5 games to liven up your artic therapy!

I constantly find myself wondering how to make articulation therapy more fun and engaging.  While drills and phonetic placement activities are necessary sometimes, there is a part of the therapy process that can be a little...boring.  If I feel bored, the kids feel bored.  I think we all need to give more credit to how kids infer our moods and mirror them.

There are a lot of different opinions about using the iPad in therapy.  I, for one, think the iPad can be a fantastic tool.  On the other hand, it is a not a cure-all or a replacement for a good educator.  

These games are my go-to when working with students individually or in a group.  The reality of these games is that they are fun, quick (often), and a great reinforcer in articulation therapy.  I will share some of my quick notes for each one with links.

Football

You know, like football in the sense like the rest of the world thinks about it.  This game is fun for the single player and "pass and play" multiplayer modes.

Students can play against me or each other, and the games go quick.  The students also have a lot of fun learning to bend the ball around the defensive players. 

Flick Kick Field Goal

I love this game for the competition between students (or against myself).  The games take not much longer than a minute, so the reinforcement is fast and does not take away from therapy.  If anything, my students work more because they want to get back to the game.

Once again, "pass and play" allows for some good natured competition in the speech room.

The students also get a big "kick" out of trying to get a 100% on each kick.

Crossy Road

For those of you who remember Frogger, Crossy Road is keeping hope alive that you can get across the road without getting smushed. 

There are lots of fun add-ons like finding the new character that you want, or trying out different characters.  Just when you thought this game was fun, the developers went out and got Disney into the fold.

Disney Crossy Road

You get all the fun of Crossy Road but now with even more recognizable and iconic characters.  You have basic characters like Mickey, special characters from recent movies, and even fan favorites from Toy Story.

The boards are specific to the characters, so there's even one for Cars too!

Just like the sports games, these activities move pretty fast, even for experienced students who are "good" at the games.  You're back at work in no more than 2 minutes.

Ketchapp Basketball

First of all, a great name for a game- who doesn't like "Ketchapp?"  I love the timer mode on this one because the reinforcement is even faster- 20 seconds- and you're back to work.  The students like competing and there's also features which allow you to customize the ball.  Some of the other modes can be intriguing, but the timer mode is the best for me.

So whether you think the iPad has a place in speech therapy, we can all agree that some fun games will make therapy more engaging for everyone.  Feel free to give these all a try- and best part, they're free!