Christmas Speech Therapy Articulation Activity Using Toy Catalogs
Let me just say it: December can be a lot in the therapy room. Kids are excited (crazy, even?) and the schedules are weird. I always need something festive, easy, and functional, so I tend to reach for the toy catalogs.
Yep. Actual paper catalogs. Or the digital kind if you don’t have the stack from Target or Walmart easily available (no shame).
This articulation activity is simple to set up, hits multiple levels of practice, and works for both 1:1 and small groups. It can stretch across ages, from kindergarten all the way to high school, and it doesn’t require fancy printables or tons of prep.
Here’s how I used it, what worked well, and how you can make it your own.
Here’s How It Works
I start by handing students a toy catalog (paper if I had it, or we pulled one up on a laptop, iPad, or SmartBoard). Their job? Hunt for five items that have their target sound. That’s it.
They could circle the words, write them down, cut them out, or just tell them to me, and I’d keep the list. If you’re doing this with a group, you can give them each a different page or section of the catalog to keep things moving and prevent fighting over the high-tech toys.
Once they found five words, we practiced saying them one at a time. Super simple word-level drill work, but with a fun twist because they picked the words themselves. I was able to take quick data here, writing how many correct productions out of five, were there any patterns, etc.
After that, we moved on to sentences. Students used their five words in sentences, creating one sentence per word. You can give sentence starters if needed, or let them be creative with it. I had one student who turned all five words into one long Christmas wish list sentence, which was totally fine by me.
Finally, to move into a more natural conversation, I had them pick their favorite item from their list and explain why. Sometimes they picked what they wanted most. Sometimes it was what they’d give to someone else. Either way, it gave me a chance to hear carryover of their sound in a less structured task, and allowed me to take some data there, too.
Here’s Why I Liked It
First of all, it held their attention. Something about looking through a catalog, even a digital one, just feels like play. It didn’t matter if they were in kindergarten or high school, they were engaged.
Second, it was super easy to adjust. If I had only 10 minutes, we just did the word and sentence level. If I had a longer group, we added the conversation part.
Third, it gave me useful data without a bunch of extra work. I got to see how students handled their sound in isolation, structured sentences, and spontaneous speech, all in one session.
And finally, it felt festive without being over the top. I’m all for fun, but December doesn’t need to be more stressful than it already is. This was fun and functional. That’s my favorite kind of activity.
Here’s A Few Notes
You don’t need a physical catalog for this to work. I’ve used Target’s, Walmart’s, and Amazon’s online holiday toy guides and even just had students Google “toys” and scroll through shopping images.
You can use this with any sound target: /s/, /r/, /k/, blends, whatever your students are working on. Just have them search for those sounds in the toy names.
It works well with groups because each student can be on their own hunt, then share their list with the group.
If your students can’t write yet, let them tell you the words and you write them down. Some cut out the pictures and glued them on a sheet to make a little “gift list” visual, which also makes a nice send-home.
Want a little something to go with it?
I created a quick handout you can use to support this activity. It’s just a simple page where students can write their five words, use them in sentences, and jot down their favorite. It’s helpful if you want a bit of structure or something to send home.
You can grab it here: Download the Toy Catalog Speech Activity Handout.
I’ve done this activity with students across grade levels, and it worked every time. Some needed a little more support, some took it and ran. Either way, it kept us focused, gave me great data, and still felt like a break from the usual drill-style session.
So if you’re looking for something that feels fun and targets articulation in a meaningful way, give the toy catalog idea a try. You probably already have what you need. And if not, Target’s website is open 24/7.
I’ve done this activity with students across grade levels, and it worked every time. Some needed a little more support, some took it and ran. Either way, it kept us focused, gave me great data, and still felt like a break from the usual drill-style session.
So if you’re looking for something that feels fun and targets articulation in a meaningful way, give the toy catalog idea a try. You probably already have what you need. And if not, Target’s website is open 24/7.
