Do you struggle eliciting a high number of repetitions in articulation therapy? It can truly be a challenge, especially when you have mixed groups or large speech therapy groups! We know that repetitive drills are critical for success in speech therapy, but how do we motivate students to reach a high number of drills in just 20-30 minutes? It’s hard work! Today, I’m sharing five articulation activities to motivate your students to reach 100 trials in speech therapy!
100 Trials Speech Therapy Articulation Badges
We all love extrinsic motivation! I know I’m more likely to enjoy a staff meeting when snacks are provided! haha! I love these articulation badges, because they’re a super simple way to encourage students to reach 100 trials in speech therapy! At the beginning of your session, show students the badge they can earn! If they reach 100 trials, they get to collect the badge! Your students will feel proud and accomplished at the end of the session!
I whipped up these articulation badges for members of my email community! They come in color ink and black & white. If you would like these to use with your students just sign up for my newsletter to get this free download! You’ll receive an email that will lead you to my free speech therapy resource library!
Independent Articulation Activities and Games
Games are highly motivating and fun – they’re my favorite type of articulation activities! I do find it challenging to use board games in large groups though, because sometimes there is too much focus on what’s happening with other people. haha. You know what I mean? That’s why I love games that are designed to be used independently! There’s no waiting around for other people to take their turn and I feel students focus more! Eliminating distractions is key to eliciting 100+ trials in articulation therapy! You can snag these free no prep articulation game boards in my TPT store by clicking HERE. I also have a bundle that features 888 unique game boards – students will love collecting these festive sheets! These are also included in The Speech is Sweet Club!
I’ve also creating another game that is designed to be used independently – Spin-Go Articulation!
Students spin the spinner and then practice the word that they land on! After they practice the word, they can then color it on the board or cover it with mini erasers! When they color five in a row, they’ll get spin-go! This is such a fun and novel game – my students loved these! You can snag a free version here or check out the bundle that features 11 different themes! These can also be found in The Speech is Sweet Club – along with every articulation resource I’ve ever made!
Another tip – increase the number of repetitions required for each turn! If you generally require five repetitions, double it to ten! If they normally say their word ten times, double it to 20! Typically, I always required 20 repetitions! That is a sure-fire way for students to obtain lots of practice!
These games also double as homework and they address all articulation targets in the initial and final positions! They can take them home and play again and again, which will be great for carryover at home.
Make a Speech Therapy Sticker Book
This is a super cheap idea and it’s highly motivating for students! Every child loves stickers! I recommend buying a variety of sticker books from the Target Dollar Spot or Michael’s! They’re usually only 99 cents or so! Put all the stickers books in the middle of the table and tell students that they can earn one sticker for each repetition! They’ll be highly motivated to fill their sticker book with 100 stickers before the end of their session and promote lots of correct productions! They also get to leave speech with a really cool sticker book – your articulation groups will love this! You can have students make sticker books multiple times per year – this activity will never get old! I whipped up a free sticker book template for you – you can snag it by clicking HERE. This is a blog exclusive freebie, no sign-ups required!
Your articulation students will love leaving your speech room with this cool sticker book in tow. It’s a great memento that they can show their teachers, classmates, and family members!
No Prep Articulation Crafts
Crafts are highly motivating and make the perfect articulation activities! Crafts can be time-consuming to prep, but students love them! I created some no prep crafts as a compromise! While students wait for their turn, they can work on coloring, cutting, and gluing! Once students can practice independently, you can even have them drill while they are putting their craft together. I made a craft packet unique for each speech sound (for instance, the /k/ packet features a castle and a can). Each packet features items in the initial, medial, and final positions. For instance, the /s/ packet has a sock craft, pencil craft, and a bus craft. You can check out the bundle here (or in The Speech is Sweet Club) – you can collect all 23 sounds or pick and choose the packets you need! Altogether, the bundle features 575 crafts! These are a super easy way to prep for your speech therapy sessions – just print n’ go!
Want to peek inside some of these articulation crafts? Check out these blog posts:
S Articulation Crafts
S Blends Articulation Crafts
25 Fun TH Articulation Crafts
K Articulation Crafts
Articulation Activities Cookie Jar Challenge
Everybody loves a challenge! You’ll just need a cookie jar and some craft pom-poms! Challenge your articulation group to fill the cookie jar with pom-poms before the end of their session! They’ll get one pom-pom for each repetition of their target word! This is also a great way to keep students focused between turns! After they work one-on-one with you, they can then count out their pom-poms and put them in the jar! You can even have students pick up the pom-poms with tweezers or tongs to add in some fine-motor practice! This activity will also help build a sense of community in your speech groups, because everyone has to work together to get the cookie jar filled! This will be sure to get lots of trials and will be a nice break from articulation worksheets.
100 Trials Speech Therapy Conclusion
Want some more ideas on how to reach 100+ trials in articulation therapy?! Check out this other great blog post:
Five Easy Ways to Motivate Students for 100+ Articulation Trials by TLC Talk Shop
I hope you enjoyed this round-up of my favorite ways to elicit 100 trials in speech therapy! Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!
I love the cookie jar idea and how you can add fine motor skills to it! My OT’s would have loved this idea since it is a easy way to collaborate! Thanks for including the link to my post and additional ways to motivate kiddos to get those trials in!