Celebrating Valentine’s Day in Speech Therapy: Fun Craft Ideas for SLPs

Hi friends! 👋🏼

Valentine’s Day isn’t just about love and chocolate; it’s also a golden opportunity to make your speech therapy sessions more engaging and fun! Incorporating crafts into your activities can bring a fresh, creative twist to therapy while helping patients build their articulation and language skills ✂️

Why Crafts Work in Speech Therapy

Crafts provide a hands-on, interactive approach that encourages active participation. They’re more than just fun—they’re a fantastic way to help clients practice communication skills in a natural, low-pressure environment. By integrating speech exercises into craft projects, you can create a dynamic learning experience that promotes both language development and fine motor skills.

My favorite craft ideas for Valentines Day (in case you want to make some in you own sessions this month!) 💕

Here are some creative, love-themed crafts you can use to target specific speech goals:

1. Making Valentine’s Day Cards: Get out the markers, glitter, and stickers! Crafting cards provides opportunities to practice sentence formulation and expressive language. Ask clients to write messages like “Happy Valentine’s Day” or “You’re the best!” tailored to their speech goals.

2. Heart-Shaped Crafts: Cutting out heart shapes and decorating them can help younger clients practice following directions and sequencing steps. You can also use this Valentine's Day Stuffer Craft bundle to target specific sounds or words by writing target words on each heart and having them practice as they decorate.

3. Love-Themed Puppets: Creating puppets with a Valentine’s Day twist, like heart-shaped faces or cupid characters, is a fantastic way to facilitate expressive language skills. Encourage clients to role-play scenarios or practice conversational exchanges using their puppets.

4. Conversation Hearts: Use foam or paper hearts to design your own conversation hearts. Write phrases or target words on each heart. This activity can be tailored for articulation practice, sentence building, or even social skills by encouraging turn-taking and conversational exchanges.

5. Letter Recognition Carryover: For clients working on phonemic awareness or sound production, sending home carryover homework pages can provide excellent exercise practice. Grab my One-Page Articulation Homework for Valentine's Day for a simple, print-and-go option! 

Make crafting during your sessions easier with these tips! 👇🏼

• Prep Materials in Advance: Save time by having all supplies ready to go before your session starts.

• Tailor Crafts to Goals: Choose activities that align with each client’s specific speech and language objectives.

• Encourage Conversation: Use crafting as an opportunity to model and practice conversational skills.

• Celebrate Achievements: Praise clients for their creativity and effort, making the session feel rewarding and fun.

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to bring some extra creativity and fun into your speech therapy sessions. By incorporating crafts into your activities, you’re not only targeting essential communication skills but also creating a joyful and engaging environment that your clients will love. So grab your craft supplies and spread the love—one sound, word, and sentence at a time!

Happy speeching!