Speech Therapy Pictureka

Enjoy these speech therapy Pictureka ideas to target a wide range of speech and language goals. 

These game ideas are for:

• Parents to use at home to target their child's speech and language goals 
• To give SLP’s fresh/fun ideas to use in a pinch! 

For my students, I use the curriculum as much as possible but sometimes students and SLPs deserve a fun break!

I found this game at a local garage sale. It was brand new and only $1.00! Exciting! You can also find this game at amazon. 

Click below for more info if needed! (affiliate link).

I never use games as they are intended. Instead, I change them to fit the goals of my students. Below are ideas I have already tried!

Goal: Object Naming/Matching

For a child who is under 3 years of age, this game is great for object naming.

1. Grab a coin or token and cover up each picture as you name it. 
2. Roll the dice and each player has to name at least that many pictures.
3. Point to a picture and name it. Find as many as possible!
4. Find the cards with objects on them and have your child/student match the card to the picture.

Goal: Categories

They are many ways to target this goal. Adjust the way you play the game depending on the language and interest level of your child/student.  Some ideas:

1. The game comes with category cards or you can write your own on a piece of paper or whiteboard. Then take turns finding which pictures fit into a category. For example, your category could be things that “roll.” Then find pictures such as a ball, pencil, etc…
2. For older kids, I make it competitive. He or she needs to find 5 objects before the time runs out. 
3. For younger kids, finding the pictures is usually motivation enough.
4. Another way, I identify at least 2 pictures and the student names the category. Children can group items based on function, location, materials, etc...

Goal: Memory Skills - Rehearsal

For older students who are practicing memory compensations, this game is great for practicing visualization or rehearsal.

• Have a child pull a few cards and either “make a mental picture” of the words or repeat the words at least 3 times. 
• I make my own cards for this game. 
• Then, take away the cards and see if he/she can find the pictures.

This is not as functional as using curriculum material but it is a motivating way to introduce the memory compensations.

Goal: Articulation

How you target this goal will depend on your student.

For me, as my students improve their articulation skills and are working on generalization, I like to pull “non-speech” games to add a little distraction hoping to transfer their new skills to automatic memory. 

Therefore, for these goals, I follow the directions on the box on how to play and adjust as needed depending on my student's abilities. 

To target articulation, I create a carrier phrase that contains the student’s target sound. Before each turn or during a turn, which ever applies, each student says the phrase with their “good sound.” Typical speech therapy!

Goal: Vocabulary/Articulation/Sentence Structure:

For this speech or language goal, follow the instructions on the box. When a student pulls a card with a word on it, he/she has to either use the word in a sentence with correct grammar, find a synonym, define it using EET, etc…

This will depend on the student’s individual goals.