Speech-language pathologists and assistants use a lot of tools and resources to teach speech and language skills to children.  What speech therapy materials and tools do we need to do our jobs?  And how can we find free speech therapy materials?  We all know we don’t have a huge budget (or any at all!).  This page will show you exactly what speech therapy materials you need as a speech-language pathologist along with links to our best freebies available.

Check out our speech therapy materials list below for our recommendations on what speech therapy materials and speech therapy tools that you need as an SLP or SLPa.

Speech therapy materials and flashcards are resources that are designed to teach a specific speech/language skill.  These are especially helpful if you’re not quite sure the best way to teach a new skill and you’d like something that is already laid out for you.  Here are some ideas for essential speech therapy materials:

Speech Sound (Articulation) Flashcards:

We work on teaching speech sounds a lot.  The therapy can go much quicker if we already have a deck of flashcards that contain the target sounds.  I suggest having one deck for each sound in our language.  Then you can pull those out whenever you need them.  Here are the free flashcards that we have available:

• • /b/ and /p/ flashcards
  • /s/ and /z/ flashcards
  • CV, VC, CVC, and CVCV flashcards

Click here to access these flashcards in our free materials library

Or, click here to purchase our full set of articulation cards and materials

Language Worksheets and Flashcards:

Another essential speech therapy material is worksheets and flashcards that will allow you target various language skills.  You can keep worksheets in a binder with plastic page protectors so your students can fill them out with dry erase marker.  Flashcards can be kept in a carrying case like the one we show in our Speech-in-a-Box Kit!

Here is a list of some of our free flashcards and worksheets in the Free Speech Therapy Material Library:

• Past Tense Verb Cards
• Preschool Vocabulary and Question Cards
• Sign Language Flashcards
• Verb Picture Flashcards
• Idioms/Figurative Language Worksheet
• Main Idea and Supporting Details Worksheets
• Making Inferences from Pictures Worksheets
• Narratives Pre-Writing Worksheets
• Phonological Awareness (Pre-Reading) Worksheets
• Pre-Writing Worksheets

Click here to access the language freebies in our Free Material Library

Therapy Kits for Specific Skills:

If you’re really feeling stumped on how to treat a specific skill, you can access all of our no-prep therapy kits on our TPT store.  Each of these kits will walk you through how to do therapy for a specific skill from start to finish.  And best of all, you won’t need any prep time to get ready.  Just print (or open on your device) and go!

Click Here to View our No-Prep Kits in our TPT Store

There are several different types of tools, equipment, and manipulatives that help us do our jobs as speech-language pathologists.  Here are a few of our must-haves:

Tools for Better Speech Sounds:

• Mirrors: These are incredibly helpful when showing children where to place their tongue, lips, and jaw to produce certain sounds.
• Tongue Depressors: Sometimes we need to give the child tactile feedback to show him where his tongue needs to touch/go.  Tongue depressors can be helpful for that.  They can also be helpful to getting a good look inside a child’s mouth to make sure the structures look the way they should.  You can even buy light up tongue depressors and flavored ones!
• Coffee Stirrers: If you find that those tongue depressors are a bit too big to get great placement, try coffee stirrers instead! These can function similarly to those Speech Buddy tools I was mentioning before because they are small enough that they can be in the child’s mouth while he/she produces the sound. For example, you can touch the tip of a coffee stirrer up to the alveolar ridge and have the child push his tongue forward along the roof of the mouth until he touches it. Then, have him say the sound while he keeps his tongue there (and you keep the coffee stirrer there as well).

Tools for Smoother Sessions:

• Dry Erase Board: I use these all of the time in therapy!  You can draw something you want the child to say or write things down to demonstrate or outline a concept for the child.  You can also use them to allow children to draw for some extra fun and motivation during your session.
• Clicker Counters: These are great for data collection AND for helping children catch their mistakes. If you are collecting data, grab two clickers, one for correct and one for incorrect. Click away while your client is practicing. To work on awareness, tell the child that you’ll click every time you hear an incorrect production. The audible click will serve as a reminder! Plus, it is somehow less offensive to many children for the clicker to tell them they were wrong than to hear us correct them over and over again.
• Visual Timers: Let’s admit it, our clients aren’t always thrilled to be with us. Sometimes, a visual timer can help them see exactly how much longer they have to work before they get to play.

Click Here to View All of our Recommendations for Tools and Equipment

The bulk of my speech therapy materials consist of games and general activities that can be used while I target various skills.  I’m a big fan of “no-prep therapy” or “child led therapy” where I go into the session knowing what skill I want to work on but I let the child choose the activity.  For that, I need toys, games, crafts, and other activities that keep us engaged and allow us to practice communication skills.

Here are some great ideas for toys, games, and other general activities for speech therapy:

• File Folder Games: We have a bunch of free file folder games in our Free Speech Therapy Material Library that will allow you to target a variety of speech and language skills without taking up much storage space.  Click here to access the File Folder Games in the Library
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• Themed Activities: Following a theme that is relevant to the time of year is a great way to keep children interested in your therapy activities.  For more information and some freebies for different themes, check out our Themed Activities Resource Page
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• Toys and Games: I love having a collection of toys and games available in my room for children to choose from.  Click here to check out my favorite toys and games for speech therapy.

For more information on how to organize all of your speech therapy materials, click here!

Hi, I’m Carrie! I’m a speech-language pathologist from Columbia, Missouri, USA. I’ve worked with children and teenagers of all ages in schools, preschools, and even my own private practice. I love digging through the research on speech and language topics and breaking it down into step-by-step plans for my followers.

Fun Fact: I feel the most at peace when walking on a trail in the woods at my local State Park.  There’s something magical about leaving the rush and hustle of modern life to spend time in nature.

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