I love frozen treats! There is nothing that says it’s summertime like an ice cold popsicle! I think that popsicles are the perfect summer speech therapy theme!
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Popsicle Speech Therapy Crafts
I love incorporating crafts into therapy, because they keep little hands busy and minds focused! Last year, I introduced “super simple crafts” which are crafts that don’t require any glue! Just color and cut!
Super Simple Popsicle Craft – These can also be found in The Speech is Sweet Club (along with all the products mentioned in this blog)! These are great for summer speech therapy or year around!
These crafts each have ten word targets and every sound has an initial, medial, and final popsicle! These also come with some silly homework challenges, which makes them perfect for summer speech and language packets or anytime throughout the year!
Dice Drills Popsicle Craft – I love creating a variety of crafts using my Dice Drills games! Just simply have students draw the shape of a popsicle on their page and cut it out. Then they can glue it onto a popsicle stick!
You can find more summer themed Dice Drills crafts HERE!
July Speech Therapy Crafts – This packet of no prep crafts features a popsicle, alongside tons of other themes! These crafts address articulation, apraxia, language, and fluency! They’re great for mixed groups, because students can work on different things but still create the same craft.
Popsicle Crafts Blog – Here is another fun craft I blogged about several years ago! Another cute and easy option! Check out the blog post for more details!
Popsicle Toys and Games
There are so many fun popsicle themed toys out there! Here are just a few that I recommend for your summer speech therapy sessions!
Learning Resources Mini ABC Pops
These mini popsicles are super cute! You have to match up the item on the stick with the letter that it starts with! These can be used alongside any activity or they can stand alone! Use can use this game to address:
- Describing – Have students describe the item on the stick (ex. donut, turtle, etc)
- Pacing Activities – Have your students create a line of popsicles and touch each one as they practice pacing.
- Compare/Contrast – Have students select two popsicles and compare the two items!
- Colors – This is a great activity to work on adjectives such as the color, because you also have to match the colors!
- Phonemic Awareness Activities – You can spell simple words with these and have students segment the sounds!
- Articulation – Have students hunt for popsicles that feature their sound!
Play-Based Speech Therapy
Melissa and Doug Frozen Treats
I adore this wooden food set! It comes with three different popsicles, three cookie ice cream sandwiches, and two Italian ice cups! These are great for pretend play and play-based therapy! Use this toy to work on:
- Executive Function – Students have to look at the menu and decide what to order! This works on working memory and decision-making! Then the person working at the counter has to make the combinations that are ordered! Great for working on attention and memory!
- Sequencing – Discuss the steps for putting together the ice cream sandwiches!
- Describing – Work on describing the different flavors and frozen treats!
- Compare/Contrast – Discuss how all the frozen treats are alike and how they are different!
Poppers became super popular a few years ago and I still love them! These are great reinforcement toys and can be paired with any activity, such as the Dice Drills Articulation Game! The set that I bought also has letters on each dot, which I love! Use these toys to work on:
- Drilling – Popping the popper is a fun way to reinforce articulation drills! Students can pop a bubble each time they say a word. You can challenge your students to pop every bubble! This will help your students achieve well over 100 trials in a single session!
- Spelling – Students can also spell their target words on the popper!
- Directions – Make silly directions such as after you pop a yellow bubble, pop a blue one! Or pop a bubble on the top of the popsicle and then pop a bubble at the bottom of the popsicle!
Popsicle Picture Books
I wasn’t able to find many popsicle themed picture books! If you know of any, please send me a DM on Instagram! I’m a picture book addict and love discovering new ones!
Fiction Books
Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz
At the time of this post, this book can be found at Kohls for only $5! I absolutely love the colorful illustrations! It is primarily written in English, but also contains some Spanish. It’s about a little boy who is super excited to get a paleta/popsicle and he runs through his neighborhood try to find the paleta cart! Along the way, we meet some people in his neighborhood! This is great for all students, including bilingual students! Use this book to work on:
- Rhyming – This book is written in rhymes!
- Problem/Solution – Once he finally finds Paletero Jose, he realizes he has lost his money!
- Social Skills – This is such a wonderful story about friendships and kindness!
What Can You Do With a Paleta? by Carmen Tafolla
This book is written in English and Spanish. It is such a sweet and heartwarming story! The author vividly remembers how special the paleta cart was in her neighborhood growing up! The paleta cart is a staple in the narrator’s neighborhood and when it arrives, it brings about endless possibilites! You can do so many things with a paleta – paint your tongue, cheer up a neighbor, or cool down! This is the perfect book for summer speech therapy! Use this book to address:
- Object Functions
- Describing – The author vividly describes her neighborhood! Students can describe their own neighborhoods, paletas, and much more!
- /p/ sound – paleta, paint, pink, purple, pitch, masterpiece, sip, slurp
Non-Fiction Book
The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle by Anne Renaud
This is a great picture book biography! It’s about Frank Epperson who was born in 1894, the inventor of the popsicle! As a child, Frank loved inventing things and often experimented with soda flavors! Once night, Frank left one of his sodas outside and it frozen onto a stick! Later in his life, he revisited this idea and started selling popsicles! Use this book to work on:
- Following Directions – This book comes with several science experiments!
- WH Questions
- Sequencing – Students can design their own popsicle and describe the steps (example: first pour orange juice in a popsicle mold). You can even bring in a popsicle mold and make real popsicles!
I hope this round-up was helpful! Enjoy some frozen treats in the speech room this year!
Thank you for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!
