5 Classic Children’s Games that Address Speech and Language Skills

Kids learn through play and nobody knows this better than speech pathologists. But which games are the best for speech and language development? I know you want fun, interactive therapy seasons and to do that you need only the best games in your sessions. I’m super excited to share a new three-part games blog series! Up today are five classic children’s games that target speech and language skills (without kids even knowing it):

Speech Therapy Games

1. I Spy — How awesome is I Spy? It’s perfect to expand children’s vocabulary to include category words and descriptive adjective words.
2. Hopscotch — Get out the chalk and make some boxes to target positional words like “on top,” “below,” “next to,” and “right/left.” Not to mention how kids love jumping (using gross motor skills helps improve fine motor abilities too).
3. Telephone — Do you remember playing telephone as a kid? I sure do, but I never thought about how it could improve a child’s auditory processing skills. Think about it: they have to hear a word or a phrase, process it, and then say it to another while retaining some meaning. When the message gets garbled, kids can giggle but also think about the speech sounds that got mixed up.
4. Four Square — How many of us have just walked over the painted lines on the pavement next to the school’s playground? Four square is a wonderful gross motor game that targets positional concepts and turn taking.
5. Charades — I imagine that you have already played charades with your students. I know I have! Acting out a vocabulary word without speaking is super fun for students and it really gets them thinking about how to describe characteristics.

I love using games in speech because my students engage with the material way more (let’s face it). Classic children’s games continue to retain their value even years later in speech therapy.