What is about flashlights that makes kids go crazy to play with them? When I did speech therapy in the schools several years ago, we had “Flashlight Fridays.” My schedule was set up so that my artic kids came 15 minutes for 4 times a week individually (or in groups of 2). They looked forward to Fridays! We turned out the lights in my therapy room (I still had a HUGE window) and each child got a turn at shining the flashlight on a word to practice. Sometimes the words were taped around the room. Other times, they were index cards stuck in my pocket chart. Either way they loved it!!
So it got me thinking…this would be a super fun thing for kids to try at home!!!! We all have flashlights at home. Notecards are crazy super cheap! BOOM…instant home activity!
So here’s what you do:
- Write the child’s target words on notecards. I like to underline the sound in the word or write it in a different color marker than the rest of the word.
- Place notecards on the floor. You can place them around the room for added fun! Plus it gets them moving!!
- Turn the lights off. If need a little light, turn on a small lamp or open the blinds.
- Instruct the child that he is going to use the flashlight to find his words. When he finds, he has to practice it 5x correctly.
- Find the words!!!
It’s that simple! If you are a parent, this is a perfect rainy day activity. It gets the kiddos moving around while still working on their skills. Kids are much more likely to practice at home with ideas like this one!
For my SLP peeps, you can click here to get the parent letter to send home with your clients!
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Stay tuned for ways to adapt it to language skills!
What ways would you use a flashlight in speech?
