Let’s just say it: the 5-minute speech model sounds amazing until you try to figure out how the heck you’re going to schedule it.

When I first started, I thought, “Okay, this is fast. I’ll just squeeze a few kids in here and there.” Spoiler alert: that didn’t work. Running around with no plan was exhausting and didn’t give me enough time actually to serve kids well.

Once I figured out how to schedule smarter, not harder, things got way easier. Here’s how I build 5-minute speech into my week without blowing up the rest of my therapy schedule.

I schedule blocks by hallway, not by grade or goal.

My golden rule? Start at one end of a hallway and work my way down. That’s it.

I’m not bouncing between buildings, floors, or wings of the school just to hit three 5-minute students. I build a block of time that lets me hit everyone in one pass. It's more efficient and way less mentally draining.

I don’t overthink grade levels or grouping by goals. When I’m doing 5-minute speech, it’s all about minimizing transition time and keeping the flow.

I give it its own block of time

I don’t try to wedge these sessions between traditional therapy groups or meetings. I’ve learned the hard way that doesn’t work.

I carve out a separate block of time just for 5-minute kids. How long that block is depends on how many students I’m seeing that week. Since most students are in and out in about 5-10 minutes, I plan for:

Service time per student
Transition time between classrooms
A little buffer because, let’s be hones, someone’s always in the bathroom or at library

This makes it sustainable. I can move at a steady pace and not feel like I’m sprinting the whole time.

I don’t stress over teacher coordination

Honestly, this is one of the easiest models to get teacher buy-in for, when it comes to scheduling at least. Most of the time, I don’t even have to coordinate specific pull times with teachers because:

Students are out of class for such a short amount of time
It’s usually less disruptive than a traditional group
I’m often in and out before the teacher even has time to ask what I’m doing

If you’re nervous about teacher pushback, this model might surprise you. It’s quick, respectful of class time, and easy to explain once they see how little it interrupts their day.

My best scheduling tip for a new SLP?

Find a random 20-30 minute gap in your week and make it a 5-minute speech block.

Even if you only start with 1-2 students, dedicate a specific time and hallway to them. Don’t try to build the perfect schedule right away. Just pick a starting point and build it out over time.

Once you get into the rhythm of it, it gets easier to fit more kids in.

TL;DR: Start simple, stay flexible

Scheduling 5-minute speech doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You don’t need to reinvent your entire week, you just need a hallway, a block of time, and a system that works for you.

Once you get a few successful weeks under your belt, it starts to feel way more manageable, and honestly, way more efficient than pulling full groups all day long.