Working with college students with speech sound issues, you already know that many approaches suggest getting 50–100 trials with a pupil’s goal sound or course of to make significant progress with speech intelligibility and productions. One of many age-old remedy instruments for reaching excessive trials is utilizing articulation flashcards.
However for those who’ve labored with college students lengthy sufficient, you additionally know that articulation flashcards can begin to really feel stale and boring. No SLP needs to drag tooth and nail simply to get youngsters to apply their speech sounds. On the similar time, utterly ditching articulation flashcards could make planning efficient articulation remedy actions even more durable.
That’s why the important thing isn’t eliminating articulation playing cards, however reinventing how you employ them. On this publish, I’m sharing my prime ideas and concepts for utilizing video games and play-based articulation actions with articulation flashcards so you will get these excessive trials—whereas your college students do not know how arduous they’re working as a result of they’re having enjoyable.
Why Articulation Flashcards Nonetheless Work in Speech Remedy
Articulation flashcards have been a staple in speech remedy rooms for many years. I keep in mind trying by way of catalogs to order supplies and wanting a full, brand-new set of flashcards (shoutout to all my SLPs working within the 80s and past). What we find out about speech sound issues is that college students want repeated apply, constant targets, and a few construction to the stream of what they’re doing in a session.
Plus, at first levels of educating sound productions, it’s useful to have instruments that scale back a pupil’s cognitive load to allow them to give attention to motor planning, accuracy of sound manufacturing, and self-monitoring. While you use an articulation flashcard with a transparent image and goal phrase, college students can give attention to the place, method, and voicing of the sound as an alternative of making an attempt to determine what they’re presupposed to say.
SLPs even have GIANT caseloads, which implies we want instruments that may work throughout a number of college students and objectives. On the similar time, we frequently have small remedy rooms with restricted cupboard space, so we want supplies which can be versatile and adaptable. With one deck of articulation flashcards, you’ll be able to apply sounds in phrases, sentences, and tales, use them in motion actions, flip them into video games, and adapt them for various ages and talent ranges.
That’s the place creativity is available in. By altering how you employ articulation playing cards—not abandoning them—you’ll be able to maintain periods participating, significant, and efficient.When an SLP says that articulation flashcards “don’t work for my youngsters,” I normally assume they imply the scholars are bored, not engaged in studying their sounds, or the periods really feel repetitive. So what occurs? They might solely work on speech sounds by way of video games or play-based actions. Whereas these approaches will be efficient, one widespread blind spot shouldn’t be getting sufficient repetitive apply. That’s why I’m going to share my sneaky ninja SLP methods for how one can marry repetitive articulation flashcard apply with hands-on actions—so that you don’t lose engagement or excessive trial apply. You actually can do each.
What Makes an Efficient Set of Articulation Flashcards
Articulation flashcards don’t have to be flashy or sophisticated to be efficient, however they do have to be thoughtfully designed so SLPs can use them with a variety of scholars, diagnoses, and remedy approaches.
In the case of speech sound issues, there isn’t one “good” set of phrases that works for each pupil. Components like co-articulation, stimulability, and a pupil’s particular analysis all impression which phrases are applicable at a given time. A baby with apraxia, for instance, might have a really completely different strategy and targets than a pupil with a phonological dysfunction—even when they’re technically engaged on the identical sound.
That’s why an efficient set of articulation flashcards isn’t about utilizing each phrase within the deck. It’s about having sufficient choices so you’ll be able to choose the phrases that greatest match your remedy strategy and your pupil’s wants.
In my articulation flashcards, every sound consists of eight playing cards for preliminary, medial, and ultimate positions, supplying you with flexibility with out overwhelming you with too many stimuli. This makes it simpler to:
- select phrases that help your present remedy objectives
- keep away from phrases that could be too difficult attributable to co-articulation or complexity
- adapt the identical deck for various college students and diagnoses
Plus, my R sound set has preliminary, medial, and ultimate positions for prevocalic and all of the vocalic R’s so you’ll find phrases to work on that the kid is stimulable.
One other factor I wished to prioritize was how SLPs really use flashcards. That’s why my units embody coloration, actual photograph, and black-and-white choices. The black-and-white playing cards are particularly useful for printing a number of playing cards per web page for BINGO video games, homework apply, crafts, sensory bins, or gluing into articulation actions. You’re not locked into utilizing them for conventional drill and kill.
With the colour and actual photograph choices, you’ll be able to choose which set is acceptable for the ages you’re employed with. For instance, utilizing the true images is good for youthful and older college students. The distinction with my flashcards is that they embody over 25 methods to make use of them in remedy and embody ten sport and play-based actions which can be sound-loaded.
Inventive Methods to Use Articulation Flashcards in Speech Remedy
Articulation flashcards don’t need to be restricted to sit-and-say drill. With a couple of easy tweaks, you’ll be able to flip the identical deck of playing cards into participating actions that maintain college students motivated whereas nonetheless getting the repetitions they want.
The secret is desirous about how college students work together with the playing cards, not simply what sound is on them. Under are a number of methods you’ll be able to adapt articulation flashcards for any sound, age, or remedy setting.
Flip Flashcards Into Fast Video games
One of many best methods to extend engagement is so as to add a easy sport construction to flashcard apply. This doesn’t imply pulling out a sophisticated board sport. It may be so simple as including factors, turns, or a purpose to work towards.
For instance, college students would possibly earn a token, chip, or object for each appropriate manufacturing, or roll a die to see what number of occasions they apply a phrase. See all my favourite instruments and manipulatives for prime drill apply on episode 100 of the Real Talk SLP podcast. Listed below are a couple of of my favourite fast sport actions to pair with playing cards:
- Free Race to 100 game (use with a 20-sided die to get plenty of apply)
- Accumulate the Chips: place various quantities of magnetic chips beneath your flashcards. Then, youngsters choose a flashcard with their magnetic wand. The child with probably the most chips wins.
- Zap It – Use popsicle sticks with completely different level values. Add sticks labeled zap-1, zap-2, or related. If a pupil pulls a zap stick, they lose factors. You may learn extra about find out how to play the Zap It sport here.
Add Motion to Articulation Flashcard Follow
All of us have these youngsters who want to maneuver whereas they apply their speech sounds. Certainly one of my hacks is to set a timer for 2-5 minutes firstly of the session for drill-based apply. As soon as the timer expires, they don’t need to do drill-and-kill. That’s when you’ll be able to incorporate motion actions however nonetheless get in good trials. You received’t really feel as pressured to rack up these productions since you bought a very good chunk firstly of the session.
For motion actions listed below are some straightforward ones that maintain youngsters engaged:
- I Spy Articulation Activity – conceal your speech sound playing cards across the room. Then, go on a hunt to seek out their sounds. Have them apply their speech sounds 10x. Then, within the subsequent spherical, they’ll conceal the playing cards, and it’s important to discover them!
- Place spots on the carpet that college students should jump over to succeed in their speech phrases. Place 3-5 speech sound playing cards on the finish of the circle lane. College students hop to get their speech phrases, apply and hop again. This hopscotch toy can be good!
- Bean Bag Toss – Place your articulation flashcards on the bottom. College students can strive toss the bean luggage on the playing cards. For older college students, use a paper toss, a mini basketball hoop, or draw a goal with factors to throw a suction-cup ball onto the whiteboard.
Sensory-Based mostly Flashcard Actions
You don’t want elaborate sensory bins or plenty of supplies to make flashcard apply hands-on. Certainly one of my favourite methods so as to add a sensory factor is to make use of full-page flashcard sheets as an alternative of reducing particular person playing cards (that’s why I love my black-and-white versions of my flashcards).
Print a full web page of articulation flashcards and place them flat on the backside of a shallow bin. Then cowl it with a easy filler, equivalent to white pom poms for snow, black beans for dust, or shredded inexperienced paper for grass. College students “plow the snow,” “dig within the dust,” or “transfer the grass” to disclose their speech sounds beneath.
Every time a sound is uncovered, college students apply the phrase earlier than persevering with. This setup retains the give attention to articulation apply whereas nonetheless offering college students with a bodily object to work together with.
What I really like about this strategy is that:
- It really works with any sound
- It requires minimal prep
- Cleanup is quick
- And you’ll simply change the theme by swapping out the filler
Utilizing full-page flashcards additionally makes it simpler to trace which phrases have already been practiced with out shedding or shuffling particular person playing cards. It’s a easy strategy to maintain palms busy whereas nonetheless sustaining construction and excessive repetitions.
Sound-Loaded Construct and Faux Play Actions Utilizing Articulation Flashcards
Sound-loaded play actions work greatest when the articulation flashcards are constructed instantly into the play, not added on as an afterthought. A lot of these actions maintain college students motivated whereas nonetheless guaranteeing they’re working towards their goal sounds all through the session.
Listed below are a couple of examples of how articulation flashcards will be embedded into easy construct and faux play actions that work throughout many various sounds.
Construct a Block Tower
Block constructing is a straightforward method so as to add hands-on play whereas nonetheless retaining articulation apply structured. Flashcards will be positioned on the base of the tower, earned separately, or clipped to binder clips in entrance of the construction.
College students apply a goal phrase earlier than including a block. If the tower knocks over, college students apply the speech sounds on the flashcards that fell. This works properly for particular person sounds, blends, and blended teams, and it’s straightforward to adapt for various ages.
Buying Faux Play
Faux purchasing actions are one other strategy to pair articulation flashcards with play. Flashcards will be hooked up to binder clips and used as objects in a retailer. College students apply their goal phrases as they “purchase” objects, title what they need, or determine whether or not an merchandise belongs within the retailer.
The sort of play is particularly useful for college students who profit from language-rich contexts whereas nonetheless working
Parking the Automobiles
Parking video games are a easy, motivating method to make use of flashcards with play supplies many SLPs have already got. Place articulation flashcards in parking areas that you simply draw on a bit of paper or on a parking zone mat. College students apply a phrase earlier than parking a automobile on prime of the flashcard.
This exercise works properly for a variety of sounds and is simple to scale up or down relying on the variety of repetitions you need in a session.
Why These Play Actions Work
These build-and-pretend play actions really feel enjoyable and interesting for college students, however they’re nonetheless deliberately structured. The articulation flashcards management the targets and repetitions, whereas the play factor retains college students motivated to maintain going.
In my articulation flashcard sets, I embody sound-loaded video games and play-based actions like these so you’ll be able to simply plug flashcards into play with out having to design new actions from scratch.
Maintain Making Your Speech Sound Remedy Enjoyable
Articulation flashcards don’t need to imply boring drill or disengaged college students. While you pair them with easy video games, motion, hands-on actions, and sound-loaded play, they develop into one of the vital versatile and efficient instruments in your remedy toolbox.
Whether or not you’re working with blended teams, tight schedules, or college students who want robust motivation, the bottom line is to maintain apply intentional and participating. You don’t have to decide on between excessive trials and enjoyable. With the correct setup, you are able to do each.
If you have already got articulation flashcards you’re keen on, I hope these concepts offer you new methods to make use of them with confidence. And for those who’re in search of ready-to-use articulation flashcards that embody sound-loaded video games and play-based actions, you’ll be able to try my articulation flashcard units on my website or on TPT to avoid wasting planning time and maintain periods operating easily.
You’re doing vital work, and your college students profit from the thought and care you set into your periods. Maintain utilizing what works, adapting when wanted, and trusting your medical instincts. In case your bored otherwise you see extra eye rolls than you care to confess, it’s time to enliven your speech remedy playing cards with a few of these concepts!
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