Favorite Christmas Apps for Speech-Language Therapy
I often use apps to supplement speech-language therapy. I've worked with all ages of pediatric and school-aged children, and I've found a lot of fun apps to use over the years!
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS APPS
Toca Hair Salon: Christmas (Free)
Summary: Toca Boca apps are always a hit. With this app, you can choose between styling Santa or a Christmas tree. You then get to cut/grow, blow-dry, color, and decorate Santa's beard or the Christmas tree!
Therapy Targets: Verbs (cut, comb, color, dry, grow, decorate), color vocab (lots of colors to choose from), Christmas vocab (Santa, tree, present, star, bow, candy cane, ornament), concept vocab and sequencing (first use red, then use green; before you blow-dry, cut his beard; make his hair long).
Elf Yourself (Free with in-app purchases)
Summary: I consider this app more of a reward app than a teaching app, but it has its uses! So here's the thing, currently* this app gives you a couple free dances to pick from. (If you want more options, you have to pay). You can add up to 5 faces in a single dance, so it can be used with groups. Just be prepared for an ad or two.
Therapy Targets: Mostly, I've used this as a reward at the end of a session. However, it can able be used for requesting from a field of two, as the end result is pretty motivating!
Ugly Christmas Sweater Party (Free)
Summary: Think of this game as following directions, recall, or listening for details activity. A customer gives you an order for what kind of sweater they want (ex: Green with a Santa design) and you design it! Earn coins for each design. Hint: Play this game a few times before your session to earn coins and unlock more designs for your students to use in therapy!
Therapy Targets: Color vocabulary (lots to choose from), following directions/temporal vocab/listening for details (first color the shirt green, then add blue stripes, and last add a Santa design), verbs (color, dye, decorate, add), exclusion vocab (do not add green or yellow stripes), size vocab (large Santa/medium Santa/small Santa), positional vocab (top/middle/bottom).
More Pie! ($0.99)
Summary: Time to make a pie! Follow simple recipes to make the pie of your dreams. Choose from a variety of pies to bake, each with a recipe included. Make the crust (from scratch, or go with pre-made), mix your filling, bake, and enjoy! Making pie is ALWAYS a hit.
Therapy Targets: Cooking vocabulary (including different types of ingredients), following directions (first put ___ in the bowl, then mix), verbs (mix, pour, squeeze, tap, slice, crack, swirl, serve, bake, etc.), life skills (kitchen practice with real pictures and kitchen vocabulary).
Merry Christmas - Activities (Free)
Summary: This game is really 3 in 1. You can make a gingerbread house, decorate a tree, or fill Santa's bag with toys. Be aware, a short ad plays when you switch from one activity to the next.
Therapy Targets: Cooking vocabulary (including different types of ingredients), following directions (first put ___ in the bowl, then mix), verbs (mix, pour, tap, cut, crack, swirl, serve, bake, etc.), matching objects (Santa's bag), Christmas vocab (Santa, tree, present, star, bow, lights, ornament), labeling (toys for Santa), and more!
*Price reflects the current price at the time this blog post was written.