5 Speech Therapy Activities That Actually Work for Mixed Groups
Hey, speech friend! đđź
If youâre a speech-language pathologist, chances are youâve experienced the mixed group dilemma.
You know the one.
Back in graduate school, professors warned us about mixed groups and how difficult they could be. Many of us thought weâd simply avoid the problem with careful scheduling.
Then real life happened.
Between student availability, classroom schedules, testing windows, and everything else competing for time, mixed groups become almost inevitable. Suddenly youâre sitting with a group of students who all have completely different goalsâarticulation, vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, and social languageâwondering how on earth youâre supposed to target everything in one session.
It can feel overwhelming.
The good news? With the right activities, mixed groups donât have to feel chaotic. The key is choosing therapy tasks that naturally allow students to work on different skills at the same time.
Here are a few go-to activities that make mixed groups much easier to manage đđź
1. Movement-Based Activities đ
Kids love to move, and adding movement to therapy can instantly increase engagement.
Try setting up a simple obstacle course or movement path in your therapy space. As students move through the course, they complete speech or language tasks at each step.
For example:
⢠A student working on articulation says a target word before moving forward
⢠A student working on following directions completes a two-step instruction
⢠A student working on describing skills explains an object they see
Movement activities are especially helpful because each student can complete a task aligned with their goals before moving on.
Plus, students stay engaged because therapy feels more like play than practice.
2. Pictionary with a Speech Twist đď¸
Pictionary is a classic game, but it becomes even more powerful when adapted for speech therapy.
Hereâs how it works:
Create a list of words that include your studentsâ target sounds or vocabulary goals. One student draws the item while the rest of the group guesses.
While playing, you can target multiple goals at once:
⢠Students with articulation goals practice saying the target word
⢠Students with language goals describe the drawing using complete sentences
⢠Students working on following directions listen carefully to clues
You can even require the âguesserâ to use a full sentence before they make their guess.
This activity is simple, fun, and works for a wide range of ages.
3. Pretend Play Scenarios đ
Pretend play is one of the easiest ways to naturally incorporate speech and language targets.
Set up simple role-play scenarios like:
⢠A restaurant
⢠A store
⢠A doctorâs office
Students can take on roles and practice communication skills through the interaction.
For example:
⢠A student working on WH questions might ask customers what they want to order
⢠A student working on sentence structure could practice making requests
⢠A student working on articulation could practice target sounds during their role
One fun twist is to create themed menus or props that contain specific target sounds.
For example, a restaurant menu filled with /r/ words or /s/ words gives students built-in articulation practice during play.
4. Story-Based Therapy đ
Stories are one of the most versatile therapy tools you can use in mixed groups.
Reading a short passage aloud allows multiple students to work on different skills simultaneously.
Students with articulation goals can focus on producing sounds accurately while reading or retelling the story. Students with language goals can work on:
⢠Answering WH questions
⢠Expanding sentences
⢠Making predictions
⢠Retelling story events
You can also pause during the story to ask comprehension questions or have students describe what might happen next.
The beauty of story-based therapy is that one activity can address many goals at once.
5. Articulation Stories for Built-In Practice đ
Sometimes the hardest part of mixed groups is finding materials that work for everyone.
Thatâs where articulation stories can be incredibly helpful.
These types of stories combine articulation practice with language activities in a single resource. Students working on speech sounds can practice target words in context while students working on language goals answer questions, retell events, or expand ideas.
Because everything is built into the activity, it saves valuable planning time for busy SLPs.
Many articulation story resources include:
⢠Multiple passages for each target sound
⢠Practice for sounds in different word positions
⢠WH comprehension questions
⢠Retell or drawing activities to reinforce understanding
When one activity targets both speech and language, mixed groups become much easier to manage.
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Making Mixed Groups Work
Mixed groups may never be every SLPâs favorite part of the schedule, but they donât have to feel impossible.
By choosing activities that naturally target multiple skills, you can create therapy sessions that are engaging, efficient, and effective for everyone in the group.
Movement games, drawing activities, pretend play, and story-based therapy all make it easier to address a wide range of goals without needing separate materials for each student.
And sometimes the simplest activities end up being the most powerful.
Because when students are engaged, communicating, and having fun, meaningful speech and language practice is happeningâno matter how mixed the group may be.
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