Books are one of the most versatile learning instruments, and speech therapists use them all the time during therapy! There are so many great books to explore language and articulation goals with. October is in full swing with Halloween right around the corner! We have compiled a short list of our favorite Halloween themed books along with some articulation and language skills to target while reading!
Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin
Book by Tad Hills
Articulation:
– with the repetitive use of the word “pumpkin” this book is great for targeting initial and medial /p/
Language:
– While Duck and Goose search for a pumpkin, we can work on simple yes/no questions
– The book also gives multiple opportunities to focus on prepositions (in, on, under, up, top)
– Lastly, when duck and goose find a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch, you can discuss what a pumpkin patch is, what all you can do with a pumpkin, and what holidays do we see a lot of pumpkins (Halloween and Thanksgiving)
Five Little Pumpkins
Language:
– There are several versions of this fun preschool story. Using the rhyming song (Five Little Monkeys) and hand gestures make this enjoyable for toddlers.
– Work on basic concepts such as “off,” “gone,” “round pumpkin”
– Simple questions such as “Where did the pumpkin go?” “Who took the pumpkin?”
Go Away Big Scary Monster
Book by Ed Emberley
Articulation:
– This story allows for focus on initial /g/ word using carrier phrase “Go away…”
Language:
– Using descriptive words to describe the monster’s face.
– Asking “wh” questions and making predictions about which part of the monster will come next
– Story retell working on first, next, then, last words.
– Ed Emberley has a free app that narrates the story and also provides a sing-a-long song.
There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Bat
Book by Lucille Colandro
Phonological awareness:
– This book is great for finding rhyming words and asking your child to create rhyming pairs.
Language:
– Asking “wh” questions about which animals have been swallowed, and the sounds animals make
– Since the woman swallows animals in a particular order, working on story retell focusing on the correct order of animals being swallowed is a great activity!
Room on the Broom
Book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Articulation:
– This book includes r-blends (broom, frog, dragon, ground) and vocalic /r/ (over, forest, bird)
Language:
– Adjectives provide great opportunity to work on vocabulary and sentence expansion. Use context cues if the vocabulary is unfamiliar.
– Using the characters on the broom and items she drops to work on story sequencing make it fun for an individual or group session.
– The illustrations also provide great opportunity for story predictions. “Who is going to find her bow? It’s something that lives in the tree.”
Using literature based speech therapy can provide opportunities to target multiple speech and language goals for your children.
By Meredith Gandhi, M.S., CF-SLP
