“Snail Mail” was my book share choice on Instagram this week. While it does explain the mail system accurately, it is a cute book to read during your mail carrier theme in speech therapy. The story of 4 snails (all with different personalities) take on the huge task of traveling across the country to deliver a special letter between 2 friends. It also has an adorable chant that is perfect for your clients that are working on /l/…more on that later! Here are a few tips for using this book in your speech therapy sessions.
First, you might want to start out with introducing the kids to the mail system. When we mail something, we put it in an envelope with a stamp, and drop it in the mailbox. Kids may not even know what a stamp is! Bring some in…which can lead to an entire list of language activities! Once you’ve talked about the mail system, share the front of the book and ask “Do you think snails really deliver mail?” This will get the kiddos talking and allows you to teach figurative language!!!
You can also bring out a map of the United States and bring the book to life as you read it. The snails journey from California to New York to deliver a letter. During their journey, they see different sights. Talk about where those sights are! Ask if any of them have ever been to those sights or in the state it is in? Look at the map to see where the state is, making it interactive!
For articulation fun, have the students recite the Snail Mail motto with you as you read the book. “Neither rain, nor snow, nor heat, nor hail will stop a snail from bringing the mail” can become a catchy little chant throughout the book. Before reading the book, talk about the different types of weather in the chant. This little motto can be great practice for your clients working on r,s and l.
After reading the book, have your students write letters to a family member or friend. Give them hands-on experience with preparing the letter to mail, complete with a stamp! This will give them plenty of practice with writing grammatically correct sentences using correct punctuation. You could also choose to have the students write a letter about the snails’ journey from their perspective.
Bring in a variety of stamps. Lay them out on your therapy table and play “I Spy” with them. Whoever finds the most stamps wins!
There are so many more ideas you could to with this book! Don’t limit yourself to just the suggestions here.
