MMMMMMM… the smell of cookies baking! That’s one of my favorite smells and brings me back to growing up and cooking with my mom! But why am I talking about baking cookies on this blog about speech therapy? Well, I love to work with kids inside the special education classroom and it’s especially fun when I can co-trat with occupational therapists because I’m continually learning! One of the best ways I’ve found to tackle both speech and OT goals is to prepare food together.
Opportunities to Co-Treat with OT
Incorporating recipes into our activities gives the OT the ability to teach the students to use tools appropriately. While these fine motor skills were being taught, I could assist/assess students with following instructions (receptive language), sequencing steps (receptive and expressive language), and with their vocabulary skills (receptive and expressive language).
I thoroughly enjoyed working with students in this capacity, there was just one problem… There weren’t any resources available to me. So, I was continually (like…for 10 years) “winging it” when working with recipes inside the special education room walls alongside an OT. Finally, enough was enough and I decided to do something about it. I created the Speech Recipe Club. It is a bundle of resources that includes all different types of recipes. It’s also available in Spanish!
Cooking in Speech Therapy is Functional
The Speech Recipe Club is meant to be used year-round inside general education classrooms, special education classrooms, summer school, and even in speech room settings! The bundle includes recipes like cookies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, smores, and so many others! Each pack inside this amazing bundle includes:
- a step-by-step recipe
- a mini-book that students can take home
- “WH” question cards
- compare and contrast worksheets
To use this in your classroom, simply print this 40-page product for students to use(in black and white for ink saving). Feel free to print and laminate the colored option to show students during the lesson. Your students will follow the recipe and answer “WH” questions while also practicing sequencing and retelling. Throughout the recipe process, have students complete the mini-book that can be taken home to share with families and use the compare/contrast stories as needed depending on student skill level and language needs.
Students Need and Deserve Functional Skills
Why choose the Speech Recipe Club for your students? Well, recipes are a great tool for speech therapy, but they also teach a variety of functional skills that aren’t always taught as frequently in school. As you know, many students need lots of extra practice with (ADLs) activities of daily living in order to grow and be self-sufficient. These skills include passing out plates and making basic foods to eat. This would also be a great way to end a unit or school term (quarter, trimester, etc…) or could even be used as a fun “holiday party” activity.
So there you have it, the perfect blend of education and flavor! Incorporating recipes into speech therapy sessions not only tickles the taste buds but also helps students develop crucial skills in language, sequencing, and following instructions.
Let’s whip up some language skills, sprinkle in some fine motor practice, and bake a batch of confidence together. The Speech Recipe Club is the secret ingredient to success in the classroom, therapy room, and beyond. Get ready to mix education and flavor for student growth like never before!
Bon appétit and happy therapy cooking!
