Need some gingerbread speech therapy ideas? Around the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I seriously have to pump up my therapy game. Antsy kiddos and stressed teachers this time of year make engagement in speech a little challenging.
I always start December by pulling out the gingerbread theme in speech therapy. Here are a few quick ideas for all things gingerbread, including a free craft!
1. Gingerbread Books
There are so many adorable gingerbread themed books beyond the regular Gingerbread Man story. Here are my favorites (affiliate links included):
- The Gingerbread Cowboy
- The Gingerbread Pirates
- Interactive books on TPT
- The Gingerbread Baby
- The Gingerbread Girl
For tips on how to use books in your sessions and other literacy-based speech therapy ideas, check out this blog post.
2. Gingerbread Speech Therapy Sensory Bin
Sensory bins don’t have to be some big, scary activity. They can seriously be as simple as a filler and a few cut-out pictures. Give the students tongs to interact with the bin, if you don’t want to worry about a lot of sanitizing.
Here’s how I make my full bin:
- Red and white rice as the filler (I dyed some red).
- Plastic lollipops and candies from Hobby Lobby
- Mini gingerbread ornaments from Hobby Lobby
- Gingerbread companion cut-outs
Here’s how I make the quick and easy sanitary version:
- Pencil box with white beans or a bottle drying rack
- Gingerbread companion cut-outs and tongs
3. Gingerbread Playdough
If you want your students to be engaged, pull out the playdough. I know, I know. Not everyone is team playdough. Sometimes this time of year means pulling out all the stops!
I like to make a big batch of gingerbread flavored playdough, give the students individual portions, then throw it away when I’m done. It’s cheap and easy to make, especially with this no-cook recipe.
You can really do so many language activities with playdough – vocabulary and articulation with smash mats, requesting and expanding while making a gingerbread man, etc.
4. Gingerbread Printable Worksheets
Having themed worksheets on hand is a must for me. I love using the gingerbread worksheets that come in my mini-unit and the gingerbread 100 trial sheets that I can just print and give out to students.
Little worksheets pair well with books in a session, especially ones that are editable. That way I can use them to target almost any goal.
5. Gingerbread Crafts
I love a good hands-on craft. It keeps students busy while working on their goals at the same time. One thing I don’t have time for, though, is a lot of prep work. It helps to find crafts that are print and go or just require me to gather a few supplies.
To keep things clean, each student has their own mini box of supplies. Photo boxes work great for this. If that’s not your thing, wiping down some markers, scissors, and glue sticks doesn’t take much time. 🙂
6. Dollar Store Finds
Last year, I was able to score some of the cutest gingerbread items from the Dollar store. They had a large felt gingerbread man with felt pieces to put on him. This was great for requesting and following directions.
I also found some thin foam gingerbread cutouts that I paired with Super Duper cards and a paperclip. We hid them around the room and students had to go find them and complete their card. The cutouts were fun for crafts as well.
The Target dollar spot also had cute foam gingerbread houses, wooden mini gingerbread objects, and lots more. Be sure to check out both places for seasonal goodies.
7. Digital Ideas
These days I’m working with both in-person and virtual students. I don’t want my virtual kids to feel left out of our gingerbread theme, so here are a few of my favorite digital gingerbread resources:
- Gingerbread Mini Unit – The digital portion is a Google slides resource with lots of cute interactive pieces.
- Gingerbread Interactive Book Boom cards from Itty Bitty Speech
- 50 Trials Gingerbread Man from Speechie Adventures
I love all the freebies!!!