Dollar Store Speech Ideas

Ahhh, the dollar store.  I've never met an SLP who doesn't love going in one and leaving with arms full of bags.  When I first graduated from the masters program at Queens College, I stocked up on many of my first speech supplies from dollar stores and garage sales.  I couldn't wait to put them to use at my new real SLP job :)  Even though that was a few years ago, there are still a few dollar store finds that I use on a pretty regular basis in my speech room.  Here are a few of them that you can borrow for your own!

These fun hole-punchers were a great find!  I use them during drill articulation tasks.  Every time a student uses their good sound, they get to punch a piece of paper with the hole-puncher.  When they finish, I let them choose what to do with the "confetti." They can glue them into their speech book so mom or dad can see how many times they used their good sounds. They can toss them up into the air (over the garbage) to celebrate finishing the task.  Sometimes they just like to keep the paper that has these shapes punched out of them! These are also great for any students who need to exert extra energy during speech, as they really have to push down hard on these babies!

Okay, so this might look like any old bean bag (which it is), but kids never out grow these!  I love spreading any kind of picture card down on the floor, face down.  We take turns tossing the bean bag and having it land on a picture.  Then, we just turn the card over and do whatever it is we are doing! Sometimes it is describing a picture, working on pronouns, prepositions, articulation, plurals, LITERALLY ANYTHING can be done with a bean bag!

My cousin actually found this for me at the dollar store and thought I would love it.  I use it to teach communicative turn taking.  Whoever is holding the key is the one speaking or signing.  It helps keep little hands occupied, is fun to hold, and helps provide a visual for a sometimes difficult concept.

I hope you enjoyed reading about some of my Dollar Store speech finds! I would love to hear about your own :) If you want to find some more awesome dollar store ideas, be sure to check back to Talkin' With Twang's blog by clicking right here-> Talkin' With Twang

-Lauren