Ok…I admit it. I feel kinda stupid blogging about this. I’ve been debating whether or not to share this because it’s so simple. I’m sure most of you do this in therapy already! But, what the heck? Lol.
Want to know the game my speechie kids ask to play the most in therapy? Nope, not Candyland. Not Fish and Say. Not even all the pretty TPT materials. They probably ask to play “Hide the cards” every week (although the Speech Cave comes in a close 2nd)!
That’s right, they actually want to play with card decks! Why they get the biggest kick out of hiding speech cards, I have no idea. Check out how we play!
All the kids have to put their heads down on the table…no peeking (yeah, right!). I go around the room and hide the artic cards (you could also use language cards). I usually do about 10 cards at a time for each kid. Fortunately, all the Super Duper artic decks come in a different color for each sound. The kids know the color of the cards they are looking for (i.e. if they work on /r/, they look for the blue cards).
I hide them in random places, but visible enough that the kids can spot them without digging through my room. Once they find a card, they have to say it 5 times or in a sentence, depending on what level they are on. The first person to collect all 10 of their cards is the winner! This gives them some sort of urgency to find them…which = more drills for me. 🙂
If the group is small, I may let them take a turn at hiding the cards for me to find. Then when I find their card, they have to say it.
Anyway, just a fun way to use those card decks! Do y’all do this in your speech rooms too? 😉
Cute! I do like to play this game in speech, but I haven’t done it lately. Perhaps that will be on next week’s lesson plan. 🙂
-Brea
Let’s Talk SLP
Haha! It’s so funny how they love doing this. I wonder if they like it because it’s easy and they can be successful at it.
That’s so funny – sometimes it’s the simple things! My kiddos enjoy saying the word on the card and then turning it over and trying to remember. They always want to try to remember more than they did last time (yeah-more trials!) If they forget, I usually flip the card over for a quick peek or show it to another student and they can give a clue…..
That’s a fantastic idea too! I’ll have to try that with my kids. They’ll probably love it!
My students love this too…we often use carrier phrases that contain their targets as well. “I Found the….” ” or This IS a …”. Those students that are working on direction following have to follow my directions to “find” the picture…they may have to jump two times first and then touch their nose! It’s always a hit!
Yes! We do that too, if they’re having trouble finding a card. “You’re getting warmer/colder” or “Look to your left/right, near the back, etc.” So much you can do with it! I haven’t tried making them do things before they can find it. That’s a great idea!
So glad you posted about this! I’ve done “hide and seek” (hiding a little owl) in my room for working on prepositions but I love the card idea! Thanks 🙂
Nicole
allisonspeechpeeps.blogspot.com
Thanks, Nicole! Love the owl idea too! Maybe I can do the same thing with a honeybee 😉
Lauren!!! I’m so glad you posted this!! No! I haven’t never done it but I WILL! That’s super easy and something different for my kiddos. Thanks!
Yay! Thanks, Mia!
I’ve played this game before, but haven’t played in forever! Sometimes I get so caught up trying to be creative and smart and edgy that I forget the basic, classic things that WORK.
Thanks for the refresher!
Let’s Talk Speech Therapy
Rachel
I do the same thing sometimes! It’s easy to forget about what works. 🙂
Hahaha I could hear your hesitation in writing this blog but looking at the comments really lets you know that what you think may be obvious or well known, is not necessarily so. So I say blog what you feel is important! I too enjoy “hide and seek”. I’ve added a few twists over the years that have been fun for my kids. Sometimes I have the kids take a small ball, dart gun, or even Frisbee and “throw” it at the card they find (claiming it as theirs)…or I have one student hide cards for other student…and vice verse…I’ve even done “flashlight hide and seek” which is so fun for the kids to “spotlight” their cards in the dark! Oh I wonder what people think goes on in speech rooms! Ha. I also like using this game with real objects to teach prepositions (as someone stated above). I usually grab several different items and we go on a “scavenger hunt” and find “where” those items are hiding. Anyway, thanks for the discussion!
What great ideas! I’m going to have to try tossing things at the cards. I know they would just love that!
It’s also fun to turn the lights off and give the students flashlights to play “find the cards’ that way too!
Another idea: I take the chipper chat chips and place 2 of them under each articulation card hit. Then i send the students around with the chipper chat magnets and have them pick up the articulation cards! It is SOOO fun! You have to try it!
Thanks for the ideas, Amy! I may have to go invest in some dollar store flashlights! Both of those sound super fun!
I usually keep one student with me to focus on perfecting their sound in at least 10 trials while the other students hide the cards. We move into a corner if we have to, as well as make it a race to keep attention focused on me. (We’ll race to see how many trials each person made it through with me and pick the winner at the end of the session.) Once the cards are hidden, I let the student find his cards and practice them. Then, I hand out the next batch and move to the next student. My kids love it.
Rebecca
Talking With Rebecca