There are so many fun themes to explore during speech therapy sessions in the springtime (see this Spring Speech and Language Activities Blog Post for some inspiration). One of my favorite spring and summer themes is BUGS! For this reason, I have compiled some of my favorite insect themed activities, games, and books in this blog post.
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Bug-Themed Activities
Make playdough bugs: Playdough bugs invite so much fun and creativity! You can roll playdough into a long snake and then create a snail. In addition, you can add googly eyes and pipe cleaners to make legs, wings, antennas. There are so many action words (roll, push, squish, stretch) and concepts (long, short, big, little, thin, squishy) that come up during playdough activities. Furthermore, you can practice following directions and answering questions as you create your bugs together.
Go on a bug hunt: During this indoor bug hunt, you will hide toy bugs around the room and have your students search for them with a magnifying glass. As they find the bugs, encourage them to name and describe each one. This is a great time to practice expanding utterances with carrier phrases (“I found a…..”, “I see a …..”). In addition, you can practice prepositions as you discuss WHERE the bugs were hiding.
Bug Sensory Bins: First, fill sensory bins with materials like rice, chia seeds, beans, fake grass or sand. Then, hide plastic bugs, fake leaves, fake flowers, etc. inside the bins. Next, encourage your students to search the bins to find the bugs and have them describe bugs as they discover them. You can also sort the bugs by type, size, or color. These backyard bug counters by Learning Resources feature a variety of bugs in different colors that are perfect for sorting.
Feed the Caterpillar: You can make your own caterpillar with a long green sock or cover a pringles container with green paper. Feed the caterpillar foods or cards as you practice targeted speech skills. This activity pairs well with The Very Hungry Caterpillar book by Eric Carle.
Bug Research: For older kids, it’s fun to dig a little deeper and investigate specific bugs. It’s easy to find online information on websites like National Geographic Kids. You can target insect vocabulary and compare/contrast different species. Several years ago, I had a student with a special interest in bugs and we had a blast watching bug videos together and talking about the different insects. Insects really are amazing and there is so much to talk about!
Bug-Themed Books
Bug Books: Books are ideal for groups because you can target a variety of speech and language skills. As you read bug-themed books together, make sure to pause to discuss the story and ask questions about the characters and events. Afterwards, encourage your students to retell the story in their own words, using descriptive language to describe the bugs and their actions. Here are a few of my favorite bug-themed books:
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
- The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
- In the Tall Tall Grass by Denise Fleming
- Who am I? Insects by Son Schein Press
Bug-Themed Games
There are many commercially available games that have an insect theme. These games could be used as reinforcers to target just about any skill.
- Honeybee Tree game: In this classic game, players take turns removing leaves from the tree without letting the bees fall.
- Snug as a Bug in a Rug: During this cooperative game by Peaceable Kingdom, students will work together to help all of the bugs get safe and snug under the rug. Practice final /g/, matching, problem solving, and social skills as you play this simple game together.
- Ants in the Pants: During this classic game, students take turns trying to make their bugs jump into the pants. Use as a general reinforcement or target core words and prepositions as you play (in, on, behind, beside, in front, etc).
- The Ladybug game: Children will race their ladybugs to the rose garden in this simple board game that was invented by a 1st grader!
- Mr. Mouth: Feed the frog bugs as you practice targeted speech and language skills.
- Cootie: Play the game as directed or simply use the pieces to build bugs as a reinforcement during therapy sessions. Discuss insect body parts as you build together.
Bug-Themed Printable Activities
I also want to highlight a few of my favorite printable activities. All of these activities target a variety of speech sounds like M, N, P, B, T, D, K, G, F, V, S, Z, SH, CH, J, TH, L, R, and blends.
- Speech Spiders Articulation Activity
- Speech Bees Articulation Activity
- Caterpillar Game Boards Articulation and Food Vocabulary
- Love Bugs Articulation Activity
- Bug Splat Mats Articulation Activity Playdough Smash Mats
Bug-Themed Boom Cards
Finally, you can find a variety of Boom Cards in the Pinwheel Speech TPT shop:
- Guess My Bug Boom Card Activity and printable game
- Build a Caterpillar Articulation Activity
- Bug Hunt Articulation Activity
- Feed the Bugs Bundle Articulation Activities
- Feed the Bugs Multisyllabic Words
Free Caterpillar Game
Have you tried Boom Cards? This digital platform is perfect for in-person speech therapy or teletherapy sessions. You can learn more about Boom Cards in this blog post. Click on the image above to download this FREE Caterpillar activity to practice S and S blends. This is a great time to try out Boom Cards!
