Speech & Language Therapy
On-line Home Program Activities
Carefully selected by your Speech-Language Pathologist
Deb Moriarty, M.S., CCC-SLP
abcya.com
This website has many language-rich games for all grade levels. Here are a few of my favorites, along with some suggestions about how to incorporate oral language.
All About Me (K-2) Have your child answer each of the questions out loud before they enter them into the game. After your child is done creating his/her “All About Me” poster, ask him/her some additional questions that help to expand their answers (i.e. “Why do you want to be a policeman when you grow up?). If you are able, have your child print out the poster and share it with another family member or a friend.
Color, Draw, Paint (K-5) and ABCYA Story Maker (K-2) Have your child create a picture using the game, and then engage them in a storytelling task. Ask them questions that help them to create a story sequence (i.e. What happened first in your story? What happened next? What happened in the middle of your story? What happened at the end of your story?) ABCYA Story Maker is a little bit harder to navigate, but it allows your child to add written text to their story. I have attached some story maps and graphic organizers to help your child to plan out his or her story. Have your child share their story with family and friends.
Story Games (K-5) [scroll to the bottom of the home page to find this option]
Choose any of the stories that match your child’s grade. Read the story together. Or click on the microphone for the computer to read to your child. At the end of the story, ask your child questions to check his or her understanding. Remember to ask a variety of questions (i.e. Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?)
Videos (K-5) [this option is right at the top of the home page]
Are you crafty? Yes . . . then this is a great option to try! Many of the crafts presented in these videos use supplies that you have around the house. Watch the video with your child, and then make the craft. After you have completed making the craft, build your child’s language skills, sequencing skills and memory skills by asking him or her to retell how they made the craft. (i.e. What was the first step? What was the second step? And so on . . .) If you would like to turn this into a written language activity, use the attached sequence graphic organizer, and ask your child to write out directions that explain how to make the craft.
Later Gator (1-3) This game teaches subject - verb agreement and sentence structures. After your child matches the correct verb to the subject, ask them to expand the 2-word phrase into a longer sentence (For example “ kids talk” -- “The kids talk to their friends about the weekend.” Use prompts like “Who do the kids talk to? Where were the kids talking? What were they talking about?” to help your child to build and expand his or her sentence structures.)
Crossword Puzzle Creator (or any of the pre-created holiday-themed crossword puzzles) (3-5) These are great for working on vocabulary skills. With “Crossword Puzzle Creator,” you can provide your child with a list of vocabulary words based on a theme, a topic of interest, or words from a book or lesson. They will have to come up with clues related to the definition of each word. The pre-created holiday-themed crossword puzzles are all ready to play. These games are great for vocabulary development and word relationships.
Make a Pizza and Make a Cupcake (K-3) As your child is making a pizza or a cupcake, encourage him or her to verbally describe their choices before selecting them on the computer. At the end of the game, ask your child to describe the pizza or cupcake that he or she made. (i.e. I made a cupcake with pink frosting, rainbow sprinkles, etc.)
Storyboardthat.com
Sign up for a free account and your child can become a graphic artist, creating their own storyboards (that resemble comic strips). The website provides pop ups and a video that both explain how to navigate the program. After your child has created their storyboard, have him or her tell or write the story (or both). I have attached some story maps and graphic organizers to help your child to plan out his or her story. Have your child share their story with family and friends.
Storylineonline.net
This free resource provides you with access to classic children's picture books read out loud by famous actors and actresses. From the homepage, choose any one of the many books in their library. Click on your selection, and it will link you to a Youtube video of a famous actor or actress reading the book. If you scroll down on this page, you will find a button with an “activity guide” or a “teacher’s guide.” After listening to the story with your child, this button will provide you with language-rich activities to guide your discussions with your child. After your child listens to the story, have them complete an attached story map or the sandwich book report which requires them to recall all of
the important parts of the story (characters, setting, problem, plot sequence, resolution, conclusion). Using the story map, ask your child to retell the story with as much detail as possible.
Wonderopolis.org
This amazing website provides fascinating literacy content about a variety of science-related topics. Have your child choose a topic and read the article. The site allows your child to check their comprehension and also their vocabulary acquisition. Click on the “Wonder Words” block to do a vocabulary activity. Then click on the “Did you get it?” block to check your comprehension. Parents -- after your child has completed reading the article, the vocabulary check, and the comprehension check, have them complete the attached “Main idea and supporting details” graphic organizer to work on their ability to recall and retell important information from a non-fiction text.
Then work on your child’s ability to verbally summarize the information by asking him or her to explain the article to you. Ask them the question that is in the title of the article that they just read (i.e. Do birds get shocked when they sit on wires? Explain to me why not?)
Starfall.com
This is an excellent website for all young learners, but it is specially designed with children who may have communication, speech and/or language challenges. The website is very easy to navigate, and all of the activities are language-rich. It has great visuals and simple language, so it is very easy for children with limited auditory comprehension to figure out all of the games.