Mini Objects for Speech Therapy

There are so many toys we can invest in for speech therapy. Play-based therapy is not only fun for everyone, it's also evidence-based. So we want to have engaging toys that are also effective for targeting speech and language goals. Today, I'll be sharing my love for mini objects and how you can utilize them in speech and language therapy.

So what are mini objects? Well, just as it sounds they are miniature objects that fascinate children and make for great storage in small speech rooms.

Where can I get them? So. Many. Places. I pulled out my old Barbie toys and Polly Pockets and dug to the bottom of the bin for doll shoes, hair dryers, dishes, and more. Then I invested in 3D erasers. These can be found at Walmart, Target, Amazon, or Five Below. I personally purchased mine from Walmart and Five Below. Warning: some of them have tiny pieces that can fall off or be swallowed so I suggest using super-glue to make sure they stay together. You can also buy mini objects from Dinky Doodads which are typically smaller than 3D erasers and Barbie toys and could be stored in smaller containers. Another option is Speech Tree Co who sells mini object sets that are already organized by speech sound or syllable structures.

How do I store them? I purchased a photo keeper from Michaels which holds sixteen 4x6 photo cases. It costs $42 and is available in clear and color. However, I did NOT purchase this at full price as they are very frequently coupons and sales available. I purchased mine during Black Friday when it is only $10 - so I suggest watching for it to go on sale or a coupon is available.

How do I use this in therapy? Well, once I gathered all of my mini objects I sorted them by speech sound and made sure there were at least five objects for each position of each sound (so at least 15 objects per sound). I also typed a list of the words and placed a list in each box. Now, the possibilities are endless but I'm going to list a few of my favorite ways to use them as well as companion materials.

1) Just dump the container on the table and explore! Ask them to name each one and practice the target prior to placing it back in the container. Or, allow them to play with them and practice the targets while telling a story.

2) Forever Growing Bundle Speech Trinket Companion from Monae's Speech House - this allows you to use mini objects to target goals in describing, sorting, WH questions, prepositions, and more! It also contains sorting mats for speech sounds, visual cues, and labels for storing objects by sounds.

3) Visual supports for sentence and phrase expansion from Color Block Speech from Texas Speech Mom - the visual supports are intended to be used with pictures from the Color Block unit, however you can place mini objects on the blank space to support speech sound production at the phrase and sentence level or to increase MLU.

4) Place the objects in play-doh, water beads, or kinetic sand and let the kids dig for them!

5) Hide them in the speech room and send your kids on a scavenger hunt with the instruction to practice targets five times before they can cross an item off their list!

Again, the possibilities are truly endless. So, why do I love mini objects so much? 1) Various ways to implement 2) Kids are truly fascinated by them 3) Easy to store 4) No prep 5) They are just so stinking cute!

So, do you guys have mini objects? Do you totally love them? What questions do you have about mini-objects? Head to my Instagram and share your thoughts with me!