Happy February Friends! 💕
This is the month that feels like the light at the end of the everlasting tunnel that is January (which is probably why I go a little too all out on Valentine’s Day; either that, or the chocolate…). I have some fabulous activities planned for the first half of the month and then the rest of the month I’ll be working on some Mardi Gras themes, which I’ll be sure to share!
But in the meantime…
Valentine’s Day themes means ALLL the hearts, chocolates, and pink and red my clients can take!
Before we talk about what I'm doing, let's learn why themed-therapy is so powerful for speech therapists -- especially those of us who work with the younger students!
Using holiday themes like Valentine’s Day helps your younger students stay engaged by tying learning goals to a fun and familiar context. Research shows that integrating themed activities can increase motivation and participation among young learners (Dunst et al., 2012). Not only that, multi-sensory activities, which incorporate hands-on crafts and interactive storytelling, enhance both retention and application of speech and language skills (Cleave et al., 2015).
This month, I’ll be using the following books with crafts and hands-on activities to keep my clients engaged through the winter months. Be sure to pin this blog post to your Pinterest board at the bottom so you can come back to this post again and again! 👇🏼
WHAT I'M DOING THIS MONTH IN SPEECH THERAPY 💡
One of my little one’s favorites series is this book, and the repetitive nature is perfect for blossoming readers! I’ll be using my VALENTINE’S DAY STUFFER CRAFT to make valentines for the different animals all while addressing our speech goals in language AND articulation. After each child fills their envelope, we will decide which animal to give them to!
This series of books is so beautifully illustrated and another one to subtly learn about feelings. I’ll be cracking open ALL the art supplies for this one: Play-Doh, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and pom-poms while we make our very own “Love Monsters” and decorate them. We can use all kinds of descriptive terms to show off our creatures at the end!
This is a great theme to introduce rhyming while we compose our own silly poems but can also be used for learning about our feelings and how our words have a lot of meaning to others.
Want to go all in this Valentine's Day? 🫶🏼
Then you need to grab The Big February Bundle now! Included inside are 14(!!) individual resources that make targeting all of the needs on your caseload easy and accessible. Digital and printable products are included and you can grab it now for 30% off 🙌🏼
I hope these ideas make planning your February speech sessions a little bit easier! Comment down below your favorite way to celebrate Valentine's Day with your clients!
👇🏼 Save this image to Pinterest so you can refer back to it later! 👇🏼
References
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Cleave, P. L., Girolametto, L., Chen, X., & Johnson, C. J. (2015). The role of caregiver talk in children’s learning of language. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 24(3), 401–411.
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Dunst, C. J., Trivette, C. M., & Hamby, D. W. (2012). Meta-analysis of studies incorporating the interests of young children with disabilities into interventions. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 31(4), 199–210.
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