Top 5 games I use in therapy for age 4+ kids… in no particular order

Ever struggle to know the types of games your child might enjoy? Well lucky for you we have tried them ALL! Okay, so maybe not ALL of the games EVER, but we have tried a lot.

Communicative Disorder Assistant Taryn Thomson has put together her list of top 5 games for school aged kids and pre-school kids!

Please note, Wellington County Speech Therapy has not financial association with these games… we just really like them!

1 - Candy Land:

Candy Land is a crowd pleaser across a wide range of ages and never seems to get old no matter how many times you play it. I love it because you can work on a variety of different target areas such as language and articulation. I personally find this a great game for the /s/ sound thanks to characters like “Princess Frostine” or “Duke of Swirl”. The variety of characters also lends itself to practising pronouns.

2- Dragon Dash:

Dragon Dash is a cooperative game so if you have a kiddo who doesn’t do well with the idea of losing, this one comes in handy. There are a few rules that need to be discussed first so I find this one best for my older crowds (5+). It’s also a favourite of mine for my shy ones. Something about plotting a great escape and fighting dragons really gets kids to open up and have conversations with me. This conversation gives me a chance to either evaluate where we are at with some of our practised skills, or gives me a good chance to see where to best begin with their goals.

3- Crocodile Dentist:

There is no denying that a big green crocodile head piques the interest of almost any aged kiddo who spots it! This is one of the most versatile games I use. I personally enjoy ‘feeding’ the croc. and ‘discovering’ what his favourite food is. This story line not only makes the snapping action a little less scary, but the kid also gets to physically interact with target words, even if it’s just a flashcard. Anytime I can make a flashcard more exciting it’s a win in my books! I never struggle to keep my kiddos engaged in this activity.

4- Funny Bunny:

I just personally love this game…I find it FUN! If I find it fun, it’s no surprise that my kids adore this one too. I also enjoy that this game is one of the longer ones, so 45 minutes can fly by without losing any attention or engagement. I find it great for working on S blends such as ‘spin’ or ‘stop’. Using words that are applicable to our game also makes them functional.

5- Books:

As I support my clients with literacy as well as a variety of speech and language concerns, books are a main resource. But outside of supporting kids with their reading, I also like to use books to, once again, get kids talking. This is especially useful when working on fluency goals because you can provide support without interrupting or cutting them off in a conversation and also practice slowing the rate of speech or controlling the number of syllables per breath. It also comes in handy when it’s time to see how well a kid can use a practised skill on their own, without prompts from me as we go.