I am always looking for interactive ways to target articulation skills. I love interactive articulation activities for several reasons.
First of all, I work primarily with PreSchoolers and Kindergartners. These little friends just aren't made for sitting! Working at a table doing drill type activities is just not fun for them (or me either, really)!
There is also more and more research that keeps showing that movement is essential to learning. If I can incorporate fine or gross motor movements into any activities, I definitely want to do it! The Interactive Articulation activities that I have created or found so far always incorporate some sort of fine or gross motor movement. Sometimes it's digging or scooping in sand. Other times it's stirring, operating tongs, squeezing items, or throwing something.
Sensory disorders are also on the rise. Many of these activities incorporate materials that are great for students with sensory disorders. Many students find focus when they can run their hands through sand, Easter grass, cotton balls, etc. And, as we all know, increased focus leads to increased learning.
And finally, I like Interactive Articulation Activities because I see quicker generalization for my students. I find that it might take a little longer to get the skill initially, but it quickly carries over to sentences, conversation, and classroom settings.
I have two different tubs for my interactive articulation/sensory bins. They are both simply rubbermaid containers I picked up at walmart. You can choose a size that works best for your speech room. I have one that I only use sand in. Sand can be a pain to clean up, so I don't want to have to take it out of my tub anytime I want to change material. I keep the other types of materials in large ziploc bags. I use my other tub to change these materials out depending on the activity. I have used Easter grass, cotton balls, water, beans, etc in my other bin. I have used a cooling rack, pans, and bowls from my own kitchen. I have also used a fly swatter. Now that you have an idea of what materials you might need, let me get down to the resources that I love to use.
The first one up is Rake 'Em Up, which you can find here. Simply cut apart and laminate the leaf cards and add them to your sand bin. The students can use a sand rake to "rake up" their leaves.
Have them say the word on the card as many times as you want, then they can add it to their pile of leaves.
Next up is Articulation Grilling, which you can find here. You'll need a set of tongs and a cooling rack for this activity.
Cut the hamburger and hotdog cards apart. I taped two of them back to back before laminating. That way the students could "flip" their burgers to get a new target word.
Articulation Fishing is always fun, too. You can use Activity Tailor's activity for this.
Simply cut out the fish, add the paperclip, and put in a bucket. Then create magnet fishing pole by attaching a string to a pole with a magnet at the end. You can also use this activity again in the winter. I put the outside ring of blocks in my Don't Break The Ice game and put the fish in the middle. Then we go ice fishing! You can find the resource here.
I love to use this next activity during our "Growing Vegetable Soup" unit based around Lois Ehlert's book. You can find the Vegetable Soup Articulation Activity here.
I use one large bowl, a few smaller bowls, and some spoons. We "mix up" the vegetable soup by placing the articulation cards in the bowl after the students say the word. Then we can "serve" the soup by putting it into the smaller bowls. We also "stir" our soup and talk about what we see floating in the soup to get in some more articulation practice.
For a fun flower based interactive articulation activity, check out The Dabbling Speechie's Flower Garden Sensory Bin.
You can put the flowers in Easter grass or beans. The students pick the flowers and then label the pictures on them. You can find the activity here.
I use the next activity the week before and the week of the Firefighters visit to our school. The kids LOVE getting to play with the squirt water bottle. You can find the Firefighter Articulation Activity here.
Cut the flame cards apart and double laminate for extra protection against the water. Then put them in a bin and give the students a squirt bottle to put out the flame. I like to do this one outside!
I also love this Articulation Cookies Activity, which pairs well with Laura Numeroff's "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." But the activity can easily stand alone as well. You'll need a cookie sheet and a spatula for this one.
I have the students say the words as they put the cookies on their cookie sheet. I have also used a cookie jar. I put all the cards in the cookie jar and have the students say the words as they pull them out.
Let your students become paleontologists with the Diggin' Up Dinosaur Bones Activity - which you can find here.
Once again, simply cut apart and laminate the cards. Hide them in a sand bin and have the students find them using shovels, sand rakes, etc. They can practice saying the words on their card and seeing who can find the most dinosaurs.
During the winter months, I like to use my Mitten Search Interactive Articulation Activity. It pairs very well with "The Mitten." Hide the mitten cards in a bin filled with cotton balls. The students then find the mittens and label the words on them.
Jenna Rayburn, from Speech Room News, also created an awesome interactive articulation activity centered around gardening.
Put the vegetable cards in a bin filled with beans and watch the students "pick" the vegetables. You can find this activity here.
The Shamrock Search Game is great to use around St. Patrick's Day and pairs well with the book "There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Clover."
Simply cut out and laminate the shamrock cards and place them in a bin with green Easter grass. The students search for the shamrock cards and label the items on the cards. You can find this activity here.
Right after St. Patrick's Day, I can swap my shamrocks for Easter eggs by using The Speech Attic's interactive Easter Egg Hunt.
I keep the Easter grass and hide the eggs inside. My students find the eggs and label the pictures on them. You can find the activity here.
Articulation Bugs is another fun springtime activity.
I place all the "bug" cards on the table and have the students "swat" them with a fly swatter. They must say the word on each bug before they can swat it.
I have also hidden the bugs in Easter grass. The students search for the bugs, say the target word, and add it to their bug catcher. You can find the activity here.
During our pirates unit, we play Pirates Treasure Hunt Articulation.
Hide the "coins" in a sand bin and have the students search them out. They need to say the word on the coin and then they can add it their treasure chest.
As the school year draws to an end, I love to bring out Jenna Rayburn's, from Speech Room News, Beach Hunt game.
For this game, you hide shell & crab cards in a sand bin. The students then find the cards in the sand and label the pictures on them. You can find the Beach Hunt game here.
I hope you find a few resources you can use with your kiddos! And I hope you see the same success with them as I have with my students!
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