To the delight of children of all ages, nationwide, school is out for the summer!  While this time of year is often associated with long sunny days, beach vacations and fireflies, it can be a daunting time for parents of children that require support with speech and articulation.  Parent of children that require support services for Speech-Language Pathology often express a sense of anxiety during the summer months. With schools closed, the break often means an interruption is supportive services.
At Abington Speech Pathology, we know these anxieties all too well. In this blog entry, we have collected a series of fun games for parents to print out, and help keep their kids on track!  For these games, all you will need is some cardstock, a printer, scissors, a few miscellaneous items found around the house and some time!

1. GO FISH (R AND S SOUNDS)

Description:
This game was inspired by the traditional “Go Fish” Card Game and is hours of fun. Instead of playing with a traditional deck of cards, this “deck” includes pictures to assist with the pronunciation of “R” and “S” sounds. During the game, instead of asking for a “queen” or “jack” card, players pronounce the image that appears on the card.  Have fun while working on articulation!
What it includes:
This game includes 6 Pages with 16 cards on each page (for a total of 96 cards total).
How to Prepare:
Download the document, and print out on Cardstock.  Cut out the cards on each page, to form a deck.
How to Play:
Mix the cards up, and deal out 5 cards per person.  The first player will ask the next player if they have a type of card, by pronouncing the names on the card.  If the player has the card, they give it to the player who asked for it. If not, they say “Go Fish” and the player selects a card from the deck.  When a player matches a pair, they remove them from the deck and form a pile of their matches.  The first player to match all of their cards wins!

2. FAMILY FLIPBOOK

Description:
This fun “Flipbook” can be re-used to help with the pronunciation of “At” and “An” words.
What it includes:
Enclosed are four boards, for a total of four flipbooks.
How to Prepare:
Print on card stock.  Cut out the first three blocks in the top left of the page. This will leave you with one cutout, with   ” _at ” or the “_an” all in one piece (pending the board that you use).  Cut out the other letters on the page individually.  Stack the individual letters over the blank square, from your original cutout.  Bind at the top of the stack with a stapler.
How to Play:
Flip through the letters, and pronounce each new word formed!
 

3. THE CAPS GAME

Description:
This games take a little bit of preparation, but is a lot of fun!  This game is similar to “hide and go seek” but requires the player to pronounce the featured word in order to make a “guess.”
What it includes:
Includes four boards to articulate the letter G, K, and S.
How to Prepare:
First, print out the “caps” attached to cardstock. The game will last much longer if you have the printed sheets laminated at your local Staples, or by using no-heat laminating sheets (also available at Staples, or you can use no-heat photo laminate sheets that are available at the Dollar Store).  Once the sheets are laminated, cut out each cap individually. On the back of each “cap”, attach a piece of Velcro (soft side).
Next, you will need 5 milk caps (you can collect the gallon of milk in your refrigerator, or use something similar).  On the top of the milk caps, attach a small piece of Velcro (the rough side).  You can now rotate the images to attach to the caps.
How to Play:
Attach your set of target sound cap covers to the milk caps.  These are the pieces that you will use for the game, and the words that you will practice.  Next, select a “prize” to hide under one cap (this can be a dime or quarter, cereal, candy…).
Have the child close his/her eyes, and place the prize under one of the caps.   In order for the child to guess where the prize is, they must pronounce the word on the cap.

4. BINGO

Description:
This game adopts the spirit of “Bingo” but replaces numbers with target words for pronunciation.
What it includes:
This includes 2 boards for the Letter “L” (for 2 players) and 3 boards for the letter “R” (for 3 players).
How to Prepare:
Print out one copy of each board and one extra copy to cut into “calling pieces”. The calling pieces should be mixed up and placed in a large bowl.  Laminate the boards for durability. Bingo chips or even pennies can be used to track the game.
How to Play:
Each player receives their own board. A card is selected from the bowl.  The child must pronounce the image that appears on the card selected, and then see if their board has a matching image. If their board has a matching image, that can mark the image or place a penny on top of it. The first player to get a straight row of matches wins the game!

5. EARLY GO TOGETHERS

Description:
This is a quick game, that can elicit a lot of conversation!
What it includes:
2 Pages for one game.
How to Prepare:
Print the game out on to paper or cardstock.  The first page is the game board. Cut out the picture cards on the second page. These four cards are the game pieces.
How to Play:
Discuss the items that appear on the game board. Give the child the four cards, and ask them to place the cards next to the image on the board that goes best.  Discuss how these items are related, and why they match.
 
 
SOURCE:
-Speaking of Speech 
–Speech Language and Beyond
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