How To Use Reusable Sticker Pads in Speech Therapy

Reusable sticker pads are always a big hit in my speech therapy sessions (and at home with my toddler!). The Melissa & Doug brand are my absolute favorite. They are durable, can be used multiple times, are themed, and open-ended. They also foster language development, imagination, creativity, and fine motor skills. Read below on how to use them for a variety of ages and goals.

Early Intervention

• Work on extended attention through sticker pad play.
• Target turn taking both with and without words (my turn/your turn).
• Target play skills (functional, cooperative, parallel).
• Receptive ID: show me the ___, point to the ____. 
• Common vocabulary (expressive and receptive).

Preschool

• Sort animals/objects onto the appropriate sticker page to target categories.
• Manipulate the stickers to target spatial concepts and following directions.
• Target basic concepts with each sticker (size, color, shape, category, etc.). If in a group setting, give each child a mat and sort to work on pronouns (i.e. this is your *sticker name,* ...mine, his, Sally's, etc.).
• Target verbs by describing what the stickers are doing.

School-Aged

• Describe the stickers (category, size, shape, feel, etc.).
• Withhold the sticker and give context clues for the child to guess what the sticker is.
• Create a story (written or verbal) about the scene you create with the stickers.
• Find stickers that have target articulation sound. Use articulation sounds in sentences for each sticker (i.e. Please give me the monkey (/g/), I like horses (/l/), I see a cow (/s/).
• Ask/answer WH questions.
• Have students together in a group to complete a sticker page while targeting pragmatic language goals.
• Target Words. Want, more, push, stick, on, off, done, mine, help, here, there, eat
• Target Phrases: Want ___, I want ___, I see ___, help me, go on, on top, stick here, all done, put there, want more, put on, take off, my turn, your turn

Targets depend on individual sticker pad. Targets given are general words and phrases. Each sticker pad will give way to additional target words and phrases. Find my favorite sticker pads HERE and grab a FREE handout!

Happy Speeching!

-Erin