Using Plastic Eggs in Speech Therapy
Spring is in the air, and as speech-language pathologists (SLPs) we're always on the lookout for engaging activities to keep our therapy sessions fresh and fun! Using plastic “eggs” in the spring and year round is an easy low prep way to target all your speech and language goals.
Plastic “eggs” now come in so many different shapes and sizes like animal shapes, vehicles, dinosaur eggs! They are easy to find in March and April at Dollar stores, grocery stores and big box stores).
Here are 11 easy, low prep activities to use these plastic eggs for Speech Therapy ....
Sound Guessing Game: Shake, rattle, and roll! Fill plastic eggs with various objects and challenge your students to guess what's inside based on the sound. It's a simple yet effective way to work on auditory discrimination skills.
Categorization: Get cracking on categorization skills by sorting eggs into different categories such as animals, vehicles, colors, or shapes. This activity helps with language organization and expanding vocabulary.
Concepts "Same" and "Different": Explore the concepts of "same" and "different" by placing matching or mismatched objects inside eggs. Have students open them up and identify whether the contents are the same or different, fostering cognitive flexibility.
Descriptive Language: Encourage descriptive language by having students describe the eggs or the objects inside using adjectives like colors, sizes, textures, or functions. It's a great way to expand their expressive language skills.
Positional Concepts: Hide eggs around the room and give clues using positional concepts like "under the table," "next to the bookshelf," or "behind the chair." This activity reinforces spatial awareness and following directions.
Following Directions: Give students one, two, or three-step directions on where to hide the eggs. This activity not only targets listening comprehension but also provides opportunities for following multi-step directions.
Sensory Bins: Create sensory bins filled with real or paper "grass" and hide plastic eggs inside. The sensory experience enhances engagement and provides opportunities for natural language expansion.
Stack Eggs with Play Dough to target corewords like “more, up, fall down and uhoh”
Play-Doh Egg Stack: Stack 'em up with play dough! Use play dough as a base for stacking eggs and prompt students to use core words and phrases like "up," "down," "stick”, “uh-oh”, “oh no” and "hard" as they build. Click here and I’ll send you some free visuals for the play dough stack!
Pair Eggs with Books like First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, The Good Egg by Jory John and The Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni.
Open-ended Play: Allow students to dump the eggs out and explore freely. Encourage imaginative play, storytelling, and conversation as they interact with the eggs. Usuallythe most language comes from kids when they are leading the activity.
Articulation Targets: Sneak in some articulation practice by placing target words or pictures inside eggs. Students can practice their speech sounds as they open the eggs and say the words aloud.
These egg-citing activities are not only educational but also tons of fun for students of all ages. Add some plastic eggs to your therapy toolkit!
