There is a real skill to choosing great books for speech and language therapy
*free download below*
I have spent a ridiculous amount of time exploring the children's storybook sections of both bookstores and libraries. They make me happy. And I love to use good books in my speech and language therapy sessions.
Even though electronic devices are taking over most things, kids still love old-school, 3-D books. I'm so grateful for this.
Funny, heartfelt, or relatable stories, combined with clever illustrations and the "just right" words create a magical combination. They can also be used in countless ways to develop and expand kids' language skills.
I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I couldn't wait to return to work after finding the storybook Those Darn Squirrels over Spring Break one year. A new game or book can help get us, and our students, through these long, mid-school-year months!
Of course, the ideal book for you will depend on many factors, including the skills you want to teach and the comprehension level of your students.
(If you're working with preschool-aged kids, see this blog post about my very favorite books to use with preschoolers.)
It is also critically important that the books you choose both allow your students to see themselves represented in the stories and imagery, and to gain insight into the experiences of others. To that end, here are some excellent websites that can help you find books with diverse characters:
The Diverse Bookshelf on the Reading Rockets website
Maya's Book Nook (this website was created by a fellow SLP!)
I've done a lot of storybook curating over the years while developing StoryWhys book companions. As you'll see in this blog post about how I choose books for StoryWhys, there are many critical components the books must include; sadly, most children's storybooks don't make the cut!
Check out the growing list of StoryWhys book companions that target many of the language skills our mid- and upper-elementary school-aged kids need. Click on any of the books below.
And try a FREE, 71-page book companion for speech therapy on the free download page.
LEVEL UP YOUR SPEECH THERAPY ACTIVITIES WITH STORYWHYS
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Have you heard? StoryWhys now offers the Speech and Spell series of resources. I am always trying to tie articulation work and spelling together in my therapy and I've never found any good resources out there to help me do this. So I made my own! Many more speech sounds and spelling rules to come. They'll be 50% off for 48 hrs when new resources are added to the StoryWhys store. Find them here.
Did you know book companions can be among the best speech therapy materials for elementary students? Explore all of the StoryWhys book companions for speech therapy in my store. You'll find comprehensive book companions that target many different language skills or Spotlight Series book companions that focus on one type of skill, all using high-quality, beloved storybooks.
Enjoy!
