Children who suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorders or who possess a cleft lip would have difficulty in producing speech. In the same way, adults who might have suffered a brain stroke would also find producing speech difficult. Speech and language therapy activities are designed for both children and adults to produce better speech and to put the right words together to send the right message to the listener.
Speech Activities: Usually, speech activities are for children and these activities are practiced through articulation games. As children find games attractive, it is a very easy way to reach them and the games are result oriented. Let us look at a few games.
- Memory Matching: In this game, choose five words and make two sets of the same word on 3×5 index cards. Shuffle the cards and lay them down inverted, so the word remains hidden. Turn the cards over taking turns and say the words out loud. Whoever picks the second card with the same word on it gets to keep it. The winner would be the one who holds the maximum number of cards at the end.
- Hide and Seek: Not the usual hide and seek that we play, but this is played with cards. Hide a card that has a word written on it and let the child look for it. You can provide hints as to where it is hidden. Upon finding the card, make the child pronounce the word on the card.
- Bean Bag Toss: Write the name of a few words on index cards and lay them on the floor. Choose a word as a target and try hitting it with the bean bag. While trying to hit the target, make the child say the word out loud.
- Mystery Pick: This is a group game. In this game, one child chooses and pronounces the word on a card. He/she then mixes that card up with the other set of cards. Each child has to then pick up a card and read out the word on it correctly. The one who gets the first picked card would receive a prize.
- Pictionary: In this game, children from one team can be allowed to draw pictures and ask the the other team’s children to identify the picture.
Language Activities: These games can be used to improve the language skills in children.
- Simon Says: It is easy to play Simon Says with word cards. You can use this phrase with two cards containing different words and ask the child to pick up as you keep saying Simon Says.
- Pick 1: In this, you can place cards containing words. When the child chooses a card, he/she is to form an own sentence out of it.
- Who am I: The children have to guess the word by asking yes or no questions. This way they can improve their questioning skills?
Speech and language therapy activities create that sense of interaction and also enable children to play and learn in groups.
