Apraxia-Kids Parent Conference
Break Out Session

Making it Fun: Practing Speech at Home

Robin Strode, M.A., CCC-SLP
Catherine Chamberlain, M.A., CCC-SLP






  • Lots of good ideas for fun games to play while practicing (see Photos )
  • Easy Does it for Apraxia - can be purchased from Lingui Systems
  • Begin and End with Success
  • Verbal Praise - even on failed attempts, reinforce nice trying
  • Speech Books, Practice Books (see Photos )
  • Use speech pages in a book covered with page protectors to let child scribble on page
  • Incorporate movement. Say the word n times, toss a ring, when the rings are all tossed, say a word n times and go pick up a ring
  • Hide a picture or sticker under one puzzle piece of a puzzle. Say the practice word n times, now allow to pick up a puzzle piece. No sticker, say another word n times, pick up another puzzle piece. (see Photos )
  • Say a word n times, allow child to crumple up a piece of paper and toss it into recycling bin
  • Use a reward system for older kids. Ten good practice days and you get some sort of special treat, trip to arcade, family fun center, movie ?
  • Get in practice at the grocery store. Give your child a list to carry with him that has his words on it or things in the store that model the target sounds. Have him read list as you shop or look for items on his list
  • Index card letters: make a mail box out of a klenex box, Have index cards with stamps (stickers) and addresses, say word n times, then you get to mail the letter in the mail box (see Photos )
  • Give a choice for the type of practice, do you want to do beads or puzzles today?
  • Start with short practice sessions, make sessions longer over time once it becomes more routine
  • Most practice involved saying a word n times before being allowed to do something fun
  • Help your therapist with work materials, make things for their use
  • Speech Fairy Visit: leave construction paper footprints in your house from the front door through the house out the back door. Periodically place an index card with a speech word on a foot print... follow the footprints through the house and say the words as you find them... tell your child the speech fairy must have tramped through the house. Obviously put the foot prints out the night before or after everyone has left for school.
  • Make a list of objects that have the sounds you want to target. These objects are in you house, give the list to the child. Read the list together. Search for the first item on the list. When you find it say what it is. Once you found everything on the list you get a treasure (small toy prize, sticker, etc). Then put the objects away and say what they are again.
  • Make a toilet paper roll snake that has all his speech words on it. Read the snake for practice. (see Photos )
  • Make a word book. Every page has the Letter, upper and lower case. Every page has words that start with that letter, draw pictures, put pictures from magazines, boardmaker, etc. Each page should only contain words your child has. Put words with the initial position sound on the front of the page and words with the final position sound on the back of the page. In the back of the book you could add phrases and more challenging words. (see Photos )
  • Word Index Cards: Words you are working on or sounds you are working on. The front of the card has initial position words, the back final position sounds. An example would be "go" on front and "mug" on back. These cards can then be used latter to make phrases, i.e. "go" "home"
  • All about me book. Small photo album containing pictures of child's family and things the child likes to do. These are good for the child to take to preschool so they can tell about what is going on in their lives. (see Photos )
  • Friends Book - Small photo album that has pictures of all the children in child's class. This allows them to answer questions about their day at shool.
  • Write words on the mirror with soap, say the word, then allow child to wipe it off
  • Activity Book - Put pages in sheet protectors, redo the activities by washing off markers or crayons. Say a word to do next activity or action


All the ideas presented were covered in some manner on display tables. I took pictures of all displayed items (see Photos).