Activities for Speech Therapy During September

As we settle into the new school year, September offers a golden opportunity to blend baseline assessments with creative, themed activities that ignite engagement and set the tone for success. Here’s a guide of some of my September favorites packed with dynamic ideas and practical tools—designed for SLPs, by an SLP.

1. Kick Off with a “Back-to-School Time Capsule”

Start your sessions with a heartfelt “All-About-Me” time capsule. It’s not only a charming way to welcome students but also a meaningful tool to track their growth. I have my students complete one each year—and I love returning them to families or sharing them as students transition to middle school. A memorable tradition that builds rapport and celebrates progress!

Click the picture below to be taken to this product on TpT.

2. Book-Based Activities: Build Understanding & Goals

Introduce There Was a Speech Teacher Who Swallowed Some Dice by Patricia L. Mervine—written by an SLP, no less! This playful book opens doors to discussing therapy materials, goals, and why students attend. You can buy the book from Amazon HERE. Pair it with WH-question prompts via printable worksheets, Google Forms, or Boom Cards to check comprehension and spark discussion. Click the picture below to be taken to this product on TpT.

3. Set a Strong Data-Driven Foundation

In the first two weeks of September, focus on establishing or updating baselines and monitoring progress. This is a key window to assess new or transitioning students using standardized tests and SLP-designed quarterly data collection charts. These charts simplify tracking progress across expressive language, phonological awareness, articulation, and more—making goal-setting clearer and data easier to review. Click the picture below to be taken to this product on TpT.

Reinforcers

4. Reinforcers That Add a Dose of Fun

Mixed groups or baseline sessions are the perfect time to introduce lighthearted reinforcers. Here are some of the reinforcers I like to use during September while establishing baselines or targeting multiple goals during mixed groups.

School-Themed Reinforcer Freebie: Drag-and-drop school supplies into a backpack to uncover fun surprises—adds engagement and motivates participation. Click the picture below to be taken to this product on Boom Learning.

Back-to-School Articulation Memory Game: Boom Cards featuring /k/ in all word positions—taps into memory, cool visuals, and sound practice. Click the link below to be taken to this product on Boom Learning.

Articulation

5. Articulation Practice Through Game-Based Learning

Tone down the drill, dial up the fun:

School-Themed Articulation Boom Cards: Target a wide range of sounds—/k/, /g/, /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/, /r/, /l/, /sh/, /ch/, /th/, blends—across word positions. With drag-and-drop challenges and hidden surprises, repetitions feel like play. Click the picture below to be taken to these decks on Boom Learning.

Find the Teacher Articulation Cards: Search and click hidden teachers while practicing target sounds—brilliant for visual learners and thrill-seekers (who doesn’t like a search-and-find game?). Click the picture below to be taken to this product on Boom Learning.

Language

6. Target Language Skills Through Themed Decks

One deck, endless applications:

September Calendar Concepts Deck: Perfect for targeting calendar, category sorting, compare/contrast—Venn diagrams for older students, basic months/seasons for younger ones. Click the picture below to be taken to this product on Boom Learning.

WH-Directions Boom Cards: Practice following directions and the classic 5 WH questions with a school-themed twist. Click the picture below to be taken to this deck on Boom Learning.

Temporal & Sequential Direction Cards: Concepts like before/after, first/then, first/second/third, with audio prompts. Click the picture below to be taken to this deck on Boom Learning.

Quantitative Directions Deck: Words like more, many, least, fewer—great for number concepts and comparing. Click the picture below to be taken to this deck on Boom Learning.

Spatial Directions Deck: Explore positional words (above, below, beside, etc.) with drag-and-drop and audio instructions. Fun, interactive, and targets foundational language skills. Click on the picture below to be taken to this deck on Boom Learning.

Inferencing

7. Boost Inferencing Skills

Inferencing is both essential and practical for school and daily life:

Mr. Waffles Heads Back to School: A charming, context-driven activity where students guess which school supplies Mr. Waffles needs—includes multiple-choice within a story context. Click the picture below to be taken to this product on TpT.

School Clues Freebie: A no-prep, early inferencing task—simple, engaging, and perfect for classroom or therapy use. Click the picture below to be taken to this activity on TpT.

Listening Comprehension

8. Listening Comprehension That Makes Students Think

For older elementary students, try:

Listening for Details in Sentences Boom Cards: Short stories with audio support, followed by WH question graphic organizers. A smart way to teach active listening, comprehension, and recall. Click the picture below to be taken to this product on Boom Learning.

Mixed Groups

9. Mixing It Up: Activities for Mixed-Goal Groups

Books are universal in therapy:

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg gives a gentle nod to shared anxieties at school’s start. You can find the book on Amazon HERE. Ideal for mixed groups: articulation kids can hunt for target sounds, fluency students can practice pacing while reading, and language learners can respond to WH questions. I include printable, digital, and Boom card formats to tackle different student needs for answering WH questions. Click the picture below to be taken to my WH Questions on TpT.

10. Bundle & Save

To simplify prep, my School-Themed Boom Card Bundle offers several of the mentioned decks with a sweet 30% saving—perfect for SLPs looking to pack the therapeutic punch without the prep work overload. Click the picture below to be taken to this product on Boom Learning.

Why These September Strategies Work

• Purposeful Warm-Up: Time capsules and relatable stories create an emotional connection right from the start.

• Versatile Engagement: Boom Cards and drag-and-drop games are tactile and interactive—kids stay motivated.

• Data-Driven: Streamlined charts and probes anchor your therapy in measurable progress.

• Mix & Max: Nearly every activity supports multiple students, goals, and therapy styles, making group planning less daunting.

• Thematic Cohesion: All materials tie into “back to school,” which helps build comfort, consistency, and context.