn't a hard or boring task!  You can help their speech and language without taking any extra time out of your day and without planning 30 minute sessions like they receive in school.  How can you do this?  Here are some suggestions.

1) Talk or narrate your daily routines and activities.  For example, 'We are going to the park today.  We will see trees, birds, grass, swings and slides at the park'.  Even if your children don't respond to your narrations, they are listening and learning.
2) Ask your children questions.  Ask, 'What is your favorite thing to do at the park?'  Make sure to ask all types of 'WH' questions such as 'what', 'why', 'who', 'where', 'when' and 'how'.
3) Read to your children.  Read a book to them every night.  Ask them about the book or discuss each page. 
4) Ask your children to describe things around the house.  For example, describing colors, sizes, shapes, similarities and differences.
5) Have conversations with your children.  Even if they can't respond, the 'engagement' is so important. 

For an some extra ideas, please click here to download Summer Speech & Language Calendars.  Each day contains small activities that you and your children can do together.  Each activity is about 5 minutes. They will love these activities and will get excited to work on their speech and language skills. 

For more free activities like this, visit my TPT store.

Giveaways, Freebies, Discounts and More!

Don't miss out on my '5 Days of Fun In The Sun' promotion going on all this week (May 18-May 22)!  You still have a chance to download all of my freebies and enter the giveaways! 

Here's what has been posted so far... 

Follow me on Instagram or like my Facebook page for the rest of the week's deals!

Speech Therapy Materials...Where To Get The Best Deals!

Have you ever said to yourself, 'Yes, I want to pay $40 for a board game!' or 'Wow, this one pack of articulation cards is only $100!'...probably not.  If you are like me, you probably think, 'How can any SLP afford this stuff?' Well, after asking myself that same question over and over, I decided to find some new places to shop.  I now have a huge pile of great therapy materials that I bought for about 5% of what they would cost at a specialty store or big company website.  Want to know my secret?  Here is a list of my 'secret stores' where I buy all of my materials.

1) Mom to Mom sales - Go online to find mom to mom sales in your area.  These are probably the best places to pick up games, books, puzzles, arts and crafts and more! 
2) Garage Sales/Yard Sales - I recommend keeping some cash in your car, so that whenever you see a great garage sale, you are prepared to buy!
3) Church Sales - Church sales usually have a lot of donations that people donate for fundraising purposes.  Buy some materials to help your students while supporting the local church!
4) Library Book Sales - Most libraries will have a semi annual sale to get rid of all of their extra books.  Not only are these sales great for elementary kids, they are also beneficial for middle school and high school students!
5) Dollar Stores - Great for stickers, arts and crafts and other fun items.  No matter how 'cheap' something is, your students will still love it!
6) Teachers Pay Teachers - There are so many great SLPs that sell materials on this site or give away materials for FREE!  This site is a great place to find materials, while also supporting fellow SLPs. 

I hope this list helps you stock up on great materials over the summer.  Now, go out and shop 'til you drop!

Thank You Mom - Linky Party

Mom's are so special and many times, they don't get a thank you for everything that they do for their kids.  What better way to say thank you, then to tell the world why your mom is so special to you?  That's why I created this Linky Party...for all of us who want to thank our moms for everything they do.  If you want to link up, just do the following;

1) Use the graphic from this blog post and link it back to this page, so that everyone can read all the linked blog posts.
2) Thank your mom, grandma, aunt or someone special in your life who played a special role in your life. 
3) Link up with your logo below!

To My Mom:

Dear Mom (and dad - this applies to you too),
       Thank you for always being there for me throughout my entire life!  Through good times and bad, you have been my constant and my rock.  Growing up, you were my mentor, my comfort, my shoulder to cry on and now that I have grown up, you have become my best friend.  You are an amazing person and someone that I admire as a mother, grandmother and person.  I hope that I can raise my kids as well as you raised me.  I know that I don't say it enough, but thank you for everything you have done for me.  Thank you for being the best mom!  I love you,
Jen

An InLinkz Link-up

What's In My Cart?

Thank you Jenna Rayburn for hosting this linky party!

I am so excited for the upcoming TPT sale which will be running Tuesday, May 5th through Wednesday, May 6th.  My entire store will be 20% off and if you enter the code 'ThankYou' at checkout, you will get an additional 10% off the sale price!  I am most excited about purchasing some things off of my wish list...which is 3 pages long! 

Since I contract out to different schools each year, I never know what ages I will be working with. I could be working with 3 year olds or 18 year olds.  It just depends on the year.  So, my wish list contains products for multiple age groups!  I will list the products that I would love by their grade levels. 

PreK - 2nd Grade

This first product looks amazing and is made by Katrina Bevan. It contains over 200 pages of activities, information and homework for articulation!

Outside The Therapy Room Bundle

3rd - 5th Grade

Language Dojo is made by TLC Talk Shop addresses inferencing, describing, absurdities, comparing, categories and more!

Language Dojo

6th-8th Grade

For middle school students, this product made by Tech 'n Talk SLP looks amazing!  It's a fun board game that addresses 2 different levels of figurative language. 

Rock 'n Roll Figurative Language

High School

So many high school students that are in speech and language therapy need to work on social skills.  This product made by Jaclyn Watson looks great!  It contains 24 task cards with the topic 'What Would You Do?'

Life Skills Problem Solving: Social Skills

Now, here are some of my own favorite products!

 

Articulation (FREE)

No printing needed!  Play an interactive game with your students without having to print, plan, cut or laminate!

NO PRINT Interactive Roll 'N Say

 

Articulation (Paid)

Monitor your students' progress while they have fun coloring, cutting and pasting!  Includes monthly worksheets for initial, medial and final position sounds.

Color, Cut & Past Articulation Bundle

I hope you enjoy this sale as much as I will!