5 Ways I Reset My Speech Room in January

(No, it’s not a full makeover—and that’s the point)

Coming back after winter break is always a weird time. Half your students are still in vacation brain mode, you’ve got a fresh stack of referrals waiting, and there’s leftover messes in the corners of the room from some December craft you barely remember doing.

Every year, when I come back in January, I want to start fresh, but I’m definitely not trying to do a full therapy room overhaul. Instead, I do a few super simple things to reset the space and give myself that clean-slate feeling without spending hours or money I don’t have.

If you’re feeling like your therapy room needs a little January pick-me-up (but you’re also tired), here are five easy things I actually do to refresh my space for the new year.

Re-label the bins (a.k.a. the 10-minute declutter)

Let’s be real: by January, half my bins are mismatched, and the labels don’t always match what’s actually inside them. But you don’t need to redo your whole organization system! Just take a few minutes to check what’s gotten out of place and swap or fix a few labels.

Sometimes I realize I’ve been digging through a bin labeled “cars” to find dollhouse furniture. These are my favorite labels, because they’re durable but also so easy to change out. However, I’m not above using sticky notes to label what’s inside, either. It’s low-effort but high-impact. There’s something about seeing updated labels that makes the room feel like it’s working with me again.

Rotate some materials (and hide the ones you’re sick of)

You don’t have to buy new stuff, but you can move things around. I’ll pull out a few games or books I haven’t touched since the fall and swap them into my go-to shelf. The stuff I’ve used too much (I’m looking at you, Jenga) goes in a drawer for now.

This is also when I look through seasonal materials. If I find random leftover Halloween visuals still floating around, now is the time to remove them. Out of sight, out of mind (and maybe I’ll even put them in a spot where I can find them next year when I need them again). Winter books, snow-themed materials, and hibernating animals now go into the main rotation.

It doesn’t take long, but it makes planning a little more exciting again.

Add or update a behavior visual

This one might depend on your caseload, but after winter break, I usually have a couple of students who come back with big energy. That’s when I like to refresh (or totally reset) a behavior visual in the room.

It could be as simple as reintroducing the classroom rules, adding visual rules for commonly played games, or just adding in a reinforcement chart or simple behavior system (punch cards and scented rewards are my favorites). Even if I’ve been using the same strategies all year, giving them a tiny makeover helps students re-engage with them.

Clean out one drawer. Just one.

There’s always one drawer that becomes a black hole of stress. For me, it’s the one where I throw things that don’t have a home, l like my extra visuals, stickers I forgot I bought, broken crayons, things I need to repair, you name it.

In January, I pick one drawer and go through it. I give myself permission to throw things away, recycle scraps, or move things to where they actually belong. And if you really want to get fancy? Try drawer organizers, like these. With these inserts, your drawers can now hold organized chaos, instead of just anxiety-induced chaos.

It doesn’t feel like a big deal while I’m doing it, but the next time I go to reach for something and can actually find it? Totally worth it.

Print or prep one new thing to look forward to

I’m not trying to overhaul everything, but I do like to add one new material or tool to look forward to using. It could be a new set of visuals, a quick winter-themed game, or even a new progress monitoring tool I’ve been meaning to try.

Having one new thing in the mix makes sessions feel fresh without stressing me out. This year, I pulled out my January No Prep Leveled Photo Describing Worksheets to use across my caseload. Last year, it was reprinting a set of winter story sequencing visuals I forgot I’d created.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just rotate in something you’ve been excited to try and haven’t gotten around to.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed…

You don’t need to transform your speech room into a Pinterest board. January is already a time when everyone’s adjusting, so doing small things to make your space work better for you is enough.

If you’ve been feeling like your room is a little stale but the idea of a full reorganization makes you want to scream into a therapy table, just pick one thing from this list. Label a bin. Clean a drawer. Swap out one visual. Then go from there.

And if you do a full room reset? Please don’t tell me. 😅 I’m proud of you, but I’m over here doing the best I can and calling it a day.

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