The Weekly Review: Week 71

SLP Idea of the Week

Take a 12 cup muffin pan and cut speech cards into circles that fit into the bottom of each cup. Also gather 12 small tokens of some kind (pom-poms, cotton balls, squinkies, etc. Have the child (gently) toss a token at the muffin pan and practice the word at the bottom of the cup that their token landed in. Then they toss another token into another cup practicing that word. The goal is to get a token into each cup practicing all 12 words along the way.

Ava this Week

Ava will be starting preschool soon. We're less than three weeks away from saying goodbye forever to our part-time daycare. The daycare was fine. I was perfectly happy with them and they did a great job of taking care of my children. I am not in the slightest bit sad to say goodbye to them (or to the monthly check I wrote to them). It does feel strange to think that soon I will pull out of their driveway for the last time. After all, I've been taking at least one child (and often two) there twice a week for almost three years. It feels nice to be moving on to the next stage though.

Weekly Michael

Originally I had intended to enroll the children in preschool five mornings a week in the fall. In order for Michael to attend the second level preschool room, they require five day enrollment. As fall rapidly approaches I have been realizing that I'm not ready for them to be away five mornings a week. After all, I'm still seriously considering keeping them home and beginning homeschooling a year from now.

So, I decided to keep Michael in the less structured preschool room and enroll the children only four days a week. I may reduce that to three days a week later. A side effect of this decision is that the children will be in the same room for preschool this year. Michael will be repeating in the same classroom (along with all the other students who won't be attending full-time including his best friend). Ava will enter the room for the first time. I think they'll enjoy being together.

Weekly Weight Loss

This week the scale reports a loss of 1.3 pounds. That makes up for the token drop from last week with an average of 0.75/week over the last two weeks. I'm doing fine with the calorie reduction portion of my agenda. I'm having trouble trying to change my lifestyle to regularly include more activity though. I always seem to have higher priorities than exercising (and those priorities are invariably sedentary). I need to remind myself that even 15 minutes a day is so much better than nothing and that I can exercise with the children around.

Mixed /k/ Homework Booklet: Free Speech Therapy Articulation Picture Book

When I introduce a booklet for the first time I just read the story to the kids. Then I have the children practice the words on the back of the booklet to familiarize them with the pictures. Finally, we read the book together. I read the printed text and prompt them to "read" the pictures by pausing and pointing at the right moments. After the children have read the books several times, they are easily remembering all of the words and "reading" large chunks of the sentences as well. It's a great exercise in using speech target words in a more natural setting and in transitioning to using proper articulation in phrases and sentences. Once the children are pretty good at the stories you can have them read the stories to each other, to a pet, to a friend, or to a grandparent as well.

Mixed /k/ Homework Booklet

To download click on the image to open it full size. Then right click on the image, choose "save as" and save the page to your computer. I recommend you print on cardstock for durability.

Description

This articulation homework booklet is designed to be an extension of my single-syllable card sets. The target words are a mix of one-syllable initial and final words and two-syllable medial words that include no blends and no vocalic /r/ sounds. This booklet is designed to be read by a parent (or therapist, older sibling, classmate, teacher...) and child together. The helper reads the typewritten words pausing for the child to "read" the picture words. Each time the book is read, the helper can put a sticker/stamp/checkmark in one of the boxes on the front of the book. This will encourage multiple practice readings. The child's fluency should increase with each repeated reading. The words on the back page can be used for either auditory bombardment before reading the book together or for drill after finishing reading the book (or both). The target audience for these cards are children with speech delays who are ready to practice /k/ sounds in a more natural context. Move to these exercises to add complexity and increase generalization after the child has achieved good accuracy with single words, single word repetitions, and simple alternating single words with the initial /k/, medial /k/, and final /k/ target words.

Key Features

• This booklet features 15 initial, medial, and final /k/ words incorporated into a simple story to be read by a helper and child together.
• The target words are one or two syllable words that do not contain vocalic /r/ sounds or blends.
• The words are easily understood by or easily taught to young children.

Permissions

I give permission to copy, print, or distribute this booklet provided that:

1. Each copy makes clear that I am the document's author.
2. No copies are altered without my express consent.
3. No one makes a profit from these copies.
4. Electronic copies contain a live link back to my original and print copies not for merely personal use contain the URL of my original.

Looking for Feedback

I would love to hear back from anyone who uses this booklet. Let me know if you find errors or there is anything you would change. Comment on this page, or send me an email at testyyettrying(at)gmail(dot)com.

Where can I find more?

More card sets and related printables are on my Free Speech Therapy Articulation Cards page.

Here is a picture of a homework booklet (the /l/ booklet) printed on cardstock and folded into the booklet. It slides nicely in between board books to be pulled out and read during bedtime story time.

Other Speech Practice Booklets Available:

• Initial /s/ Homework Booklet - Sue's Tea Set
• Initial /l/ Homework Booklet - Lou's Busy Day
• Initial /sh/ Homework Booklet - Shy Shae
• Medial /f/ Homework Booklet - Alfie the Elephant
• Initial /fl/ Homework Booklet - Flynn Gets His Picture
• Final /k/ Homework Booklet - Silly Rhymes
• /f/ Sentences Homework Booklet - Finn Finds Number Friends

Speech Card Set Activity: Speech Crowns

Preparation
Print a page or two of a free articulation card set of your choice. Make a paper crown in your child's (or student's) favorite color. Cut out the pictures from the picture cards.

Activity
Most little kids love crowns. Show them their crown and tell them that the crown needs to be decorated. Offer a choice of 10-15 small pictures featuring their target words. Have them say all the words and then choose 5-7 favorites. Staple / glue / tape those pictures to the crown. Voila! Speech crowns and happy children.

Review
Once the crown is complete, put it on their head and let them look at themselves in the mirror naming all of their picture choices one last time. Have them label all of the left-overs and offer to give them the extra pictures as a present. Send them home with the crown. As they proudly show it off to their parents they will have yet another opportunity to practice their words. (Or if you're doing this activity at home, have them show their new crown off to their grandparents, a friend, a sibling, or even a family pet. Another option is to take a video of them showing off their crown and telling about all the pictures and then to let them watch the video of themselves.)

(Note: I used my cricut machine to cut out our crowns and pictures because the children love watching the cricut machine work, but simple paper crowns from construction paper along with pictures cut from my card sets will work just as well.)