Engaging Middle Schoolers in Speech Therapy
Hey SLPs! 👋🏼
Do you ever find that as they get older, the kids on your caseload tend to get less motivated and excited for your speech sessions? 😅
It can be really disappointing and tough when you go from celebrity status to being avoided and being on the brunt end of eye rolls and snarky comments in favor of P.E., but I have a few tricks that can turn things around if you are working with an older age group!
Something to keep in mind is that as kids hit a certain age, their classmates start to realize that speech isn't an extracurricular, but rather a necessary service. Cue the unwanted attention of bullies and “standing out”…the absolute worst to a middle school student!
We also start to see more and more language goals with this age, which means less time being able to incorporate fun games and more time reading or engaging in direct instruction. These can definitely cut back on the fun factor and kill our engagement.
Let's chat about ways to turn those sessions around! 👇🏼
Goal Awareness 🔍
- Remember those cute ice-breaker games or crafts you did at the first session of the school year? Make sure to include what the goals are for each student and let them know the outcome of meeting them (aka, dismissal!). Post these in a spot they can be reminded of them, such as a speech folder or on index cards that they can pull out during sessions for a visual reminder.
Progress Parties 📌
- At the end of the grading periods, acknowledge student's progress with a couple of 2-liter sodas and popcorn/chips, a board game day, and/or outside games. Be specific and tell each child how far they have come so far. An easy way to know this? Grab the progress reports you just had to write and show them!
Closely Examine your Reading Material 📖
- Have a group of 6th grade boys that don't seem to love reading that random passage you found on TPT? Think outside the box and try pulling out some reading material that could incite some buy-in. Snag some news articles about their favorite sports team/players, video games, or celebrities. You'd be amazed at how interested they will suddenly become.
Not sure how to use these reading materials AND address goals? Try using my Literacy Drill Cards. They can be paired with ANY text to target a wide range of goals and may even show you some new strategies you didn't know about!
Upgrade Your Board Games ♟️
While you may need to retire your beloved Pop the Pig for this age group, don't fear! There are tons of new games that can target a wide range of language skills such as inferencing, describing, turn-taking, and more! Check out games like Guess Who?, Clue, Taboo, Uno, and Scattergories to keep the fun going.
With just a few tweaks, you'll be back to being a part of the day every middle schooler looks forward to! Let me know in the comments below if you work with this age group and your best tips for keeping them excited and engaged every time you knock on their teacher's door!
Happy speeching!
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